204 VANESSA. By H. Stichel. 



composed of lunules and bears on the hindwing small blue spots. Underside for the most part smoky brown 



with darker shades and black transverse pencilling. Small, brighter coloured specimens, which occur spor- 



pyromelas. adicallv among the ordinary form, are ab. pyromelas Frr. (^ pigmaea Sle^'.) A rare form in which all the pale 



pallida, places of the wing-upperside are white is ab. pallida Tutt. Further individual aberrations are: ab. testudo Esp. 



testitdo. (^= osborni Donck.)*) (63b, transitional specimen) is characterized by costal spots of the forewing being united. 

 In the type-specimen the two outer costal spots are merged together to a continuous black patch, which is 

 connected with the enlarged cell-spot by a heavy black streak each along the costal margin and the median vein, 

 the two spots before the hindmargin also being united; the 2 discal spots, however, are absent and the black 

 marginal band except its posterior portion is obsolete, forming posteriorly a black double arc; the hindwing 

 blackish except the posterior (inner) area, only at the margin a row of pale brown lunules. Various steps in 

 this direction of development and different combinations of characters are met with. In accordance with 

 pyrrhome- the custom of giving names to such intergradations the name ab. pyrrhomelaena Hbn. may be retained for a 

 laena. similar aberration. Only the two outer costal spots are united on the forewing of this form, the hindmarginal 

 spot being connected with the anal one by dark shading or remaining quite isolated, the whole margin is yello- 

 wish and the submarginal band is. represented by a slight dusting; hindwing more or less shaded with black, 

 in extreme specimens quite black-brown, with light marginal lunules and a row of pale brown submarginal 

 spots. Both aberrations rare among the ordinary form, also obtained artificially in temperature-experiments. 

 — The egg of the species is reddish brown, barrel-shaped, longitudinally and transversely I'ibbed, deposited 

 in batches on the twigs of the food-plants: willow-, elm-, poplar-, cherry-, apple- and pear-trees (species of 

 Salix, Ulmus, Populus, Cerasus, Pyrus), also Celtis australis (in southern districts). The larvae live gregariously 

 until the last moult, at first in a loose web (May). They are blackish or grey-brown bearing yellow thorns 

 and thin white hairs, on the back and at the sides an indistinct reddish line; adult 75 — 76 mm long (in June, 

 July). Pupa suspended, angular, the head with two short points, on the back a beak-like projection and some 

 metallic spots. Only one brood. The butterfly hibernates; it frequently settles with the wings closed above 

 the back, on the trunks of trees and sucks the sap exuding from birches, oaks and fruit-trees. Widely distributed 

 erythromelas. in Europe, exclusive of the most northern districts. — erythromelas Aust. (63a) is larger, especially the $, the 

 ground-colour being more fiery and uniformly red brown, the spots on the contrary relatively smaller and the 



fervida. underside darker. Algeria. — fervida Stdfss. (Stgr. i. 1.) is an intermediate form which somewhat recalls 

 xanthomelas.**) It is found in Asia .Minor (Taurus), Kurdistan, Armenia and Southern Siberia, also specimens 

 from the south-western Himalayas (Simla) probably belong here (cf. Staudinger-Reb., Cat. Pal. Lep.). — The 



lucida. race from South Russia (Saratow) is described as lucida Fnihst.\ the ground-colour is to a great extent lighter, 

 being abundantly variegated with ochreous yellow; the black spots are usually reduced in size, and the dark 

 marginal band bears yellowish scaling at the edge of the wing. 



xanthomelas. V. xanttiomelas Esp. (63b). \'ery similar to the preceding species, but the margin of the forewing more 



strongly angulate, the ground-colour usually brighter red-brown, although there occur also specimens with 

 an ochreous brown tint, the spots generally larger and deeper black, the marginal lines of the forewing diffuse, 

 the black submarginal band of both wings widened, with heavier border, the forewing bearing a white patch 

 between this band and the outer costal spot. Mid- and hindlegs pale ochreous yellow (in polychloros dark 

 brown like the body). The size of the spots and the width of the marginal band are variable, as are also the 

 blue spots in the marginal band, these spots being sometimes quite absent, sometimes of double the normal 

 testudo. size. ab. testudo Dahlstr. (= chelys Mit.) corresponds to the homonymous aberration of polychloros; the two 

 large costal spots of the forewing are merged together, the black margin of both wings, moreover, is diffuse 

 and variegated with yellow scaling, the discal spots and the anal one of the forewing are wanting, the black 

 spot of the hindwing on the contrary is much enlarged, almost the whole surface of the wing being blackish; 

 grutzneri. underside uniformly grey, without any ffikrkings; Hungary, ab. grutzneri Fisch. is of a bright yellowish red 

 colour, the forewing anteriorly pale yellow, the middle costal spot reduced, the hindmarginal patch enlarged, 

 with diffuse edges, the discal spots obsolete, a row of large blue spots before the margin; the black costal patch 

 of the hindwing reduced, the blue marginal spots enlarged; artificially obtained by low temperature, ab. 

 repetita. repetita Jachontow is a melanic atavistic form obtained by low temperature and corresponding to urticae polaris, 



*) DoNCKiER DE DoNCEEL described this form as V((iiessa urticae ab. osborni. The size of the specimen alone (length of 

 forewing 30 mm) would be sufficient to prove that the figm-e can only be that of an aberration of polychloros, being identical 

 with testudo in the main points. The 3 costal spots of the forewing are completely united to a large black patch, the discal 

 spots are absent, the spots at the liindmargin and in the hinder angle are only represented by a continuous black shading, the 

 dark marginal band is reduced, being traversed by ochreous streak-like smears; the hindwing is for the greater part blackish 

 and bears small bluish white spots before the margin above and beneath, the underside being more strongly darkened. Found 

 in Ireland. 



**) Compare V. xanthomelas ferveseens, p. 205. 



