98 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
et lib. cit. 1871, p. 444; Brischke, Schr. Nat. ges. Danz. 1880, 
p. 118; Rogers at Meeting Ent. Soc., 2nd April, 1866, et Johnson, 
E.M.M., 1907, p. 160).—Craupz Mortey. |] 
THE ATHALIA GROUP OF THE GENUS MELITAA. 
By Grorce Wueeter, M.A., F.E.S. 
(Continued from p. 32.) 
THERE is one more named form belonging to the navarina 
group, which was originally supposed by de Sélys-Longchamps 
to be asteria, and so named by him, doubtfully, in his ‘ Mnum- 
ération des Insectes Lépidoptéres de la Belgique,’ in 1845. In 
1857, however, it was given as an aberration of athalia (‘ Annales 
de la Société Entomologique Belge, vol. i. p. 19) under the name 
of asteriades, de Sélys-Longchamps, and is briefly described as 
‘tres petit et trés noir.” 
With regard to the greater variety of colouring on the upper 
side, in which some specimens, especially females, approach 
nearer to the Aurinia-group, there seems to be only one named 
form in which this peculiarity is prominent, and even in this 
case the insect seems to be named rather after a peculiarity of 
the un. s. h. w. than from anything in the appearance of the 
up. 8., viz.: leucippe, Schneider, ‘Systematische Beschreibung,’ 
p. 209 (1787). This form was described as a distinct species, 
in the following terms: ‘“‘ Alis dentatis, supra fuscis, primoribus 
ad marginem luteis striis duabus venisque nigris; posterioribus 
serie triplici macularum pallidiorum et subtus fasciis fulvis 
flavis et albis.”” Reference is made to Esper’s ‘ Schmetterlinge 
Kuropas,’ pl. xxx., fig. 2, which, in spite of what Schneider says 
to the contrary, shows it to bea female aberration of athalia, 
with suffusion extending over the basal half of each wing, and 
having the lunules on the up. s. h. w. lighter, and the ground 
colour between the outer and inner lines redder than usual ; 
the very narrow streak of ground colour showing within the 
inner line is of normal colour. The un. s. f. w. has in places 
a redder shade than usual, and the elbowed line is clearly 
marked by large black spots throughout. The h. w. has the 
terminal lunules, the outer half of the central band, the light 
spot, and part of the basal band white; hence, it would seem, 
the name. Schneider regards this form as being included in 
Linneus’ maturna, showing that the variation of colour on the 
upper side was in his eyes very noticeable. Seba’s illustration 
(‘ Thesaurus,’ pl. iii. A., figs. 1-4), to which he refers, appears 
to me, so far as it 1s possible to judge, to represent athalia. To 
Petiver’s ‘Icones Papilionum Britanniz,’ I have unfortunately 
been unable to refer, as there is no copy of this work in the 
British Museum, nor in any of the other great London libraries. 
