104 



EREBIA. By G. Eiffingek. 



occasionally a white centre. In the somewhat nanowei' dista! band cit' the liindwing tiiere are 3. rarely 4, 

 white-centred black ocelli. The underside of the forewing russet-brown, lighter in the ?, with black-brown 

 margin, the apex being dusted with white-grey. L'nderside of the hindwing black-brown, marmorated with 

 white-grey; the strongly dentate central band is externally bordered by a band-like line which consists of 

 an accumulation of white scales and is here and there interrupted; towards the distal margin there are 

 3 — 4 white-centred black eye-dots. The ? is throughout lighter in colour, the ocelli being larger. The 

 underside of the hindwing is white-grey, thinly dusted with brown atoms, the veins being sparsely scaled 

 white. The distal margin of the o"^ somewhat lighter than the ground-colour, being checjueied brown and 

 white in the ?. — In the Alps, in the mountain-and subalpine region, in the High Tatra and the Carpathian 

 Jits. ; in the West Pyrenees as a small form which has been figured by Herrich-Schaffer as ijovf/one. The 

 buttertly flies in July and August in dry and stony localities, and likes to settle with the wings half open 

 on rocks. 



gorgone. E. gorgone BmJ. (S7d). Formerly considered to be a variety of i/on/e, it has recently been proved 



a distinct species by the examination of the genitalia. The giound-colour is a reddish brown with strong- 

 sheen. The sombre russet-band of the forewing contrasts but feebly with the ground-colour, posteriorly 

 gradually disappearing in the same. In the band there are 3 white-centred black ocelli, of which the 

 2 subapical ones are somewhat larger and mostly touch one another. The distal band of the hindwing 

 consists of 3 wedge-shaped russet spots, which are occasionally united to form a ])and; they have 3 small 

 white-centred ocelli, which are often hardly visible. The forewing is russet-brown beneath, being a little 

 darkened basally. with the fore and distal margins dark brown and tlie ocelli as above. The underside of 

 the hindwing dark brown, thinl\- dusted with grey, the outer area somewhat lighter, with 3 black or black- 

 brown dots in place of the ocelli. The ? is lighter, being more vividly marked than the d", the band of 

 the forewing contrasting distinctly and shar]il\- with the ground-colour. In the light gre}^ distal band of 

 the hindwing there are 3 small white-centred ocelli. In the Eastern Pyrenees, at the end of Juh'. — In 

 rhodopensis. rhodopensis Stgr. (87 d) the wings are more elongate than in gori/mw. The band of the forewing, shaiply 

 limited proximally by the ground-colour, bears anteiiorly 2 white-centred ocelli one close below the other, 

 there being towaids the hindmai'gin an additional, small, minutely white-centred ocellus. Tiie band of the 

 hindwing is continuous and includes 3 small ocelli, ^hich likewise have minute white pupils. In the 

 mountains of Bulgaria (Rhodope Mts.). 



gorge. E. gorge A'sp. {= aethiops minor lisp.) (37 d). The wings are somewiiat narrower and less rounded 



than in i/or(/oiu. the hindwing being distinctly angulate and in the 2 feelily dentate. The russet submarginal 

 band of the forewing is rather broad and extends usualh' to the hindmargin. In the band there are 

 costally 2 pupillated ocelli placed somewhat obliquely towards each other, and in the ? united. In 

 this sex, more rarely in the cf , there is sometimes a small third ocellus towards the hindmargin or a black 

 dot instead. The band of the hindwing is narrower and bears 3—4 white-centred ocelli. The forewing 

 beneath is russet-brown, the fore and distal margins being black-brown, sometimes thinly dusted with 

 wiiitish grey. The hindwing beneath black-brown, being marmorated with white-grey; the distal band is of 

 a more or less light colour, bearing sometimes 3 black eye-dots, which have rarely white centres. The 2 

 is hardly different, being only lighter in colour, the underside of the hindwing grey, dusted with brown, 

 with a dark middle band which is dentate on its distal side. Widely distributed in the higher Alps, but 

 erynis. occurring only from the tree-line upwards. — ab- erynis E><2>- (37 d) is a rarely occurring aberration in which 

 the ocelli are either absent or are but vestigial. In the southern Central and Eastern Alps and in the 

 triopes. Abruzzi.*) — ab. triopes Spr. is found among the nymotypical form as single specimens, being moi'e 

 frequent in the Eastern Alps and dominating at the road of the Stilfser Joch, where name-typical gorrjc 

 occurs but rarel}'. In the distal band of the forewing there are regularly 3 large white-centred ocelli, 

 which are usually merged together. Towards the hindmargin — but not always — there are, shifted 

 towards the distal margin, 2 more someMhat smaller ocelli, which are also visible on the underside. The 

 gigantea. hindwing has usually 4 brightly white-centred ocelli , which are somewhat smaller beneath. — gigantea 

 Oberlli. is a very large form, being otherwise hardly different from the first-described fonn. From the high 

 mountains of Spain. — gorge is a lively butterfly which tlies about rather fast in the sunshine notwith- 

 standing the cold air of the immense altitude of its tlight-places, and likes to settle with the wings half 

 open on the bowlders warmed by the sun. The insect is somewhat more shy than most Erebias, but does 

 not easily fly off. The specimen chased by the collector, however, is often blown away by the strong 

 breeze on the mountain, being carried downwards and then slowl}- returning on the lee-side towards the 

 summit of the mountain. Sometimes it is blown on the snow, where it often remains lying a long while. 

 Plentiful in its flight-places, nothing, however, being known of its early stages. 



neoridas. E. neoridas Bsd. (37 d, e). Smaller than aethwps, to which it comes nearest. The distal band of 



the forewing light russet, being yellowish red in the ?, broad at the costa, posteriorly narrower, and 



*) On the plate the figure bears the corrected name erinnys. 



