70 THE LEPIDOPTERIST 



Notes on the Pola — Mmuta Group of 

 Melitaeas, with Description of a New Species 



By John Adams Comstock, M. D., D. O., F. E. S. 



Curator of Entomology, Southwest Museum, 

 Los Angeles, Cal. 



(Continued from page 55) 



The clearing up of a long-standing misidentifica- 

 tion of minuta and pola has resulted from 

 Drs. Barnes and McDunnough's figures and notes on 

 the two species (Contrib. Vol. Ill, No. 2, p.92). 

 Oberthur's figure of the type of pola (Et. de Lep. 

 Comp. IX, 2, Fig. 2188) is practically the same as 

 W. G. Wright's figure of so-called minuta (PL XX. 

 Fig. 194.) The specimen shown was taken in 

 Southern Arizona. The true type locality of pola is 

 doubtful. Dr. Skinner believes it was Sonora, 

 Mexico, and Drs. Barnes and McDunnough "any- 

 where in the desert region of southeast California." 

 We have seen specimens identical with this figure 

 from Arizona, close to the California border, in the 

 lower Sonoran life-zone. These are doubtless as near 

 topotypes as can be secured. They do not differ in 

 any particular from specimens we have taken in the 

 lower zones throughout Colorado. 



Dr. Henry Skinner believes arachne to be a syno- 

 nym of pola. Drs. Barnes and McDunnough retained 

 it in their list as a race of pola, but they have in recent 

 letters affirmed that there seems to be no essential 

 difiFerence. It is safe therefore to place arachne as a 

 synonym. This would leave only nympha and minuta 

 to consider. 



From Drs. Barnes and McDunnough's notes, and 

 from specimens taken at Comfort, Texas, I am con- 

 vinced that minuta is a very distinct form, not repre- 

 sented outside of a limited territory in Texas. 

 (Fig. 4.) _ 



From specimens of nympha collected in west Texas 

 which match Edwards's description fairly well and 

 are not dissimilar to the figure shown by Wright (PI. 



