gignificance of iving •markings. 97 



on this subject, it will be removed by a comparison of 

 A. sagana 2 , A. niphe 2 , A. valesina and A. diana ? 

 with C. pantherata and with the male of almost any 

 Argynnis that it is most convenient to take ; for instance, 

 A. adippe or A. papJiia. Putting together the results of 

 the examination of all the insects that have been 

 referred to, we recognise the areas between the dark 

 spots of this region of the fore wing in the Argynnidce 

 (seen perhaps in their simplest form mA. diana ? ), as in 

 most instances simply partaking of the usual brown 

 ground colour of the wings (.4. adippe, A. paphia, &c.), 

 in other instances becoming somewhat specially marked 

 out by an increase of paleness (.4. valesina, C. panthe- 

 rata), and in A, sagana ? and A. niphe ? assuming 

 the character of a system of definite spots ; which 

 character becomes absolutely established in Vaiiessa, 

 Pyrameis, Araschnia and Eurema, perhaps passes over in 

 a modified form to the genera Limenitis and Apatura, 

 and beyond these limits gradually loses its distinctive 

 features and disappears. That the homology of the 

 spots in all these cases (except the last) is perfect there 

 can be little or no doubt for any one who will carefully 

 examine the insects named. That the true line of 

 development has been indicated in the above account is 

 more open to question ; it will, however, be seen in the 

 course of this paper that the conclusion here arrived at 

 is corroborated by other evidence. 



2. The suhmarginal chain of black spots with blue 

 centres. — I now wish to call attention to another feature 

 in the colouring of the Vanessas and allied genera, and 

 in the same way to make an attempt to trace its history. 

 Near the anal angle of the hind wing in Pyrameis cardui 

 there occurs a long narrow oval or crescentic black spot 

 with a blue core or centre, the latter often showing signs 

 of a division into two* (fig. 24, IV., 15). This spot is 



are not absolutely distinct and circumscribed as in P. cardui and P. 

 atalanta, but represent merely the central portions of small areas 

 of unaltered ground colour into which they shade off with greater 

 or less gradation of tint. In the genus Pyrameis the original 

 ground colour has disappeared from around the spots a to e, persist- 

 ing only in the neighboui'hood of ^. 



'■' This duplication of markings in the space between the sub- 

 median nervnre and 1st median nerviile is a common feature in 

 both fore and hind wings of many species. See especially the bhie 

 spots in V. lorticce and V. antiopa. (Fig. 26, IV., 8, 15). 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1890. — PART I. (APRIL.) H 



