182 Mr. Edward Doubleday's Remarks on the Genus Argynnis. 



Long before Godart, Fabricius had divided this group into two genera, 

 Ahrgyimu and Melitcea, the latter placed immediately before Helicopis, with 

 nine- genera between it and the former, his generic character being strangely 

 incorrect. His first species, M. Lucina, is now removed to another family, 

 but his generic names have been retained by both continental and British 

 entomologists, though they differ as to the limits of the genera. Nature, how- 

 ever, is decidedly on the side of our continental brethren. 



Iliibner in his * Verzeichniss' has made almost as many genera as there are 

 species in this group, but his divisions are so unnatural that they can in no 

 case be adopted. 



Dr. Horsfield has founded the genus Phalanta on Arg. Phalanta and its 

 allies. If; Bianchard has separated P. Pantheratus of Martyn, the Arg. Bri- 

 an a of Godart, making it the type of his genus Clothilda. Mr. Westwood has 

 proposed to divide our British species into five groups, founded chiefly on 

 the form and colours of the wings, to which he gives no names. 



The generic name Agraulis, proposed by Hiibner, has been retained, but 

 not in accordance with his limitation. 



Several very natural groups have as yet not been taken notice of; to pro- 

 vide for these species I venture to propose the following sections, founded, as 

 will be seen in a great degree, on the position of the subcostal nervules, the 

 first being the genus Agraulis, properly so called. 



In Agraulis Vanilla? and Moneta, the first subcostal nervule has its origin 

 beyond the disco-cellular nervure, the first and second being more widely 

 distant than the second and third, the third and fourth near together, the 

 nervure making a considerable bend downwards after throwing off the third 

 nervule. A short upper disco-cellular connects the first discoidal nervule with 

 the subcostal; a much longer and curved disco-cellular connects the second 

 discoidal nervule with the median beyond its second nervule. The discoidal 

 cell of the posterior wings is open, and both the subcostal and median nervures 

 are much curved. These two species are much more nearly allied to many 

 species of Godart's Cethosice than to the typical species of Argynnis, though it 

 is doubtful if these ought all to be placed in the same genus, as is done by 

 Dr. Boisduval. 



The second section will include Argynnis Thau, Clagia and their allies. 



