212 MELITAEA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



phaluHta, congregate in numbers or, like many high-alpine forms of MeJitaea, sit closely packed together. The flight 

 is skilful, becoming extremely fast in the larger species, such as A. pandora, uf/laja, etc., when they are chased. 



The various authors are not at one about the composition of this tribe. "We include Melitaca — in opposi- 

 tion to Rkutee — which genus this author separates together with the numerous Melifaea-\\Ve genera of America 

 {Coatlantona, Phyciodes, Evesia, etc.) as a special tribe. MtJHaeidi. On the other hand, we exclude the HcUconius- 

 like genera (Colainis, Dioiie, Cethosia), which are more naturally classified with true Helicoidus and Eueides. 



12. Genus: Melitaea F. 



This genus, which is well defined in the Palaearctic Region, contains about 50 species, which are almost 

 equally divided between the Old and New Worlds. These species have a very large number of local forms, 

 which sometimes differ widely from one another. Often, however, the geographical differences on which 

 named forms are based are so slight that without the knowledge of the locality it .is impossible to say to which 

 race a specimen belongs. Certain Melitaea of Xorth America and East Asia attain to a considerable size, while 

 the European forms are but of medium or small size. — Antennae rather long (above half the length of the 

 forewing), often ringed, the club being flat and ovate-pyriform. Palpi not inflated, but the very long second 

 segment covered with long and bristly hairs (with the exception of M. acraeina, which is perhaps better removed); 

 the palpi themselves long, obliquely ascending, or almost entirely porrect. Tongue long and thin. Eyes 

 naked. Thorax of medium strength; abdomen of the (JcJ slender, anally widened, with a sometimes very large 

 apical brush which forms a ring; abdomen of the ?$ occasionally very heavy and thick as compared with the 

 small wings, especially in alpine forms. 



The tibiae not particularly thick or long, spiny on the inside, with short, strong apical spurs. In neu- 

 ration Melitaea differs from the allied genus Argynnis in the cell of the hindwing being open. — The larva 

 short and stout, with short, thick, branched thorns, which are often soft, more resembling fleshy projections. 

 They feed on various plants (Plantago, Viola), but prefer Scrophulariaceae. They are gregarious when young, 

 and disperse later on, but unite again in clusters when accidentally meeting one another, reposing one close 

 along the other. They hibernate, pupating in summer, the usually variegated chrysalis being rounded and 

 marked with black. The Melitaea have generally but one brood in Central Europe and throughout the north 

 of the Old World, in the south often two, which do not exhibit any distinct seasonal dimorphism. The butter- 

 flies occur in meadows, especially on grass-covered slopes and in grassy clearings in woods. They have a 

 darting sailing flight, the antennae being held straight forward and the wings spread out. The sexes remain 

 long united during copulation in exceptional cases. 



maturna. M. maturna L. (= cynthia Esp., mysia Hbn.) (65a). One of the larger species. Basal and outer areas 



of the wings bright red-brown, the disc spotted with white. Underside orange-red, marked with black; the 

 forewing with yellow spots in the cell, beyond the cross-veins and before the distal margin. The hindwing 

 beneath has 3 rows of spots: one near the base, of which a lunule in the cell stands a little separate, further a 

 median band divided by a black line, and thirdly a row of marginal lunules edged proximally by black arcs. 

 Distributed over Central and East Europe, in the west occurring in but few places; on the whole rather spor- 

 adical, being entirely absent from large districts. Occurs northward as far as St. Petersburg and the Baltic 

 Provinces, but does not go far south, apparently nowhere reaching the Mediterranean coasts. — In the 



itralensis. Ural it is represented by uralensis Stgr. (65a), in which the yellowish white spots of the upperside are more 



altaica. prominent, approaching iduna, which may be regarded the arctic form of maturna. — Further east flies altaica 



form. nov. {Bang-Haas i, 1.) (65b), which bears a superficial resemblance to aurinia. The discal macular band, 



which is whitish yellow in the other forms, is here so much shaded with brown that it scarcely contrasts at 



all with the red-brown diffuse spots in the distal area of the wings. Beneath the entire costal and apical areas 



of the forewing are paler, only two black-edged cell-spots remaining deep red-brown; on the hindwing beneath 



the yellow marginal spots are larger and the black line dividing the yellow median band is partly vestigial, 



partly obsolete. We have here already a transition towards ichnea, which will be mentioned later and which 



can the less be kept separated from maturna as Graeser has bred it at Wladiwostock and Chabarowsk ,,from 



wolfens- true ma^Hrna-larvae". In the Altai and the adjacent Central-Asiatic mountains. — In wolfensbergeri Frey 



bergeri. (65a), from the Alps (Albula, etc.), the basal area of the upperside is darkened by black markings on both wings, 



otherwise the prevailing colour of the upperside, and still more on the underside, is a very dark red-brown. 



urbarii. — In ab. urban! Hirschke (65a) the black colour is prevalent above, especially the basal area of both wings being 



completely shaded with black, the black colour of the upperside, moreover, being deeper in tint. Beneath 



this aberration does not essentially differ from ordinary maturna, which also varies much; but the basal 



pale yellow macular band is occasionally composed of smaller, more widely separated spots, which also obtains 



