ZYGAENA. By Dr. A. Skuz. 29 



yellow, anteriorly greenish, with dorso-lateral rows of thick black dots; head brown. In June on Ononis. 

 Pupa brown, in a yellowish grey or brownish wrinkly cocoon. The moths tly especially in the morning 

 till 11 o'clock and again in the ofternoon from 4, on dry sunn>- hills and on the cornfields situated 

 between the mountains. They always whiz about quite low, about 20 cm only above the ground, resting with 

 preference on clusters of Thyme. Tliey vary strongly, ObekthCr recording, jjesides the above-mentioned 

 forms, also aberrations with coffee-brown wings. 



Z. algira DKp. (8a). One of the finest Zygaenae. Fier}- bright red; forewing with black distal algira. 

 margin, which has a bluish metallic sheen and begins and ends in a black costal spot, an anal one 

 standing at its proximal side. In the marginal area thus bordered there is a black dot and at one-third 

 from base a larger, mostly quadrangular spot. Body always deep black, iiearing extremely rarelj- traces of 

 red scaUng in the place of the belt. In May in Northern Algiers. — ab. concolor Oherth. (8b) has strongly concolor. 

 reduced black spots, the wings being almost uniformly red. — As al). exigua uov. (8a) I designate the exigua. 

 small form from higher altitudes of the Atlas, occurring from the end of June till July; it resembles the 

 normal form in pattern, but the wings are somewhat darker and narrower and the insect is so much 

 smaller and slenderer that the body is scarcely '/a the size of that of algira. I think it probable that this 

 form is a second brood of alffirn ; however, I have no evidence for this assumption. — The specimens of 

 a/fjira tly considerably higher than the previous species, about 1 — 2 m a])ove the ground, and visit especially 

 Umbelliferae and Scabious. Their tlight-places, at which they occur often in very large numbers, are very 

 limited, being often restricted to a slope of one certain mountain. It is worthy of note that this insect is 

 so soon worn that at the end of the time of occurrence one finds only leather-yellow or pale red, but 

 otherwise quite perfect, specimens, which one might easily mistake for aberrations. 



Z. marcuna Obcrth. (8b) is much duller red than the previous forms, being more dark pink. The mamina. 

 black dot situated in the distal area touches the black costal margin, and the red basal area is separated 

 from the red discal area by a heavy black band. In the Aures-Mts., Algiers; in May. 



Z. baetica l^bi: (8b) is similar to iitarcKna, l)ut the ilot in the distal area is isolated and the abdomen, baetica. 

 which is always black in ntarviaia, has a red belt. South Spain. — Larva in May on Vetch. 



Z. fausta. A rather small, very prettily variegated Burnet with red collar and often much red on 

 abdomen. The 6. spot of forewing stands mostly so far separated from the 5. that it reaches spot 5 

 only with the extreme points of its hoi'ns (sometimes only with the lower horn). From Central Germany 

 through South -West Europe to South Spain and Italy. — The name-typical fausta L. (8 b) has two wh'dc fausta. 

 longitudinal streaks on the thorax, all the spots being strongly margined with yellowish white and the apex 

 of the abdomen except the extreme tip bright red. South Europe to South Germany; ab. lugdunensis Mil/, lugdiuiensis. 

 is the yellow aberration of the same, from Lyon. — In nicaeae titcp-. (8d), from the French Riviera, the nicaeae. 

 spots are not or hardly perceptibly edged with light and the thoracical streaks are darkened. — In jucunda Jucunda. 

 Meissner (8 c), from South -West Switzerland and the Italian Riviera, the red of the abdomen is moreover 

 wanting, or is indicated only by very sparse red scahng. — In ab. segregata Blachier the red spots are segregata. 

 all separate; occurs -Among jucunda at the foot of Mt. Saleve near Geneva in July and August. — The very 

 bright red junceae Obcrth. (^8 d) has a very strong and broad collar and abdominal belt (the entire posterior junceae. 

 half of the abdomen red except a narrow black subapical belt); but the light borders of the spots of the 

 forewing are very thin and the yellow colour of the thoracical streaks is reduced; P3'renees. — faustina O. fatistina. 

 (8cj has a less emarginate hindwing; the red very vivid, inclusive of the belt, which is interrupted beneath. 

 Further, the tip of abdomen is not red in cf; the red basal spot is never connected with the central spot, 

 and the legs are black-green instead of light yellow as in fausta. From Portugal. Transitions between fausta 

 and faustina, like the specimen 8c named "fausta", have often been observed. — The larva of fausta is 

 light green, with brown dorsal lines and subdorsal rows of black spots; head red, abdominal legs black, 

 anal pair red; on Goronilla. Pupa green-brown, anteriorly darker, in an ovate, white cocoon. The moths 

 in July and August on fiowery slopes, flying low. 



Z. carniolica. It is hardly possible to give a general description of the colour and pattern of the 

 2(3 odd forms which are being united under this species. The antenna is strong, being enlarged to a stont 

 club; collar and edge of thorax mostly with whitish hairs; legs black-blue, jellow beneath. Forewing 

 metallic black-green, densely scaled, fringes fight reddish yefiow; 6 spots, the 6. halfmoon-shaped , parallel 

 with the distal margin, its normal colour in exceptional specimens absent, but then always recognizable by 

 the scaling having a different gloss. The species is distributed throughout Central and South Europe, as 

 well as North Africa and Western Asia, extending to Turkestan and the Altai. "To enumerate all transi- 

 tions and aberrations would fatigue even the most patient," saj's Ochsenheimer; we also shall therefore only 

 characterize the forms which alone till now have received names. 



