THE 



ENTOMOLOGIST'S 

 MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 



SECOND SERIES-VOL. VII. 



[VOLUME XXXII.] 



NOTES ON EJtEBIA MELAS. 

 BY CHARLES OBERTHUR, F.E.S. 



Without doubt the European fauua still contains more than one 

 surprise for entomologists. Plenty of collectors full of zeal and 

 experience have already many times explored the mountain ranges of 

 the Alps and the Pyrenees, but it is still possible to find there species 

 of Rhopalocera which have escaped notice up to the present. 



Before the year 1890 EreMa melas was only known in Hungary, 

 Greece, Russia, and Armenia on the one hand, and in the French and 

 Spanish Pyrenees on the other ; this species had never been noticed 

 in any part whatever of the Alpine range. It frequents, however, the 

 Southern Tyrol, where, near Campiglio, Mrs. Nicholl in 1890, and Dr. 

 Chapman and Mr. Lemann during the month of July in 1895, have 

 taken a certain number of specimens. 



What adds considerable interest to this capture is, that Erehia 

 melas is rich in geographical variations. In no two localities does it 

 appear to be exactly the same, and the females all appear under a 

 different garb in each mountain region. I have dealt with this point 

 in " Les Etudes d'Entomologie," livraison viii, pages 19 — 23. 



In Armenia melas is represented by the form Hewitsoni (Lederer) 

 characterized by the red band being broader, and the black ocelli, 

 pupilled with white, being more numerous, even in the case of the 

 males. 



In Hungary the males are absolutely black without red band, 

 generally with three ocelli, of which two are large, black,' and white- 

 pupilled on the upper wings, and three small ocelli, also white-pupilled, 

 on the lower wings. 



[JART, 1896. 



