PYRAMEIS. By H. Stichel. 199 



wing are diffuse, the costal and distal marginal areas being yellowish with a blue tint. This magnificent form, 

 like the others, is connected with the normal form by several transitional aberrations and is the product of the 

 treatment with cold. — The species has hardly at all developed into geographical races. All the specimens 

 from South and Central Italy maybe united under the name italica Stich. This form is characterized throughout italica. 

 by the red band of the forewing being reduced in width, wliich frequently leads to the development of ab. 

 fracta; the posterior spots in the red marginal band of the hindwing show blue scaling, on the underside the 

 apex of the forewing and the centre of the distal marginal area are yellowish. South and Central Italy as 

 far north as the Albanian Mts. and the Abruzzi, further north in transitions towards to the nymotypical sub- 

 species. — The egg of aialanta is oval, greenish, with longitudinal ribs. Larva cylindrical, stout, variable in 

 colour, being obscurely yellowish, reddish, greenish or black, dotted with yellow, with a longitudinal yellow 

 stripe on each side and yellow branched thorns. Two broods: May and June, and again July until September. 

 They live singly in leaves of nettles spun together (Urtica dioica L., urens L.). Pupa brown or greyish brown, 

 with metallic spots on the back, the head produced into 2 short points. The butterfly, which hibernates, is 

 fond of the sap exuding from trees (borings of Cossus, etc.), but also visits flowers. Europe, North Africa, 

 Canaries, Asia Minor, Palestine, eastward to Central Asia (Altai). 



P. indica Hbst. {== calliroe Hbn.). Closely allied to the previous species. Ground-colour less deep, the indica. 

 band of the forewing paler red, distally once and proximally twice sinuate, anteriorly bearing a black cell-spot. 

 The hand of tlie hindwing with larger spots, there being at its proximal side another row of spots which 

 distinctly contrast with the brown ground-colour. Underside of the hindwing very different from that of 

 atalanta; instead of the cipher-like markings the cell bears sharply white-edged dark spots, the wing, moreover, 

 is crossed by a dentate transverse band dusted with whitish, being a continuation of one of the cell-spots. 

 The sexes differ but slightly, the $ being only a little larger and less bright-coloured. The larva feeds on 

 Urticaceae like atalanta; head black, minutely tuberculated, the body clothed with thin hairs and provided 

 with black branched thorns; colour blackish, dotted with yellow (Moore). Very common wherever the food- 

 plant grows, ascending to a considerable altitude in the mountains and flying all the year round. NicfiviLLE 

 (Butt. Ind. II.) mentions a peculiar aberration found at Dehra Dun in July which corresponds to the ab. kle- 

 mensiewiczi of atalanta. Widely distributed: Himalayas, Assam, Burma, Ceylon, China, Japan.. Corea, eastern 

 Amurland. — vulcania Godt. {= callirhoe Mill.) (62e) is darker coloured, with the band of the forewing lirighter vulcania. 

 red and strongly sinuate, and particularly large spots in the narrow marginal band of the hindwing, the apex 

 of the forewing, moreover, being more angulate than in atalanta. Larva on Urtica dioica L. Canary Islands. 

 — OCCidentalis Fldr. is a smaller and darker form from Madeira, of which single specimens are also recorded occidentalis. 

 from Portugal. 



P. limenitoides Obertli. (61d). Tlie sliape of the wings on the whole as in the preceding species, but the Umenitoides. 

 apex of the forewing rather more angulate; in the markings, however, the species deviates so markedly from 

 the allied forms that a special genus, Lelex Nicev., has been proposed for its reception. Ground-colour black, 

 markings white. The pattern recalls certain Limenitis (rivularis, homeyeri), but the position of the spots on 

 the forewing is somewhat different and the band of the hindwing which runs from the costal margin to near 

 the anal angle bears on its proximal side a broad tooth. The forewing beneath is paler, with larger, less sharply 

 defined spots, the underside of the hindwing being whitish with brown pencilling and short brown transverse 

 es in the basal area, the distal margin being grey, bearing posteriorly some dark triangular spots. — Tse- 

 kou, Tibet. 



P. cardui L. (62d) shows close affinities to the preceding forms. The ground-colour is pale red (pink), cardui. 

 more or less variegated with pale shades; the apex of the forewing black with white spots, a macular black 

 band obliquely across the middle of the wing, the base blackish dusted with ochreous yellow. Hindwing dull- 

 coloured at the base, with 3 rows of black spots in the distal area. Underside of the forewing on the whole 

 similarly marked as uiqier, the white colour more extended; hindwing very similar to that of the previous 

 species, but of a lighter tint, near the distal margin a row of ocelli with distinct blue centres. A dwarfed form 

 of this is named ab. minor Cann., its expanse being 28—30 (cj) and 30—33 (?) mm; the white subapical spots minor. 

 are said to stand in a straight line not in an arc, and the underside to be yellowish for the greater part. Recorded 

 from Calabria (Italy), doubtless everywhere among the normal specimens, ab. pallens Noel is described rs pa/tens. 

 having the ground-colour quite white, the markings being normal, but the thorax blue-hairy. This is an 

 extreme case of albinism. Specimens in which tlie black markings are remarkably pale, the apical area especially 

 having assumed a whitisli grey colour, are ab. carduelis Schultz. In ab. priameis ^c/i»/«c the anterior submarginal carduelis. 

 spots of the hindwing, which are normally rounded, are prolonged to black streaks, ab. inornata Brams. is pnameis. 

 distinguished by the reduction of the black transverse band; of this band only a subcostal spot is left, and the """■"" "■ 

 black area beyond the cell is absent except a narrow black line bordering the white costal spot, the 4 white 



