XXII. BUTTERFLIES OF THE GENUS 



PARNASSIUS 

 IN THE COLLECTION OF THE INDIAN 



MUSEUM. 



By Andre Avinoff, F.E.S. 



In the summer of 1912 I made a journey by way of Kashmir, 

 Ladak, the Karakorum and Chinese Turkestan from India to 

 Russia for the purpose of lepidopterological investigations. On 

 my way through Calcutta I received the kind permission of 

 Dr. Annandale to look through the collection of butterflies in the 

 Indian Museum. I was very sorry not to be able to spend more 

 time in studying these precious documents ; for I had just time 

 to gain an idea of the great scientific value of the material present 

 in the collection, which contains the types of Lionel de Niceville 

 and other entomologists. 



In the following paper I give a list of the forms of the genus 

 Parnassius preserved in the collection of the Museum. The order 

 adopted seems to show the natural gradation of the development 

 of the Parnassius type, connecting it systematically with Doritis, 

 a genus which links Parnassius with the other Papilionidae. 



I, Parnassius charltonius, Gray. 



Tehri Garhwal ; Kulu Kharbu, 13,000 feet; Kokser, Lahaul, 

 22"Vii; Nila Valley, Kutie Pass, Ladak, ix. 



The specimens from these localities seem to belong to the 

 typical form, though strictly the real charllonitss was described 

 from Chinese Tartary (from some place in Tibet near the frontier 

 of Ladak). They are of rather small size and have the red ocelli 

 reduced. 



I found this form at Rupshu, Sumkil, at 16,000 feet (i8-vii) 

 and the Shera-la Pass in Ladak. 



var. deckerti, Verity. 



Northern side of Darkot Pass, ca. 12,000 feet; i5-vii-q5 

 (A. W. Alcock): quite typical. Shundar, Chitral; i-viii. 

 Shera-la specimens are transitionary. 



var. princeps, Gr. Gr. 



Turkestan. Probably from Trans-Alai or Alai, as this is the 

 locality in which the form was found by Grum in 1884 and caught 

 by me in 1908. 



