ARGYNNIS. 63 



one small ; outside this is a row of red spots with silvery pupils, 

 and a marginal row of seven silvery or yellow spots. 



The larva is brownish, with a black dorsal stripe bordered 

 with white, a black lateral stripe, and between the two some 

 triangular white blotches. It feeds on Viola dorsata in May. 



THE QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY. ARGYNNIS LATHONIA. 

 {Plate XIII., Firs. 3, 4.) 



Papilio lathonia, Linn., Syst. Nat. (ed. x.), i., p. 4S2, no. 141 

 (1758); id., Faun. Suec. (ed. ii.), p. 282, no. 1068(1761); 

 Esper, Schmett., i. (1), p. 238, pi. 18, fig. 2 (1777). 



Argynnis lathonia, Steph., 111. Brit. Ent. Haust., i., p. 36 

 (1827); Kirby, Eur. Butterflies and Moths, p. 21, pi. 9, 

 fig. 5 (1878); Lang, Butterflies Eur., p. 207, pi. 49, fig. 2 

 (1S83); Barrett, Lepid. Brit. Isl., i., p. 170, pi. 25, figs. 1, 

 ia, ib (1892). 



Although this is the smallest British species of true Argyn- 

 nis, only measuring two inches or less across the wings, it is, 

 perhaps, the handsomest of all. 



The wings are fulvous on the upper surface, with two rows of 

 sub-marginal black spots, and the base is rather broadly black, 

 with some additional black spots between this and the band. 

 On the under surface the fore-wings are yellowish-fulvous, with 

 a few oval silvery spots at the tip ; the hind-wings have a row of 

 very large oval silvery spots extending completely round them, 

 and a large oval silvery spot in the centre. Between the cen- 

 tral spot and the marginal spots there is a red band containing 

 a row of silvery dots. The rest of the wing is of a yellowish- 

 fulvous, but the large silvery spots cover the greater part of its 

 surface. 



This Fritillary is double-brooded, being found in early sum- 



