124 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The distribution of M. lachesis, on the other hand, is curiously 

 limited almost to the Iberia-n peninsula, although as I have 

 shown in the preceding note, it descends the Cantabrians, on the 

 northern slope, and extends even into the Western Pyrenees, while 

 at the other end of the mountain barrier it penetrates into France 

 through Perpignan from Catalonia as far north as the famous 

 Pont du Gard, and no further east in this direction than the 

 western limits of the Department of Bouches-du-Ehone. 



Assuming M. galatea to be nearest the ancestral form, as I 

 suggest, Lachesis may be regarded as a species developed there- 

 from under peculiar local conditions — conditions judging from the 

 known distribution of the species not repeated, for example, in the 

 Italian and Balkan Peninsulas, each of which Mediterranean 

 regions have Melanargias characteristically their own; e.g. 

 M. arge and M. phei-usa, in Central and Southern Italy, and in 

 Sicily respectively, and M. larissa in the Balkans and the east of 

 Europe ; though the former pertain rather to the Occitanica, 

 Hbat. {Si/llius, Esper) group than to that under immediate 

 review. Neither of these three species occurs in North Africa. 



It is perhaps worth remark in this connection that whereas 

 M. galatea in Northern Asia Minor, in the Balkans, in Italy, and 

 in a limited portion of the Mediterranean Eiviera co-exists with 

 Larissa, lapygia, Occitanica, Arge, and Pherusa respectively, this 

 partnership is not extended in Spain to Lachesis, while, as we 

 shall see, the only Melanargia co-existent with Lucasi is Ines, 

 which latter species, again is confined to the central and north- 

 west coasts of North Africa and tli" warmer regions of the 

 Iberian peninsula, though in Central Algeria, where apparently 

 Lucasi is non-existant, Lord Rothschi d records Occitanica.* 



In fact until we come to the northern area of distribution, it 

 is apparent that elsewhere Galatea, or its prototype, has either 

 developed new species or subspecies supplanting it, or marched 

 upon identical routes with other members of the genun. 



Mr. E. G. B. Meade- Waldot speaks of M. lucasi at the 

 beginning of July as " abundant on the great Atlas, most 

 frequent in woods. ... A very large and pale form was 

 taken in the central plains in June, and also on the high table- 

 land above Agurygur ou June 23rd." He further remarks of 

 the Atlas country that, while these mountains have developed 

 compariitively few alinne forms, most of the species in the 

 remote regions are common to the Mediterranean littoral. 



Thus the intermediate position and development of M. 

 lachesis between the Algerian aud Atlas Lucasi and northern 

 Galatea becomes the more interesting as a study of distribution 

 among palsearctic species. 



Mr. Wheeler, in his paper on the genus Melitcea (' Proc. Ent. 



* ' Novitates Zoologicffi,' vol. xxi, p. 307. 

 t ' Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.,' 1905, p. 374 



