MELITAEA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 223 



pattern, but is brighter, more variegated, the black edges of the various bands being more prominent, the colours 



contrasting more distinctly. In Western Europe, eastward to Hungary and Moravia, said to occur also in 



Russia and Scandinavia, parthenie varies, however, almost as much as athalia. ,,If names are required", 



Spuler proposes to call particularly light-coloured specimens al). corythalia, and dark ones ah. navarina, as in corythnlm. 



M. athalia. The distribution of colours is very pecuHar in ah. jordisi Riihl (= varia ab. Oberth.) (67a): above savanna. 



the distal margin is broadly black, the basal area strongly spotted with black, but the median area fiery orange-red ■'"'^ '*'" 



and almost without markings. Beneath the black colour is likewise restricted to the basal and'distal areas, 



the entire median area being on the forewing reddish yellow, on the hindwing dull white wthout markings except 



the dark veins. Local, for instance in some places near Frankfurt a.M., not'plentiful and not every year, only 



in one brood among normal specimens. A similar A^ariety occurs also among varia, but only as a rare exception 



which does not deserve a name,hkewise among other Mehtaeas. — In nevadensis Spi^l. the cJ is more fiery yellowish nevadensis. 



red and the ? more variegated on account of the paleness of the middle row of spots on the upperside than 



in the nymotypical form; the apex of the forewing in ^ and $ more elongate; Arragonia. — A very strongly 



modified form, sultanensis Stgr., flies in May in the mountains near Samarkand. It is much lighter above than sultanensis. 



parthenie, many of the dark markings being obsolete, the insect therefore having a facies which is quite unusual 



among Melitaea. The underside differs less from that of parthenie, the forewing, however, is more unicolorous, 



being almost without markings. Staudinger originally described this form as a variety of parthenie, but 



has separated it as a distinct species in the Cat. Palaearct. Lep. of 1901, in which he was presumably right. 



— varia M.-DUrr (67b) is a smaller form from the higher Alps, recognizable by the markings on the hindwing varia. 



beneath, which are pale yellow in the nymotypical form, being silvery white. In the (J the markings in the median 



area of the forewing are usually somewhat obsolescent, the network formed by the veins and transverse lines 



being interrupted or paler before the apex. The $ often shaded with blackish, the ground-colour having a 



tint of brass-colour or olive; the abdomen very heavy. — The larva of parthenie black, with lilack head and 



red-brown spines with pale tips; small white warts dispersed over the body. In May and again in July on 



Plantago and Scabiosa. Pupa pearl-grey, with rather heavier black markings than in athalia, otherwise similar 



to the latter, but the tubercles of the abdomen not yellow. The butterflies are on the wing in May and June 



and again from August in the south, from June until August in the north and in the high Alps (varia), being 



very plentiful almost wherever they occur. They love luxuriant meadows, especially if there are single trees, 



the alpine varia being particular to grassy slopes with single larches. They visit flowers, especially scabious, 



and move the spread wings frequently up and down when sucking. The flight of the $9 o^ varia is often 



almost booming on account of the heavy body and the very small wings. 



M. dictynna Esp. (= corythalia Hhn.) (67b). Above much darker tlian the various previous species, the dictynna. 

 black markings heavy, in the ^ only some small rounded spots on the forewing and a submarginal row of dots 

 on the hindwing reddish yellow, in the 9 the outer half of the upperside variegated with ivory yellow and 

 ochreous spots, the fringes being white in both sexes. Beneath marked as in the athalia, but the bands of the 

 hindwing more chestnut. Throughout Europe (except the extreme north and south, as well as Great Britain), also 

 in North and Central Asia eastward to the coasts of the Pacific, being in the west abundant almost everywhere, 

 rarer in the east and north. Particularly light resp. dark specimens are not rare and, according to Spuler, 

 should be named ab. corythalia and ab. navarina respectively. — The form erycina Stgr. (67c), from Amurland erycina. 

 and the Altai, is above almost exactly like European specimens, the spots being somewhat paler; beneath more 

 variegated, the brown submarginal band being paler below tlie costa but not interrupted; the specimens from 

 northern Amurland a little smaller. Not plentiful anywhere (Graeser). — erycinides Stgr. (67c) is a large erycinides. 

 race from Central Asia and certain places farther east, the upperside being spotted with dark in the ^ and with 

 whitish yellow in the 9, while the submarginal band of the underside is much darker brown than in European 

 specimens, the margin of the forewing beneath being broadly shaded with dark brown. The specimens figured 

 are from Kentei. • — Larva of dictynna dark grey with yellow spines; the body with bluish dots, 2 such dots 

 on the head; on the back black longitudinal stripes. From the autumn until May on Plantago, Veronica, Valeriana, 

 etc. Pupa silvery grey or yellowish grey, dotted with black, dorsally on the abdomen rows of small russet- 

 yellow warts. The butterflies from June until August in swampy meadows, especially near water-ditches 

 and in meadows in woods. They are slow fliers, perhaps the least fast among all the Melitaeas. In the high 

 Alps they frequent the same localities as many Erebias, with which they fly together. They occur up to 10000 ft. 



M. plotina'5rrw. (67e). Above like aurelia, the costal margin of tlie forewing dusted with greenish grey; plolina. 

 recognizable by the underside of the hindwing whose markings are separated into numerous small, rounded, 

 irregularly placed spots, and by the forewing beneath being very strongly marked with dark. — In West and 

 East Siberia, in July, sporadical and local, but not exactly rare where it occurs. The flight-places are clearings, 

 where the insect flies about_^witli a peculiar rushing flight observed in no other Melitaea except asteria 

 (Graeser). 



