Full. 23. XL 09. ARGYNNIS. By Dr. A. Seitz. 237 



in consequence of the verdigris dusting being extended distad. — fortuna Jans. (69c) is still larger, the $ fortuna. 

 being pale yellowish brown above and the $ less dusted with black. The silver-spots of the hindwing beneath 

 are large and partly dark-edged. Eastern Asia. — In myonia Friihst. (69b), from Japan, the upperside is myonia. 

 more brown- than leather-yellow, recalling ottomana, but with a much broader marginal band and increased 

 black markings; on the underside the ground-colour of the hindwing is dusted with brownish green instead 

 of verdigris, this shading being so dense that even the leatlier-yellow distal band is concealed except for some 

 traces. — bessa Fruhst. (69b) has a very yellow ground-colour and beneath very large silver-spots (espec- bessa. 

 ially at the distal margin of the hindwing) on a ground shaded with olive, the black markings on the forewing 

 beneath and on the upperside being very large; West China. — vitatha Moore (69c), wliich several authors vitatha. 

 consider a distinct species without sufficient reason, extends farthest towards the south, occurring in typical 

 specimens in Kashmir and North- West India. Considerably smaller tlian nymotypical aglaja, paler, especially 

 on the disc of the forewing beneatli, where the black markings, moreover, are reduced; the verdigris scaling 

 of the hindwing beneath often interrupted by the leather-yellow ground-colour and sharply separated from the 

 pale yellow distal area. — The number of named aberrations is proportionate to the abundance and enormous 

 distribution of this species. Black forms may show different degrees of melanism, ah. avemensis Brains, arvernensis. 

 has blacker markings above and the silver-spots of the underside form three smears, while in ah. emilia emilia. 

 Quens. (= aemilia Lamp.) only the upperside is darkened, but so much that it appears almost completely 

 black. In ab. suffusa Tutt the upperside is darkened througliout, as in paphia ab. valesina. In other cases suffusa. 

 the basal black area only is extended and the black spots are so arranged as to form bands, streaks 

 and variously shaped markings, and may also bear a blue sheen (particularly in blackened $$), etc. 

 As the species is so common, such aberrations are not rarely met with, almost every larger collection containing 

 such specimens; many have been figured and some have even received names (ab. obscura, etc.); some might 

 perhaps be produced artificially. The increase of black on the upperside is, as in other Argynnis, often accom- 

 panied by an increase in the number or size and the confluence of the silver-spots of the underside, as for 

 instance in ab. witnani Holnigr. In ab. charlotta Haw. (= carolotta Germ.) the silver-spots are very much wimani. 

 enlarged and merged together. The silver-spots are also enlarged in ab. eridioides Pflumer, but not united, (hariotta. 

 — The upperside is nearly always slightly blackish in the high-northern specimens, but only in the basal area, ^'^' """^■^• 

 while the outer half on the contrary is paler than in true aglaja; this is borealis Strand, in which the silver- borealis. 

 spots are reduced in size in contrast to the before-mentioned aberrations. In ab. aberrans Lampa the silver- aberrans. 

 spots are dull bluish green. — Tliere occur also exceptionally pale specimens, in wiiich the base and outer 

 margin particularly are paler: ab. pallida Tatt, or which are very pale througliout: ab. albicans Dietz. — Larva pallida. 

 black, inclusive of head and spines, with thin wliitish dorsal double line and large red lateral spots; from May albicans. 

 until August on Violaceae. It hibernates very small, feeds ravenously from May onward, lies concealed in day- 

 time and shows a light red swelling behind the head when touched (Gillmer). Pupa dark brown, the tubercles 

 and angles rounded off; it is usually suspended near the ground and well concealed. The butterfly in only 

 one brood from the end of June until August; nowliere rare, in most districts and most years one of the com- 

 monest butterflies. The species is found in the neiglibourhood of woods, particularly at their edges, and on 

 broad roads in the woods, flying rapidly backwards and forwards; it likes the open ground much less. It 

 appears in large numbers on the flowery slopes of the high mountain-ranges, occurring as high up as 

 10,000 ft., drinking in Jhe early morning on damp places on the roads and sleeping at night on the 

 flower-heads of scabious and thistles. 



A. niobe L. (69c). Above very similar to aglaja, at once recognized by the much more variegated under- niobe. 

 side. The hindwing beneath is without the even verdigris shading in the basal lialf, the latter bearing distinct 

 leathei'-yellow patches, which are often centred, edged or shaded with brownish green. The nymotypical 

 form has abundant silver-spots beneath, more than aglaja, as the distal band has no silver in aglaja, while it 

 bears silvery centres in niohe. From the North and Baltic Seas and North Europe to the Mediterranean, and 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific; in the Alps abundant even at an altitude of 10,000 ft. (above Zermatt). ab. 

 eris Meig. (= niobe Godt.) (69c) differs in the silver-spots being all or nearly all absent, only the minute eris. 

 centres of the submarginal spots being often silvery; everywhere in Europe among ordinary specimens, from 

 the Baltic provinces to the Mediterranean, often even the prevalent form. Gillmer describes as ab. intermedia intermedia. 

 transitional specimens, in which the silver is strongly reduced but not absent. Much rarer are those aberrations in 

 which the black markings of the upperside are united to large, deep black lobate patches or clouds, which occupy 

 a large portion of the wing; this is ab. pelopia Bkh. Besides these partially melanistic specimens there occur jielopia. 

 others which are entirely shaded with dark, sometimes bearing a blue sheen (ab. obscura Spul.), as well as pale obscura. 

 individuals: ab. pallida Gillm. — Towards the East the species appears in a not inconsiderably modified form, pallida. 

 Already at the Black Sea niobe is more fiery, being brighter fox-red above; it is also larger and the underside 

 of the hindwing of the $, though without silver, is very variegated on account of the pale yellow spots, which 

 correspond to the silver-spots of nymotypical niobe, being prominently edged with black. I call this well marked kuhlmanni. 

 form kuhlmanni jorm. nov. (69d). — orientalis Alph. (69c), from the Tian-shan, is duller above, and paler and orientalis. 

 more uniform in colour beneath, the black markings of the upperside being thinner and sparser. — taura taura. 

 I 30 



