116 MELANARGIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



western representative of tlie species, occurring in South France, the Riviera and Spain. Here tlie hind- 

 wing bears onlj- a slight grej'ish shadow around the ocelli. The forewing, however, has a thick black 

 suwarovius. band at the apex of the cell. — In suwarovius Hbst. (— clotho Hbn., russiae Eq:).) (38 e), which represents 

 the species in the North and extends froni Hungarj' across Soutii Russia and Siberia to the Altai, the 

 discoceliular band of the forewing becomes lighter in consequence of the appearance of a white central spot 

 caucasica. in the same, this wliite spot with its black border forming a kind of median ocellus. — In caucasica Nurchii. 

 (— xenia Frr.) (38 e) also the median band of the hindwing is rendered light b}^ the appearance of white spots, 

 the black markings therefore being all separated into stripes, lunules, and arcuate lines. In the Eastern 

 transcaspica. Caucasus (Daghestan) and Armenia. — transcaspica Styr. (38 e) has a little more black than this white 

 form, the submarginal macular lines being thickened and proximally shaded with grey scaling, which 

 extends on the veins as dark projections to the margin, the median band of the hindwing above also being 

 filled in with dark scaling. Persia, Turkestan. — The forms oi jupijyia occur especially on rocky slopes 

 Avhere tufts of grass grow here and there among the rocks and boulders, the cfcf inspecting these tufts in 

 their flight. They ascend in the mountains to a considerable altitude. 



M. parce. This insect is so close to the preceding that it might be united with it. The pattern 



pane, agrees entirely with that of deanthe and siiwaroriiis ; the nymotypical parce ^V ,(//■. (36 f), from the Pamir, 



has however the median band lighter in colour and on the other hand the margin of the hindwing (within 



lucida. the lunate line) broadly dusted with black. — The form lucida Styr. (38 f), from Koksu and Fergana, on 



the contrar}' has the disc of both wings pure white and without markings, also the external third of the 



forewing being white and the apical ocellus therefore appearing as a heavy dot. 



M. larissa. Also the forms allied to larissa can be separated from \he japyyia- forms only with 

 difficultj' and some arbitrariness. The transverse cell-bar of the forewing is not so close to the centre of 

 the cell, being apparentlj^ a little shifted towards the apex of the same, and the median band of the hind- 

 wing has a somewhat different position, but also varies rather considerablj- in the specimens of one variety. 

 The countries inhabited b}- the forms of larissa are more or less grouped around the Black Sea, while the 

 distribution area of the japyyia -forms encircles that of larissa in a wide arch. — The njmotypical form 

 larissa. larissa lIliH. (38f) is easily recognized bj- the strongly sooty blackening of the bases of the wings, onlj' 

 the cell having some light places left. Balcan Peninsula, especially its eastern portion, the coasts of the 

 astanda. Black Sea and portions of Armenia. — As astanda >Vy/\ (38f) very different specimens are sold, which all 

 have the median band of the hindwing strongly darkened, while the forewing is either heavily dusted with 

 blackish or is very light (as in the figure 38 i). As also the figure accompanying the original description 

 (Rom. ;\lem. Lep. I, PI. i, fig. 5, 6) does not show any characters that hold good, it might be advisable to 

 drop this name altogether, if one does not Avisli to keep it for those s])ecimens which unite characters of 

 taiirica. japyyia with such of larissa. — taurica Uo/i. {= syi'iaca Sfyr.) is a magnificent form which occurs especially 

 on the southern slopes of the Taurus Alts, (near Adana), and in which, Itesides the margin, also the whole 

 proximal half of both wings is black, there remaining only a white discal band. On plate 39 in row a this 

 form is figured as "syriaca". — Specimens in which moreover the costal portion of this discal band is 

 gnophos. shaded with black-brown on the forewing are distinguished by OnRUTHtJK as ab. gnophOS, being however 

 considered by him as a form of yalnihea. From Akbes in S3ria. — In contradistinction to these exceptionally 

 grumi. dark forms there are a number of light ones: in grumi Sfdfss. (39b) the cells and even the median band 

 occaecata. of the hindwing are filled in with light colour; in ab. occaecata >^tyr. the ocelli of the hindwing beneath 

 massageta. are absent; massageta i^tyi'- is above as dark as the nyni(pt3pical larissa, while the markings beneath are 

 obsolescent; these forms, which probabh' occur partly together, are found in Kurdistan, as well as in 

 herta. Mesopotamia, which lies south of it. — herta Him. (39a), though still with the base of the hindwing 

 blackish , has the disc already extended pure white. In the South and West of the Balcan Peninsula. — 

 hertina. hertina Styr. is the name for specimens from Achalzich in Armenia which, though otherwise similar to the 

 preceding, have sharper black markings and are essentially smaller than herta. — A very white form from 

 adriatica. Dalmatia may here be introduced as adriatica form. nor. (39a), in which the apical ocellus and the ocelli 

 of the hindwing appear as black dots on a completeh' white ground and in which the subapical oblique 

 shadow of the forewing has entirely disappeared. Like astanda also this form connects the larissa- with 

 the Japyyia-\y])e. 



hylata. M. hylata Mi'n. (39b). This form from Armenia is at once recognized by the white underside, 



which bears on the hindwing but ver\' diffuse, hardly indicated markings. ()n the forewing only the 

 oblique band at the apex of the cell and an irregular submarginal band, which widens from the centre of 

 the distal margin to the inner angle, are black. — Specimens from Shiraz are distinguished by the larger 

 size and very extended white fringes, into which reach the strongly enlarged white marginal spots, there 

 being no sharp line of separation. We name this form in contradistinction to the smaller Armenian one 



iranica. iranica form. nor. (39 b). 



M. halimede. This form, like all the East-Asiatic Melanaryia, bears a broad black streak along the 

 inner margin of the hindwing above, whereby a confusion with anv form from Europe or Anterior Asia 



