THE ENTOMOLOGIST 



Vol. XXIL] SEPTEMBER, 1889. [No. 316. 



NOTES ON SOME ABERRATIONS IN THE GENUS 



VANESSA. 



By Richard South, F.E.S. 

 (Plate VIII.) 



Vanessa c-album, Linn., var., PI. VIIL, figs. 5 and 6. 



In this curious aberration, which is from Berlin, the normal 

 fulvous colour is suffused with fuscous. On the primaries the 

 costal black spots are confluent, and the two central ones are 

 hardly indicated ; the normal maculation of the secondaries gives 

 place to an irregular-shaped black central patch. The under 

 surface is blackish brown, variegated with tawny along the costa, 

 at the apex and inner angle of primaries, and on the margins 

 of secondaries; the central spot is wedge-shaped and acutely 

 pointed. 



Another similar variety, from Switzerland, has the first costal 

 spot of primaries normal, whilst the second is broadly produced 

 outwardly and unites with the third at its lower end, thus 

 enclosing a small patch of the ground colour ; the two central 

 spots are dilated externally and unite with the marginal border. 

 Below, the central spot of secondaries is wedge-shaped and 

 sharply pointed, but it has a deep indentation on its upper edge. 



Both specimens are in Mr. Leech's collection. 



Vanessa urticce, Linn., var., PI. VIIL, fig. 1. 



,, „ var. ichnusoides, De Selys, PI. VIII, fig. 2. 



„ ,, var. connexa, Butl., PI. VIIL, fig. 3. 



Except that the primaries are crossed by a yellowish fascia, there 

 is perhaps nothing very remarkable about the specimen represented 

 by fig. 1 on the Plate. It is however interesting, because, although 

 of German origin, it exhibits one of the chief characters of the 

 Indian V. ladakensis, Moore. This yellowish band, which is the 



ENTOM. — SEPT. 1889. X. 



