SOME NOTES ON PLEBEIUS ARGUS. 77 



Lampa's C Skand. och Finland's Macrolepidoptera,' p. 13) 

 description is us follows : " Somewhat smaller, upper side violet- 

 blue, under side lighter than type; eye-spots on wings smaller, 

 the red-gold marginal band paler." He does not indicate sexual 

 distinctions. Unfortunately, neither he nor Aurivillius has 

 figured the northern race ; and Gerhard's plate apparently is 

 the only illustration down to the present time. 



As far, therefore, as I am able to determine in the south 

 of the great peninsula there occurs a form of argns similar to 

 that which inhabits the rest of the continent, only differing by 

 its size, as might be expected. This small type form 

 gradually merges through intermediate stages with Inpponica ; 

 and even lapponica type appears to come to the south if only as 

 an aberration. 



The several forms of argus lapponica from specimens captured 



in the Tystfjord, lat. 68° N., and north of Bod0, are described 



and discussed by Strand in the paper to which I have made 



allusion ('Nyt. Mag.', vol. xxxix, Kristiania), as follows: 



{a) ab. coeridea, ? , invariabl}' with pure white fringes, and basal 



blue of the upper side extending not uncommonly over 



the whole wing area. 

 <6) ab. extincta, ? , in which the orange ante-marginal row of 



spots on the upper side of fore and hind wings is wholly 



and entirely wanting, 

 (c) ab. extenta, 3- and ? , in which the black spots of the 



under side median series, and sometimes of the basal 



series, are elongated or drawn out. 

 {(l) ab. (lemaculaia, in which the red-gold spots on the under side 



of both wings have completely disappeared. 

 With regard to the all-blue form of the typical argus, it 

 may be said at once that this is extremely rare ; and as such 

 is probably represented by calliopis, Bsdv., which is beautifully 

 figured c? and 2 by M. Oberthiir (' Lepid. Comparee,' fasc. iv, 

 pi. xlii, figs. 312-320) from Boisduval's types now in his 

 collection. In this 2 form the whole of the upper side of all 

 the wings to the black marginal borders is clear lilac-blue. 

 Exam[)les in my collection of the type from Digne are suffused 

 with brilliant purplish-blue, much darker than the blue of 

 calliopis, from tbe basal to the median area of all the wings; 

 an example from Zinal, Val d'Anniviers is suffused over the 

 entire area. But generally speaking the higher alpine ? argus 

 {:= argulus, Frey), e.g. from Alios, La Grave, etc., Arolla, and 

 the Saas Thai, is wholly without blue ; or it is but faintly 

 indicated at the bases, culminating in ab. uiucolor, Favre, of 

 uniform brown without orange markings (taken by me at 

 Saas). I suggest the name coerulescens, for the first mentioned 

 half-suffused form of the 2 ; ca>rulea for the all-blue ? other 

 than of the form (? species) calliopis, Bsdv., and the same 



