214 MELITAEA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



on the underside. From the Atlantic coast throughout Europe and Nortliern Asia to Corea and Amurland, 

 and from Finland and North Russia to Northern Africa. Among the individual aberrations, which have received 

 names, though hardly any two specimens are alike, melanism plays the ])rincipal role, for instance in ab. 

 alricolor SchuUz, wliich is almost black above, and in the darkened ab. obsciirata Krulik. In ah. Jiigrolimbata 

 Schultz the distal margin is broadly and deeply black; in ab. sehaldus Schultz the basal area of the hindwing 

 below is bordered with dark and therefore contrasts particularly strongly with the light-coloured marginal 

 area. Also the detail of the markings is variable, the discal band of the forewing exceptionally bearing dots 

 (ab. diibia Krulik.), or the submarginal band of the hindwing being without them on both sides (ab. impiinc- 

 tata Schultz). Further, some markings may become obsolete, as for instance the light basal spots of the hindwing 

 beneath (ab. sesostris Schultz), or sometimes this and sometimes another transverse line of the forewing, etc. 

 aurinia. — The nymolypical aurinia Rott. (= artemis Schiff., matutina Thunb., lye Abst., malurna Esp., cinxia var. 

 Geoffr.) (65c) flies in Norili and Central Europe as far as the Asiatic frontier, with the exception of the high 

 mountains. It is one of the darker forms, being distinctly ifiarked with black in both sexes; on the hindwing 

 above the submarginal band broad and bright yellowish red, contrasting very strongly with the much lighter, 

 pale ochreous or ivory yellow, discal band whiili stands at its proximal side. There are likewise pale spots 

 in and below the cell of the forewing wliirh are very prominent on the red-yellow ground, similar spots being 

 occasionally i)resent before the distal margin of l»oth wings. — The specimens become considerably larger 

 ibeiica. and more fiery towards the south. The most beautiful of these southern foi'ms is without doubt iberica Oberth. 

 [= desfontainesi H.-Schdff., desfontainii Rbr., beckeri Led.) (65d, e), in which the submarginal band of the 

 hindwing is of a magnificent deep russet-red colour and nearly occupies the whole outer half of the wing, being 

 outwardly bordered by black lunules centred with pale yellow; from Andalusia and the opposite districts of 

 provincinlis. North Africa, according to Bromilow also at Nice. — provincialis Bdv. (65e) is nearly as large, but duller and 

 more uniform in colour, the marginal lunate spots of the forewing not so extended and the submarginal band 

 of the hindwing not so broad and less bright, the discal macular band of the hindwing, which in iberica always 

 consists of a chain of magnificent pale reddish roundish spots situated in black, is distally but feebly defined 

 or diffuse; the hindwing beneath almost uniformly shaded with pale brownish yellow, while in iberica it 

 bears alternate red and w'hitish yellow bands. Mediterranean coasts, from South France to Asia Minor. — 

 desfontainii. In desfontainii Godt. (= desfontainesi Bdi^.) (65e), which was separated as a distinct species, because it 

 occurs in the same districts as iberica, the proximal edge of the sui)marginal band of the forewing is very 

 strongly flexuose, the distal margin bears small light rings or lunules placed in dark hastate spots; the sub- 

 marginal band is almost so broad as in iberica and contrasts strongly witli tlie light yellow discal band which 

 baetica. stands at its proximal side and is broadly bordered with deep black. — In baetica Rbr. (65e), from Andalusia, 

 the submarginal band is so broad that it occupies the external third of the forewing and almost the outer 

 sareptana. half of the hindwing. — sareptana St<ir. (= sareptensis Stgr.) (65d) differs from these forms in the propor- 

 tionately large milky wliite marginal lunules of the hindwing and the very abundant light yellow markings 

 of the forewing, which contrast strongly with tlie bright red colour of the cell-spots and submarginal band, 

 this bang the most In-iglitly variegated of all auriiua-loinis: in the South Russian Steppes, at the Black 

 banghaasi. Sea. — Specimens from the Kenlei Mts., which 1 name banghaasi subsp. ncjv. (65c) after Herr B.\ng-Haas, 

 who kindly sent them to me, liave the appearance of a small edition of the preceding. The submarginal 

 band of the forewing being small, the red helmet-spots are large and entire, from the sulimarginal band 

 basad there are regularly alternating red-l)rown and light yellow bands; the submarginal band is also on 

 amasina. the hindwing bright red, but not broader than in nymotypical aurinia. — amasina Stgr. (65d) only differs 

 from .sareptana in the marginal lunules being ivory yellow instead of milky wiiite and in the reddish yellow 

 and liglit yellow colours of the upperside less strongly contrasting with each other; from Asia .Minor. — 

 alexandrina. alexandrina Stgr. (65c), from the Alexander Mts., is of about the same size, the submarginal band of the 

 liibernica. hindwing above is costally not bordered with black on the inner side. — The rather rare hibernica Birch. 

 (65 d), from Ireland, is a very biightly variegated form, in which the black markings are so much extended 

 that all the bright-coloured bands are narrowed. — The black bands are also very broad and deep black in 

 mand- mandschufica Stgr. (65d), which however is much larger and has a uniformly reddish yellow ground-colour; 

 sdiunca. f^om the Amur, Corea, and North China. — sibirica Stgr. (= davidi Oberth.) (65d) is just as large, but the black 

 markings of the upperside are on the contrary strongly reduced, so that, for instance, there is no distinct dark 

 transverse line between the submarginal band and the discal one near it. North China, Mongolia and Dauria. 

 pellucida. — The very similai' pellucida Christ., from the Caucasus, is recognizable by the thin scaling, in consequence 

 of which all the colours appear paler and the wings slightly transparent. The markings, however, are as 

 laeta. abundant as the colours are weak and inconspicuous. — laeta Christ, differs from the preceding in the denser 

 scaling and more conspicuous colours, the upperside having a rather chequered appearance in consequence 

 of the strongly developed and several times curved black discal bands; from the Vilui Mts. in Siberia. — - 

 orientalis. orientalis H.-Schdff. (65d) is apparently a combination of the two previous ones, the upperside being as bright 

 and variegated as in laeta, while the underside is as pale, dull and uniform in colour as in pellucida. Asia Minor 

 and Armenia to Kurdistan. — The form which differs most widely from nymotypical aurinia is without doubt 

 merope. merope Prun. (65c); an alpine insect which is very small, especially in the $, being dull black, pale-spotted, 



