VANESSA. By H. Stichel. 201 



2. radial in a flat curve, cell open or closed, in the latter case the 3. discocellular oblique and joining the 



3. radial at its bent. Hindwing almost triangular, the apical and anal angles distinctly marked, the former 

 less angulate than the latter, the distal margin angulate or dentate at the 3. radial, otherwise like that of 

 the forewing more or less undulate or even dentate; precostal not the same, being simple or forked or curved 

 in hook-shape either outside or inside; cell open. — Larva cylindrical, with more or less branched thorns; 

 on Urticaceae, Leguminosae, Compositae, etc. Pupa suspended, angular, with beak-like dorsal projection with 

 metallic spots. The butterflies are fond of sunshine and have a swinging and not specially fast and vigorous 

 flight, being met with in meadows, on pastures and in gardens. They visit flowers, some species also imbibe 

 the sap of certain trees. 



F. Moore (Lep. Ind. IV, 1899) divides the genus up as follows: Eiwanessa Scudd. (type: E. antiopa); 

 Eugonia Hbn. (type: E. polyckloros); Aglais Dalm. (type: A. urticae); Kaniska (type: A', canace). Vanessa 

 F. is employed for Pyrameis Hbn. (type: T'. atalanta). 



V. io L. (62d) is a magnificent species, characterized by the peacock spots which are present on both io. 

 wings on a bright red-brown ground, the underside being blackish and bearing deep black transverse bands 

 and lines. There occur specimens which are only half the normal size; these are ab. ioides 0*), and are said ioides. 

 to be the result of the larvae eating the flowers of nettles instead of the leaves; however, they are also generally 

 obtained from starved larvae, ab. pavo Stick, is the name for a form with a steel-blue gloss on the black costal pavo. 

 spots of the forewing and all over the inner portion of the ocelli of the hindwing, the distal margin having a 

 peculiar coppery tint; from Bohemia. In ab. pallida Tutt the pale margin of the ocellus and the space between fallida. 

 the black costal spots of the forewing are white instead of golden yellow; rare in England, are these perhaps 

 faded hibernated specimens ? ab. dyophtalmica Garb. (^= cyanosticta Raynor) is a variety in which there appears dyoph- 

 below the ocellus of the hindwing another, simple, blue spot of variable size. In the type-specimen this talnuca. 

 additional spot is edged with black and the black margin of the large ocellus projects backwards in apostrophe 

 shape; from Italy (Verona) and England (Maldon). ab. fulva Ourf. is of a dull grey-brown ground-colour (a.s fulva. 

 if faded); the ocellus of the forewing does not contain any black and tlie outer part of its yellow edge is 

 absent, these latter differences, however, being apparently of secondary importance; at Amsterdam, bred from 

 larvae in October. In ali. calorefacta Urech, which has been obtained by exposing the pupa to the influence calorefacta. 

 of heat, the brown ground of tiie forewing bears four blackish spots, one each being placed at the bases of the 

 two median veins and in the submedian interspace. The nymotypical subspecies, moreover, varies frequently 

 in the more or less imperfect development of the ocelli. Such aberrations are like the previous one generally 

 obtained by artificially ex|)(ising the pupae to heat or cold at a certain stage, but also occur or may occur 

 in nature, namely: ab. exoculata Weym. with the ocellus of the hindwing dulled or blind, black-grey (ob- e.xoculata. 

 solescent). ab. fischeri Stdfss., the blue centre is absent from the eye-spot of the forewing, and in the ocellus fisdwri. 

 of the hindwing there is hardly any blue; low temperature form, also at Luzern (bred from larvae). Inab. 

 antigone Fisch. the yellow and red of the ocellus of the forewing is almost entirely replaced by black, antigone. 

 this colour merging into the black costal spot, which is enlarged; hindwing normal or with an indication of the 

 ocellus becoming obsolescent; low temperature form. ab. jocaste Urech (^^ narses Schultz) is a further s[e\^ Jocaste. 

 in the same direction, the black costal patch is continued to the next spot as a broad streak; low temperature 

 form. In ab. belisaria Oberth. (62e) this development reaches its highest point as regards the confluence of the belisaria. 

 costal spots and the dulling of the ocellus of the hindwing; and in ab. extrema Fisch. the whole upperside of e.xtrcma. 

 the wings is black, the red places of other forms being visible only by their duller tint when viewed obliquely, 

 the latter is known only as artificially produced (rapidly sinking temperature), and the former has been spora- 

 dically found in nature, otherwise also low- temperature form. All these aberrations are connected by transitions 

 and intermediates, a strict separation being impossible. The larva of the species is black, the body bearing 

 black thorns, the abdominal legs reddish; it occurs gregrariously in May, June and August on nettles (Urtica 

 dioica L.) and hops (Humulus lupulus L.). Pupa brownish or (if suspended beneath green leaves) greenish, 

 with metallic spots on the ventral surface. The butterfly hibernates, the 9 depositing the eggs in May in small 

 clusters on the leaves of the food-plant. Distributed all over the European Continent, occurring eastwards 

 to the adjacent districts of Asia (also in Amurland), westwards to South Spain and England. — The species 

 varies but little geographically. We have to mention sardoa Stgr., larger, the ground-colour more fiery, from sardoa. 

 Sardinia and Sicily; similar species also occur in Hungary. — The form from Japan may be named geisha siibsp. geisha, 

 nov. (62d). Fiecognizable by the blue scaling in the ocellus of the forewing being very much reduced (direction 

 of development of ab. fischeri), and by the yellow costal patches of the forewing being very bright orange. The 



*) Besides this dwarf-form a transition in size between io and ioide.^ lias been provided with the designation var. 

 veronensis. This is said to l)e 'U smaller than io and to occur frequently at Verona: Garbixi, Bullet. Societa Veneto-Trentina 

 di Scienze Natur., Padua 1883, Vol. I. p. 19. Giving a name in such cases is ([uite useless, and we therefore abstain from doing 

 more than mentioning the name here. 



