ARASCHNIA. By H. Stichel. 209 



to the summer- form, appears to be identical with the ^ of the nymotypical form.*) Time of appearance of the 

 butterfly: May— June, until about the middle of July (Digne). ab.'autumnalis Ctiro (? Stefan, i. 1.) (64c as autumnalis. 

 j-album) is the autumn-form, which has the wings more strongly angulate and of a darker ground-colour. The spots 

 are very prominent, the distal margin of both wings is darkened, the light submarginal spots of the hindwing 

 are very distinct, thougli small and isolated, and the underside is darkened. South Europe and western Asia 

 Minor, Armenia. — interposita Stgr. (described as c-album var.) is a form occurring in Asia, with the distal interposita. 

 margin particularly dark in both wings, the spots of the upperside large, and the underside very dark, the white 

 mark of the iiindwing showing a tendency to disappear. Central Asia: Alatau. Turkestan to Chitral and 

 Kashmir; Baluchistan and (?) Persia. Besides this race there flies a variety, ab. undinaG;-.-Grs/i., which stands in imdina. 

 about the same relation to interposita as egea ($ i-album) to autumnalis; above very light reddisli brown with 

 small spots, the discal and hindmarginal spots having a tendency to become obsolescent, being sometimes 

 absent. The underside is rather pale, the ground being whitish grey, with the minute pencilling of the nymo- 

 typical form and a dark-bordered median band. Described from the Pamir (Osh, March — April), similar specimens 

 occurring also in Asia Minor (Smyrna). — The larva of the species feeds on Picrataria diffusa Keh. (Urticaceae) 

 in July and October; as food-plants are also mentioned Ulmus, Urtica, Ribes, Lonicera, Corylus (Spuler). It 

 is blackish or slaty grey, with yellow and black belts, the body bearing minute white hairs and dark branched 

 spines; on the back there are pairs of large bluisli black spots on a pale ground; the spirales are edged with 

 yellowish, beneath them there being a reddish yellow line; the head heart-shape with 2 spine-like processes. 

 Pupa grey-brown, luberculate above, without metallic spots, the head not produced into points. 



10. Genus: Ai*asc]iiiia Hbu. 



Smaller species with black and white or black and brown colours, and strongly developed seasonal 

 dimorphism. Eyes hairy; palpi villose; antennae about half the length of the forewing, with a flat club. 

 Forewing a right-angled triangle, the apex being obliquely truncate in some species, slightly angular; subcostal 

 5-branched, only one branch emitted before the apex of the cell, the latter closed. Hindwing broadly ovate, 

 the distal margin somewhat undulate, the anal angle mostly angulate; precostal simple, curved outward; the 

 cell open. — Larva with branched spines. Pupa suspended, with small tubercles, the head produced into 

 obtuse prominences. The butterflies have usually a graceful ])endulating flight, occurring at the edges of 

 shrubs and woods and in clearings; they frequently settle with open wings on the ground or on the leaves of 

 low bushes and shrubs. 



A. levana L. (64d) has on a reddish ochreous ground a characteristic pattern of spots, some whitish sub- levana. 

 apical and distomarginal spots on the forewing and a row of blue bars near the distal margin of the hindwing. 

 The underside of the forewing on the whole agrees with the upper, but the apical area bears violet dusting, 

 the ground-colour is paler, and there are sharply defined white lines at the cell-spots; the hindwing is for the 

 greater part red-brown, bearing in tiie centre a pale transverse band which widens behind, in places light lines 

 traverse the wing and there is a dull violet smear in the distal area; the margin of both wings bears thin black 

 lines. This is the first brood, which flies early in the spring (April — May). There occur among the 

 ordinary form occasionally specimens in which the black basal and costal markings are confluent and both 

 wings dark-margined, while the other markings of the wings (in the centre) are quite or nearly obsolete, these 

 areas therefore being nearly uniformly red-brown. This is ab. frivaldszkyi Aigner. The summer-brood (July till frivaldszkyi. 

 August), sometimes also a third brood (September — October), is essentially different, being known as ab. prorsa prorsa. 

 L. (64d). Black, the forewing with white spots, the hindwing with a white transverse band; for the greater 

 part red-brown beneath, with whitish lines and bands. On the upperside there appear vestiges of reddish 

 yellow lines at the distal margin; specimens in which these lines arc absent or only in places slightly indicated, 

 while the white markings are narrowed, are ab. obscura Fruhst. (64f). If the white marking is narrowed to a obscura. 

 yellowish stripe, or if the hindwing is entirely black, the name ab. schultzi Pfitzn. may be employed. Specimens, sdmltzi. 

 in which the upperside is entirely without white bands, the small spots in the distal area being either present or 

 absent, have been named ab. weismanni Fisrh. (artificially produced). On the other hand the individuals with weismanni. 

 the bands partly yellowish and the reddisli yellow distal markings strongly developed may be named ab. inter- intermedia. 

 media form. nov. (64d); not rare in nature, being especially frequent in wet and cold summers. It forms the 



*) Cr.\mer's figure of egea (also in Hebbst) is likewise very iiriniitive, especially conspicuous being the entirely light 

 ochreous margin of both wings and a stripe on the underside with a wiiite ground. The originals are said to be from Smyrna 

 and Constantinople. The siieciinens before me from there (Smyrna , Attica) do not show any essential differences from 

 specimens from Soutli France and Dalmatia, those characters therefore must be considered to be of no weight and the figure 

 to be badly drawn. 



