32 EuKorEAN Butterflies and Moths. 



GENUS in. — EREBIA (DALM.). 



Small or middle-sized butterflies, nearly always of a dark brown colour, with a sub-marginal 

 rust-coloured band, marked with eyes. The band on the .fore-wings is broadest, and generally 

 contains one or two eyes near the tip, and another lower down. On the hind-wings the band is 

 narrower, and often broken into spots ; and the eyes are smaller. The under side is paler ; but 

 the basal half of the hind-wings is often dark. The hind-wings are generally entire in the smaller 

 species, and slightly dentatcd in the larger. The palpi are covered with long bristly hairs, and 

 the antenna; are slender, with a rather long club. None of the nervures of the fore-wings are 

 much dilated at the base, except the sub-costal nervure. The larvae are narrow behind, with very 

 fine scattered hairs. They conceal themselves closely, and very few are known. The pupae are 

 formed on the surface of the ground. The butterflies are found almost exclusively in mountainous 

 regions, except in the extreme north. Even the few species which descend to the plains in Central 

 Europe appear to be confined to hilly districts. They inhabit the mountains of Europe, Asia, and 

 North America ; but very few species extend to the extreme south of Europe, and none are 

 recorded from the mountains of North Africa, though, strange to say, the genus re-appears in 

 those of South Africa. They have a black appearance on the wing, so that they can be 

 easily recognised when flying. 



1. E. Medusa (W. V.).— Wings on both sides dark brown, with black eyes pupilled with white 

 placed on rust-coloured spots, and of equal size both below and above. The number of eyes 

 varies ; there are generally from two to six on the fore-wings, of which the two nearest the tip 

 are the largest. In the East European variety, Psodea (Hiibn.), the spots are larger and more 

 numerous ; the northern variety, Polaris (Stand.), is smaller and darker, with the band not so well 

 marked beneath. Common in Central and Eastern Europe, and Northern and Western Asia. It 

 occurs in Lapland and Finland, but is absent from other parts of Northern and North- Western 

 Europe. It is found in open places and meadows near woods in May and June; south of the 

 Alps it occurs exclusively in the mountains. The larva is pale green, with darker longitudinal 

 lines bordered with white. It feeds on Panicum sangninalc in autumn and spring. The butterfly 

 and larva are figured at PI. 12, Fig. ^, a,b. 



2. E. CEuie (Esp.). — Blackish-brown, with black eyes pupilled with white placed on round 

 rust-coloured spots. Under side of the hind-wings paler, with the eyes larger than above. The 

 fore-wings have only two small eyes near the tip in the type ; but the Austrian variety, Spodia 

 (Staud.), has from three to five eyes, which are larger, and are placed on large red contiguous 

 spots. Expands from \\ to \\ inches. Widely distributed throughout the Alpine ranges, but 

 local, and frequenting luxuriant meadows and damp places in June and July at a considerable 

 elevation. It prefers a limestone soil. 



3. E. Ccto (Hiibn.).^Dark brown above; both sides with long narrow rust-coloured spots, 

 generally divided by the nervures, containing small black eyes with white pupils. In the variety 

 Plwrcys (Freyer), there are white spots with brown eyes on the under side of the hind-wings. 

 Expands about i\ inches. It is found in July in grassy places in the Southern Alps. 



4. E. Pyrrha (W. V.). — Dark brown above ; both sides with a series of rust-coloured spots, 

 which are rather long on the fore-wings. The spots on the under side of the hind-wings are 

 yellow, and there are often others at the base. The middle spot extends further towards the hind 

 margin than above, and the eyes are blind or absent. Extends about \\ inches. Common, and 

 widely distributed in the Alps in July and August. 



5. E. Melainpus (Fucssl)-). — Dark brown, rather paler beneath, with a rust-coloured band, 



