38 THE entomologist's record. 



Erebia flavofasciata in the Engadine, compared with the Ticino 



specimens. 



By F. E. LOWE, M.A., F.E.S. 



A chat with Mr. Wheeler, in 1908, decided me to go this year (1904) to 

 Pontresina in quest of Erehia Jiavofasciata. I had also the advantage of 

 meeting Mr. Fison at Weesen, in June, and since he had most kindly 

 put all his experience at my disposal, I had reasonable assurance that 

 I should be able to lay my hand, or rather my net, on the insect as 

 soon as it emerged, but, in this I was mistaken, for, though I followed 

 Mr. Fison's clear instructions to the letter, and hunted many days in 

 the locality — in which he discovered the species in 1901 — not a speci- 

 men was to be found. One day, all the entomologists within reach 

 of the 1st Restaurant on the Schaffsberg, were driven thither for 

 shelter. In this way I made the acquaintance of Herr Max Bartel and 

 Professor Thieme, and, to my surprise, they early began to enquire if I 

 had taken K. fiarofasciata. It was soon evident that up to that 

 moment they knew nothing of Mr. Fison's discovery in 1901, as 

 recorded by Wheeler, and that Professor Thieme regards himself as 

 the discoverer of the Pontresina locality for this local Erebiid. He 

 had taken it in 1903, and again this year in some abundance, and Herr 

 Bartel had secured 20 specimens. 



The insect had evidently changed its quarters, or, as I am inclined 

 to think from a comparison of localities, the occurrence of this species 

 on the ground above the Restaurant where Mr. Fison found it, was 

 more or less accidental and exceptional, for the ground is hardly of the 

 character which E. jiarofa^ciata would appear to affect, and several 

 hundred feet higher than its customary range at Pontresina. 



Owing to the kindness of the German collectors, I was shown the 

 special places where they had taken it, and, although unhappily too 

 late, I secured three very respectable male specimens. 



Herr Max Bartel, who contributed a section (Sphingids) to Riihl's 

 second volume of Die palaearkt. Gross- Schmettcrlint/e, considers the 

 Engadine specimens of E. flavofasciata to represent a local race, and as 

 presenting an uniform variation from the Tessin type of Lieut.-Col. von 

 Nolte, and others, and has given the Pontresina form the varietal 

 name of thiewei in honour of its discoverer''' (?). He has written a 

 detailed account of his views in the November issue of the Iris, the 

 organ of the Dresden Entomological Society, and kindly sent me a 

 copy of his paper. As many of your readers probably will not see the 

 original, I propose to give the pith of it. 



After observing that there is a tendency to variation on parallel 

 lines in other kindred species, asvar. ohscura varies from typical E. ceto, 

 and var. ralesaiaca from FJ. st;/(/ne, Herr Bartel gives the following 

 general description of the subject of his paper :— 



Erebia PLAVorAsciATA var. thiemei, n. var. — A forma typica differt maculis 

 rufis alarum omnium obsoletioribus vel cluplo minoribus, punctis nigris paucior nee 

 non minoribus, subtus alarum posticarum fascia flava angustiore. Expans. al. 

 ant. 30mm. -31mm. (2 c?); 31mm.-3'2mm (2 ? ). 



Then, in more detail, he says, in effect — " This variety is much 



* Erebia flavofanciata was captured on the Schafberg by Mr. Nicholson, senr., 

 in 1891 and 1892 (see Trans. Eiit. Soc. Lond., 1898, pp. 186, 219, 237, and Ent. 

 Mo. Mag., 1901, p. 130). Our German confreres are evidently behind the times in 

 their knowledge of the literature relating to the lepidoptera. — Ed. 



