^'W- ^- ^- ^^- MELITAEA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 221 



the outer part of the median band, which is often separated as round spots, is silvery white like the marginal 

 band. — In West China, in June and July, up to 10000 ft. 



M. aurelia Nick. (= athalia Hbn., parthenie Hbst.) (66h). Dark russet-brown, so strongly marked with aurelia. 

 black that the ground-colour is reduced in the S to very small spots. On the whole similar to athalia, but 

 smaller, with the black markings deeper in tint and heavier, the ground-colour darker, more brownish; beneath 

 the marginal line before the fringes is absent or but very indistinct. The species is recognizable by the palpi 

 bearing foxy red hairs, while the palpi of athalia are whitish, being occasionally somewhat reddish yellow and 

 then only at the base. Very pale yellow specimens are named by Spuler ab. latonigena. A large and dark latonigena. 

 form, which is plentiful in the Bukovina, but occurs also elsewhere (Transsylvania, etc.), is ab. dictynnoides dictynnoides. 

 Hormuz., whose forewing is more elongate and acute, while the hairs of the palpi are dark. In ab. stangei stangei. 

 Gillm. the black is reduced on the forewing and increased on the hindwing. — britomartis Assmann (66h), britomartis. 

 though connected with the nymotypical form of aurelia by all intergradations, is easely recognized by its 

 facies. The black is more regularly arranged above, and the reddish yellow spots within this network differ 

 less in size from each other, the spots of the same row being usually of equal size, whereas in nymotypical 

 aurelia a row mostly contains quite small spots of the ground-colour beside large ones, others disappearing 

 altogether. A reliable distinction between britomartis and aurelia appears to be afforded by the colour and 

 shape of the larva. Occurs in South Germany and Switzerland, the Danubian countries. Anterior Asia, said 

 to be found as far as the Altai. — rhaetica Frey (66h) is a rather more yellowish red form from the Alps (Grau- rhaetka. 

 biinden) with thinner black markings. — norvegica .4(f/-iV. (= varia Lampa, scandinavica Stgr.) (66h) is the uorvegica. 

 form from the north of Europe; the brownish yellow spots, especially in the median area, are considerably 

 larger than in all the other European forms of aurelia, while the base is almost uniformly black on both wings; 

 southward to the Baltic provinces. — mongolica Stgr. (66h) is not inconsiderably larger than norvegica and mongolica. 

 has enlarged yellowish brown spots like the latter, especially in the median band, but the colour of these spots 

 is much darker, more brownish, also the spots in the basal area being often enlarged. — In the Sajan district, 

 west of Lake Baical, there occurs a very remarkable form, which is similar to britomartis and may be named 

 seminigra jorm. nov. (66h). Above blacker than dictynna; in the ^ all the spots are reduced in size, those standing seminigra. 

 in the basal and marginal areas being almost obsolete; these spots also in the $ so much reduced that there 

 remain on the hindwing only the submarginal ones and vestiges of cell-spots, the hindwing being otherwise 

 all black. Moreover, the characteristic red hairs of the palpi are so intermingled with black ones that the palpi 

 appear entirely dark. — amurensis Stgr. (66h) closely resembles above the large-spotted mongolica, but the amurensis. 

 median area is rather lighter. The underside is characteristic, there being a regular, evenly brown, band before 

 the margin and another across the cell, between which lies a broad ivory-white band; Amurland. — The eggs 

 of aurelia, which are deposited in 1 or 2 layers, are globular, glossy pale yellow, being somewhat flattened beneath 

 and above raised into a small cone (micropylar cone). Larva black, with black processes, minute white dots 

 and yellow lateral spots. The larva of britomartis on the contrary is said to be pearl-grey with Itlack markings and 

 white processes bearing dark hairs and standing in orange-red spots. From August until May, on Melampyrum, 

 Chrysanthemum, Digitalis, and Veronica. Pp grey, spotted with black, the wing-cases with brown markings, 

 the abdomen bearing small yellow warts. The butterflies are on the wing in June and July, flying in rich 

 meadows and on grassy slopes with a sailing graceful flight, which is lower and less darting than in athalia and 

 more powerful than in parthenie, with which species aurelia often occurs together. It. is much less abundant, 

 much more local and less widely distributed. When flying in meadows it does not seem to leave them so readily 

 as do athalia and parthenie, usually returning when arriving at a wide road, apparently avoiding to fly across it. 

 Although it is very difficult to find trenchant differences, there is no longer any doubt that aurelia and athalia 

 are distinct, independant, species. No sufficient evidence has been brought forward to show that the specimens 

 recorded as hybrids between these two species are really hybrids. 



M. athalia Rott. (= maturna Hbn., alphaea Hbn.) (66i). Extremely variable, small dark specimens resemble athalia. 

 aurelia, lighter ones parthenie. In most specimens the reddish yellow spots of the median area are considerably 

 larger and paler than in aurelia, the insect itself being larger with the markings heavier and better defined. In 

 doubtful specimens the palpi are a sure guide, which, when viewed from above, do not show any red hairs but 

 blackish ones slightly intermingled with yellowish iiairs beneath. The markings of the underside are usually 

 somewhat coarser, but too variable to afford any distinguishing characters. The variability in the extent 

 and position of the black shading on the upperside has given rise to a variety of names (tesselata, samonica, 

 pyronia, eos, asteriades, etc.). In the almost entirely black-scaled ab. navarina Selys the black colour prevails navarina. 

 considerably, while in ab. corythalia Hbn. the light ground-colour is prevalent; both aberrations occur among corythalia. 

 ordinary specimens, not being at all rare in some years. — Specimens with the hindwing entirely black are 

 the only or the prevalent form in certain localities, being exceptions in others; this is ab. caucasica Riihl. — caucaska. 

 Large southern forms are mehadiensis Gerh. {66i), with the ground-colour bright and the markings mostly more mehadknsis. 

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