74 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



ON THE SYNONYMY OF PIERIS PERM ALE, DON. 



By J. A. Kershaw. 

 {Read before Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 12th Jidy, 1897.) 



The long list of synonyms belonging to this butterfly, which is 

 generally known as Pieris scyllara, Macl., shows the confusion 

 that has been created owing to the variability of this species, and 

 we can hardly be surprised that earlier authors, working under 

 the disadvantage of having only an odd specimen or two from 

 which to decide, should have given a new name to what 

 proves to be merely a variety of an already named and common 

 species. 



Butler, in the " Ann. Nat. Hist.," vol. xvii., p. 231, 1896, re- 

 cognizing the confusion existing in the synonymy of this species, 

 endeavours to set us right, but adopts Boisduval's name, lanassa, 

 who also uses perimale for the variety of this species (" Voy. Astro. 

 Lep.," p. 56, 1832), and places it under the genus Huphina. I 

 will not attempt to decide whether or not this genus should be 

 adopted, but simply use the one adopted by the majority of 

 entomologists. Butler, at the conclusion of his paper, gives a list 

 of the synonymy of this species, as he says "corrected to date," 

 but omits from it the name ^eriwiafc and scyllara. It is by the 

 latter name that this species is most generally known to Australian 

 collectors, and has been adopted by Miskin in his " Synonymical 

 Cat. of Lep. Rhop. of Aust." 



Butler evidently regards perimah as a distinct species, but 

 whether he regards scyllara as a separate species or has over- 

 looked it altogether I cannot say, as he makes no mention of 

 it whatever. I think, however, the latter must be the case, as he 

 mentions, when speaking of the variations, that " the under surface 

 of the secondaries and apex of primaries may be white, yellow, 

 whitey-brown, or earthy brown, but the upper surface only varies 

 in the number of white spots on the black border." This embraces 

 the principal variations of the species and includes both scyllara 

 and perimale, the type of the former of which, according to Mac- 

 leay, has the under surface of the secondaries white. 



Miskin in his catalogue places perimale in his list of synonyms, 

 and adds a footnote stating that "perimale of Donovan is the 

 rather uncommon varietal form, with the under side of secondaries 

 uniform light brown ; hence his name cannot be adopted for the 

 species." This, coming from such a well-known authority, is sur- 

 prising, and altogether opposed to the recognized rule by which 

 the older name takes precedence. Being a variety does not alter 

 the fact that it is still the same species, and being the older name 

 by more than twenty years entitles it to precede the other 

 names. 



It is unnecessary to give here a list of the synonymy of the 



