366 NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXIV. 1917. 



described form of this group is datiyii Mab. {Bull. Soc. Enfom. France, 1888, p. 42 

 (Gabes)) ; this is uniform mouse-grey, tegulae and base of wings whitish. 



The next described form was my virago (Novit. Zool. vol. xix. p. 118 (1912) 

 (Biskra)). I unfortunately was so struck by the resemblance of the o to 

 staiulingeri that it never occurred to me to look up the decolorata of Klug, and 

 Sir. Oberthiir's figures of datini are so unlike my specimens that I also did not 

 consider that insect related to my virago. The single 3 of virago is pale buffish 

 grey, while the ?? are cinnamon brown-grey. 



The last of this group to be described is d. sorrfirfior Rothsch. (NoviT. ZooL. 

 vol. xxi. p. 314. No. 51 (1914) (Guelt-es-Stel)). The colour of the general run of 

 the males is dirty grey-brown with a slight cinnamon tinge and suffused with 

 sooty black-grey, as if smoked ; the ?$ are clearer, less smoky brown. 



This is the insect Mr. Oberthiir takes me so to task over, for having named. 

 I can only say anyone examining the series I have would have done the same. 

 I must, however, confess that a S and 2 $?, received after the paper was written, 

 are rather disconcerting ; in fact, they entirely agree with the Biskra examples 

 of virago in colour. This, however, is something often found in two closely 

 allied local races of one species, that is, that some specimens closely or entirely 

 resemble the whole mass of the other race, therefore until I get Biskra specimens 

 agreeing with sordidior and in such numbers that they prove that virago and 

 sordidior are merely individual aberrations, I shall consider them two closely 

 allied subspecies of the Egyptian decolorata Klug. In my synopsis of the forms 

 I included grisea Griinb. as a third species, but on carefully looking at the 

 description and the figure, I perceive this insect has a stigma on the disc of the 

 forewing, and I have come to the conclusion that it belongs to the serrula group 

 of Paclnjgastria, and is not a Lambessa at all. Therefore only two species of 

 Lamhessa occur in the Palaearctic region, though several occur in tropical 

 Africa. 



Mr. Oberthiir received from El Kantara a ? of my virago and a ? from Bou 

 Saada somewhat similar to it which he has identified as the only other two 

 known specimens of datini besides the type cJ? from Tunisia {see Etud. Lepidop. 

 Comp. Ease. XII. p. 332 (1916)). 



The synopsis of the forms of Lambessa is as follows : 



I. LAMBESSA DECOLORATA DECOLORATA Klug. 

 Egypt. 



a. L. decolorata albescens subsp. nov. 



Palestine. 



(J. Forewings cream-buff, hindwings cinnamon colour ; $ entirely cream 

 white. (2 ??, 3 (J (J, and 3 larvae in Tring Museum.) 



b. L. decolorata datini Mab. 

 Tunisia. 



c. L. decolorata -virago Rothsch. 

 Biskra, Algeria. 



d. L. decolorata sordidior Rothsch. 

 Bou Saada and Guelt-es-Stel, Algeria. 



