40 APORTA. By J. Ruber. 



Though there is apparentl}' no transference of poison from the food-plants to tlie insects, the Pierid 

 buttertlies are little persecuted b}- birds, being, it seems, unpalatable. Some species of the genus Dimiorjihia 

 are so-called mimics, while in some other genera onlj- the ?? are mimetic. 



We di^•ide here the Palaearctic Pii'vldac into 23 genera. 



Several fossil Pierids have been found, which do not differ in size from recent forms. 



]. Genus: Apoi'ia llhi)., Black-veined white. 



Rathei- large buttertlies, with stiff In-ittle wings, which make a distinct rustling sound during tlight. 

 While some authors, on account of the whole aspect of the insects as well as of the shape of the scales, 

 which differ from those of the otiier Pierids, consider Aporia to be related to Parnaaaius (Dixey), other 

 authors lielieve those characteristics to indicate rather a certain affinity with the Danaids. — Among the 

 Pierids the neuration places Aporia near Pli'ri.'< and I)e/ki.<. being easily distinguished from the latter ))} the 

 number of subcostals fin Aporia 4, in Delias 3), while it is still more easy to distinguish it from Picris 

 by the sparsity of the scaling, the \\ings being more or less transparent, tlie species of Pieris on the 

 contrary being densely scaled. 



The larvae, when young, live gregariously on Prunaceae, Rubiaceae, Berberideae, etc., hil^ernating 

 j-oung. The butterflies are on the wing early in summer (May, June), slowly, but sometimes also elegantly, 

 sailing over meadows and fields and sucking b}' preference at Scabious and Thistles. — The genus is 

 almost exclusivelj' Palaearctic; only in the north of India there occur two species of which it is not known 

 that they extend into the Palaearctic Region. 



crataegi. A. crataegi L. (17 a). White, with thin black veins, the 'i with a large sparselj- scaled discal area 



on the forewing; underside similar to upper. The whole of Europe and North Asia, going far northwards 



alepica. and extending ni Noth Africa southwards to the slopes of the Aures Mts. ; not in Egypt. In ab. alepica 



augusta. Cosiiioriri (17 aj all the wings aie transparent. The form augusta Tiir. (19 a) has the cross-veins more 

 distinctly black and the nervules are more strongly dusted with black at the distal margin, all the veins 



hyalina. being more broadly edged with black beneath: from Sicilj'. — hyalina suhgp. nor., from the Taurus (south. 

 Asia Minor), is pure white in d', with thin dark veins, the tips of the same being scarcely perceptibly 

 darkened; the ? not (|uite so transparent as in alvpica, the dark edges of the veins being distallj' faint but 

 pellucida. broad, and the cross-veins of the forewing being more densely shaded with black. — pellucida suhfip. nor., 

 from Aidere, is sparsely scaled in both sexes, i)ut the dark vein-streaks extend farther basad ; beneath, the 

 hindwing and the apex of the forewing have a j'ellowish tint , the veins of the forewing being rather 



suffusa. broadly edged with fuscous. — Tttt enumerates, besides, the following aberrations: suffusa are specimens 

 marginata. shaded with fuscous; marginata are individuals with a distinct Idack distal marginal l)and to the hindwing 



lunulata. (somewhat reminding one of CoUas edusa) ; lunulata has the disco-cellulars of the hindwing broadly marked 



melana. with black, forming a distinct black halfmoon ; tneiana has fuscous stripes between the veins of the under- 



flava. side of the hindwing: flava are entirely yellow specimens. — Larva clothed with short whitish hairs; ashy 



grey, dorsall}' black, with two orange-yellow or brown-red stripes and above the legs a reddish-j-ellow line ; 



head, thoracical legs and anal legs black; on Prunus, Pirus and Crataegus, adult in JIay. Pupa whitish. 



with dots united to form stars. Egg conical, 3'ellowish. 



The butterfly is locally still very fre((uent, though its abundance and range have considerably 

 diminished in consequence of the systematic destruction of the winter-nests and the war against the black- 

 thorn-hedges. From former times swarms and migrating flocks of this butterfly are on record, and the 

 "oracle of the blood-rain" is attributed to the dark red excretions of the butterflies of which large numbers 

 had emerged from the pupae on a small space. The species appears to be commonest in Central Europe; 

 Dr. Seitz found the insect more singly in East Asia and likewise in Algiers, where he met with it near 

 Lambeze in June. A. crafaez/i is rarer in southern Japan than in the north of that country, likewise in 

 Amurland, where it flies together with A. hippiu. 



hippia. A. hippia Brem. (= crataegioides Luc.) (17b). Hindwing beneath dull ochre-yellow, otherwise 



.similar to the previous, but the nervures of all wings and the cross-veins of the forewing broadly streaked 



with black, and the hindwing beneath bearing a yellow basal stripe. South-East Siberia, Mongolia, and 



thibetana. North China. — thibetana Gr.-Grsh. {^=. tianschanica Riilil) (17 b) is a small form from China and Manchuria 



kreitneri. with the hindwing beneath more stronglj- and deeplj' yellow. — kreitneri Fiir. (17c), from the Kuku-Nor 



sulphurea. and Amdo, is purer white above, with very broadly black cross-veins, ab. sulphurea Oherth. (17b) is an 



transiens. (accidental) aberration with light sulphur-yellow upperside. — transiens Alph., from Kiiam, approaches hieti, 



being darker than thibetana. From lack of material we are unable to decide, if it belongs to hippia or to 



potanini. hieti. — potanini Alph. (17c), from West China, of which we have likewise no specimen, has a peculiar 



reddish grey upper surface; the veins are not conspicuously dusted with black and the cell of both wings 



is lighter in tint than the rest of the wings. 



