56 



amphitrite = „ arge (Sulzer) Siciliae (Esper). 

 psyche — „ arge Occidanica (Esper). 



Later on Hiibner discovered that thetis was a name already in 

 use and adopted ines in its place — see " lUiger's Mag.," vol. III., 

 page 205 (Hoffmansegg). 



In modern times clotho has been replaced by japygia ; atropna has 

 been reduced from specific rank to japygia var. atropos ; ampldtrite 

 has given way to arge; psyche is still retained by Oberthiir (1909), 

 but has been dropped by Staudinger and now stands in his Cata- 

 logue as sylliits, Herbst, 1796 ; syn. psyche, Hiibner 1799. I prefer 

 with Oberthiir to stick to psyche ; herta has also disappeared from 

 specific rank and Staudinger gives it larissa var. herta, H.G., 900-3; 

 pheriisa, Dahl., was given specific rank by Boisduval (1882), and 

 has since been reduced by Seitz (1906) to syllius var. phernsa. I 

 need not go into further details regarding the nomenclature of the 

 Melanaryia, only to give the names of the species we have to con- 

 sider in detail. 1, galathea ; 2, lachesis ; S, japygia ; 4:, arge ; 5, 

 psyche or syllius; 6, ines; 7, pherusa ; and 8, larissa, and to draw 

 special attention to the vars. atropos and herta. 



Melanargia galathea. 



This species {Papilio galathea, Linnaeus, 1758) is, of course, the 

 first of the three root-stocks to be taken into consideration. I have 

 exhibited my own English specimens (dating from 1859 to 1914), 

 chiefly captured in Kent and Surrey, and (with one exception), 

 there is very little variation amongst them. They are similar in 

 size and in pattern, they all belong to the pale form of galathea, 

 and agree with the type specimen of Linnaeus. This form appears 

 to be found in Belgium, France, and Austria, and as far South as 

 the Ehone Valley in Switzerland (I may add here that Mr. Frohawk 

 exhibited some English specimens showing a tendency to yellow in 

 the ground colour). In the Swiss Alps (Berisal, 6,000ft.) the dark 

 form procida is met with, while the darker form turcica occurs 

 occasionally near the Simplon Kulm and also at Iselle in N. Italy. 

 In Tuscany the local form that I captured there at 2,000ft. was 

 procida, of small size, while in Southern Italy, alike at sea-level, 

 Gioja Tauro; at 1,000ft., Monte Elie, Palmi ; and at 2,000ft. above 

 Scylla, the form is dark procida with occasional turcica, and there 

 is a tendency to produce large females. 



I should have liked to make further search in Calabria but was 

 stopped doing so last year by the war. Seitz tells us that japygia 

 var. atropos is found there together with the type form procida, and 

 it is of smaller size. I should have liked to verify that statement, 

 but I have nowhere met with japygia in Calabria, which is a very 

 difiicult country to work, as there is no decent sleeping accommoda- 

 tion in the villages, and long wearisome day excursions are a neces- 

 sity. Good water is obtainable, plenty of food also, provided, as one 

 traveller puts it, you take it with you. If you have not done so, you 



