Publ. 10. XII. 1913. MELITAEA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 433 



M. harrisi ScuiJil. (88 e). Underside somewhat like that of M. cinxia, particularly on aeoount of the harri'^i. 

 presubniarginal row of dots enclosing the central dots characteristic of that species. ,^ deep fulvous above, 

 with darker markings, the terminal area nearly wholly black; both wings traversed by a band of pale rufous. 

 $ lighter coloured and of rather larger size, otherwise altogether like ^ ■ — Caterpillar reddish-brown with black 

 dorsal stripe, and dark rings at and behind the base of the spines, the spines themselves black. On Diplo])appus 

 umbellatus. Pupa pearly white, marked with black or fuscous. Found throughout the Eastern States from 

 Canada to Illinois. 



M. dymas Edir. {= larunda Sfrck.) (88 f). This species, mentioned by Dyar as Cindidia, is probably dymnfi. 

 best classed with Phyciorles. It closely approaches Ph. eladn Hew. (88 f), but is lighter, pale rufous, usually 

 very slightly marked; also the under surface shows some little difference. Southern Texas. 



M. perse Edu\ (88 f). Almost exactly like the jireceding, also underneath, but the ground-colour deeper pen^e. 

 golden yellow above, with the numerous dark undidate lines fine, l),ut more shar])iy defined than in di/ti/d.s. 

 From Arizona. 



M. chara Edir. (88 f). Very much like the two preceding species, of somewhat larger size, the black chara. 

 undulate lines and lunules more distinct; from the costa, befoi'e its outer third, a pale oblique dash, represen- 

 ting the commencement of a pale 3'ellowisli-brown fascia ending at the inner margin before the anal angle. 

 Underneath, this fascia more distinct and continuing also on the hindwing in the shape of a narrow, pale 

 yellow band. Arizona. Like the precedhag, a stunted desert-form. 



M. anomala Godm. a. Salv. Of this species only one specimen seems to be known which used to be anomala. 

 in the Staudinger Collection with which it most likely came to the Berlin Museum. In size hardly 

 approaching M. chara; blackish-fuscous, forewings with a white costal semi-band and 4 white spots in the 

 terminal area; hindwings with yellowish -brown disk and a white punctate row in the black terminal border; 

 cell spotted with black. Underneath resembling hephurni. but with the groundcolour of the forewhigs blackish, 

 not yellow-brown. Mexico: Colima. 



M. hepburni Godm. a. Sali:. CHosely allied to dj/)iuis. but moi'e ga'.'dily coloured both above and beneath, hepbumi. 

 the ground-colour deep greyish fuscoiis, the discal and margmal row of spots yellow, the intermediate, sub- 

 margmal one rufous. Under surface almost like that of a y.nvall-fiized Mel. rnerope. or V(iria. Chiliuahua (Mexico). 



— The species must of course not be confounded with the Erycinid Apodemin hephurni which outwardly resemb- 

 les a dwarf Melitnea and which we figure with the Erycinids on plate 142. 



M. alma Strck. (88 e) ec[uals in size the i)receding species, upper surface rufous, marked with black ff^ma. 

 at apex and outer border, but lacking the numerous dark undulate cross lines which are replaced by several rather 

 pale transverse macular bands. Under surface of hindwings yellow, with dark border and veins and a double 

 black transverse band before the outer third. 



M. tliekla Edw. (88 f). Upperside likewise rufous, but the black markings heavier. On the under surface thekla. 

 of the hindwings 2 curved bands of pale fulvous on ivory-yellow ground, the markings approa'hing those of 

 the closely allied Plujc. theona. $ very much like S- Texas. — bollii Edn\ differs from typical thekhi only in bollii. 

 having the paler median band of the upper surface of the hindwings somewhat broader, its border narrower, and 

 its continuation upon the forewings almost completely wanting. Holland, liowever, upon a close examination 

 of both types, asserts that there is no possilnlity of sharply sejiarating both forms. Arizona. — defiiiita A(tr. definita. 

 likewise closely resembles thekhi. being also found in Texas. 



M. leanira iJ.srf. (88 f). Upper surface bla-kish-brown, both wings with 3 pale yellow blotches, the outer Jcanira. 

 of which complete, the middle one interrupted on the forewings and the inner broken up in several scattering 

 spots which may even be (juite obsolete (= ab. obsoleta H. Edw.). The blackish ground colour is interrupted ohi^nkta. 

 before the termen and in the discal area by redbrow n spots, which produces the same pattern we find in colon, 

 tiiylori. ruhicunda\ but the species is easily recognized by the shape of the wings which resemble tho.-e of 

 Araschnia prorsa and many Phycicjdes. in as much as on the forewings the termen is prodi'ced at the end of the 

 3. radial so as to produce a blunt angle, above which the apex appears cut off and below which the termen is 

 slightly excavated. Also the underside differs materially. Widely distributed througho\it the Western States, 

 from British Colombia to southern California. — leona Wr. seems to be a form of leanira in which the yellow leomt. 

 spots above are so nuich recUued that the hindwings often are wholly black, with just a few ivory-white dots. 



— mirabilis Wr. is an accidental aberration having the pale spots in the outer half of the wings both above and nurahilU. 

 beneath drawn out in the direction of the intranerval spaces, a phenomenon not infrec[aently met with in Euro- 

 pean Mehtaeas (f. i. didynia). — cerrita Wr.. on the other hand, is an entirely constant form in which the iTfous cerrila. 

 and ivory-white areas are often indistinctly separated from one another or cpiite feel>ly indicated; like the pre- 

 ceding, it occurs in either sex. All these forms are closely allied to cyneas and theona which are described under 

 Phyciodes, another proof of how unnatural and untenable is the separation of the gencr a M elltaea and Phyclodes. 



V 55 



