A FEW NOTES ON CRIMEAN LBPIDOPTERA. 29 



A FEW NOTES ON CRIMEAN LEPIDOPTERA. 



By V. V. Na]50K()ff. 



Russia offers a wide and fruitful field of research to the 

 entomologist. Just as in its north-western part the Scandinavian 

 and Central European fauna mingle together, producing in the 

 same place species of quite different haunts, such as Brenthis 

 freija and Apatwa iris, iEneis jiitta and Poittia daplidicc, Crimea, 

 from the zoological point of view, seems to be the connecting-link 

 between the Balkan and Cauca"=ian districts. The region of 

 steppes in the north of Crimea (districts of Eupatoria, Perekop, 

 and partly of Simferopol and Theodosia) forms geographically 

 a continuation of the so-called Novorossian steppes and is dis- 

 tinguished by the very same peculiarities — lack of water, scanty 

 vegetation, and, moreover, extreme heat and dryness in summer, 

 snow- storms in winter. Only for a short time in spring these 

 plains are covered with flowers, and the fresh grass delicately 

 waves in the soft sunshine. The steppes, gradually ascending, 

 form in the south a chain of mountains stretching from Theodosia 

 to the Cape of Khersones. On the gentle northern slopes, facing 

 the barren plain, begins the woodland (oak, beech, lime, elm, 

 ash, mountain ash, poplar, willow, etc.). Southwards, on the 

 steeper side, the commonest tree is a Crimean variety of Piniis 

 sylrestris, while further on, in the narrow space between the 

 mountains and the sea, cypress, pomegranates, laurel, olive and 

 tig trees give a touch of Italy to the landscape. Few interesting 

 insects occur, however, in the beautiful gardens and parks of 

 the coast. My chief collecting-grounds were the rocky southern 

 slopes of the mountain Ai Petri and the Yaila — hilly pastures on 

 the northern side. Moreover, I made half-a-dozen excursions to 

 the central part of Crimea. I give below a list of butterflies noted 

 from November, 1917, to August, 1918. 



Hesperiid^. 



Carcharodus alccEce : Very abundant everywhere, in two broods. 

 <7. lavatera : A few specimens captured in May. Hesperia car- 

 thami : One female, May 20th, at the foot of Ai Petri. U. alveiis 

 {? armoricanus, Obthr.) : Common in June on the Yaila. H. 

 malvce : Appeared April 10th. Pyrgus proto : One male, August 

 7th, near Bakchisarai. P. oihifer: Appeared April 19th. The 

 most abundant of all. P. sao: Appeared May tZOth. Scarce. 

 P. protheon: A beautiful female, July 18th, in a pine-wood. 

 Nisoniades tages : 1st gen. April 13th, 2nd gen. June 30th. 

 Augiades comma : Abundant in August in Central Crimea. The 

 females are very dark. A. suluamis : Appeared May 31st. 

 Adopcea flava : Appeared May 30th. 



