NOTES ON ZYGAENA MINOS. '275 



ently almost everywhere with the type, where the species is abundant, 

 is the ab. jioli/ydlae of Esper, which Staudinger diagnoses as " maculis 

 confluentibus," and considers to be distriljuted co-extensively with the 

 type. This, however, judging from Esper's own account, would not 

 appear to be the case ; for, after describing it as " alis rubicundis 

 coucoloribus, limbo sinuato superiorum atro caerulescente," he adds 

 that ''it was first discovered in the summer of 1780, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Brauenheim, the specimen figured, having come from Ilerr 

 Gerning." He considers it to be closely related to his Sphinx pilosellae, 

 of which it had been suggested that it was a variety ; but plentiful as 

 was S. 2)iloseUae in Esper's locality (Franconia), no similar specimen 

 had been found there. He further notes that in Sphinx pilosdlae " the 

 scaling is very thin, Avhile in S. pohjgaJae it is very thick, and that on 

 both sides, all the wings of the latter are of unicolorous red." Esper's 

 figure of poJi/ijalae (I.e., pi. 34, fig. 3) differs from Hiibner's figure of 

 rnhiciindtis (to which we shall refer presently), in that the colour is 

 crimson, not coppery, and that there is a broader border to the outer 

 margin, and a border on the inner margin, which is absent in ruhicundus. 



I do not appear to have come across any really well-marked speci- 

 mens of Staudinger's ab. interrupta, which has the " macula media 

 latius interrupta," nor of Ochsenheimer's var. pinto, which Staudinger 

 diagnoses as " minor, macula media exterius non dilatata, alae jDOsteriores 

 margine nigro (in apice) latiore." Perhaps if the small specimens 

 from various localities were carefully examined, a few might be found 

 to present these characters. Staudinger, however, gives it as a " South- 

 east Europe" form, and his "etc.," added to this locality, may 

 suggest that he holds this opinion, as he marks it both as an aberration 

 and as a local race, for it is possible that what exists as a local race in 

 south-east Europe, may exist as an aberration in other localities. 

 Ochsenheimer thus diagnoses it (Z>/e Schmetf. v. Europ., Bd. ii., p. 26) : — 

 " Zygaena phdo. Alis anticis cyaneis aut virescentibus, maculis tribus 

 elougatis rubris posteriore cuneiformi : posticis rubris, margine nigri- 

 cante." He then goes on to say : " Real characters distinguish this 

 Zygaena from Z. minos. It is usually somewhat smaller, the clubs of 

 the antenna? less thickened, the wings more rounded and broader on 

 the outer margin. The ground colour is darker, it may even be 

 black-blue or green ; the red spots are finer ; the third is wedge- 

 shaped, and shorter, fading off towards the outside into the ground- 

 colour. The black border of the hind-wings broadens at the angle. 

 The female is greenish, and has a white-grey border to the shoulder 

 crests. Otherwise it resembles Z. minos. It is found in Ilungar}^ and 

 the neighbourhood of Vienna." 



Another striking variety mentioned by Staudinger is rahieundus, 

 Hb. ; the diagnosis of it runs thus : " Alis anticis totis sanguineis, 

 margine anteriore angusto cyaneo," and its locality is given as " Central 

 Italy," with the " north and south of Italy " added witli doubt. Hiibner 

 gives no description, but his named figure (Sanim. europ. Sehmett., ii., 

 fig. 137) has all the wings of an uniform fiery coppery-red, without 

 spots, but with a narrow greenisli border along the outer margin only, 

 of the fore and hind- wings. 



Lederer writes thus concerning pohjgalae and ruhicundus : — 

 " Heydenreich treats pohjgalae, Esp., as a .synonym of ruhicundus. If 

 this be right, then Esper's name would have to supplant that of 



