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XIII. Erebia lefebvrei and Lycajna pyreuaica. By T. A. 

 Chapman, M.D, F.Z.S. 



[Read March 4th, 1908.] 



Plates VIII— XIIL 



In spito of demonstration to the contrary, we find these 

 two species sunk as varieties in Staudinger's 1901 

 Catalogue. 



After making full allowance for Staudinger's prejudice 

 against allowing any French form to be a good species, as 

 seen in several other instances besides these, his un- 

 questionable eminence makes it necessary to prove by 

 every available means that these species are not mere 

 varieties. 



As regards Icfebvrd I demonstrated abundantly in our 

 Transactions, 1898, p. 225, by the structure of the $ 

 ancillary appendages, that lefchvrci and melas were distinct 

 species. 



Unfortunately such characters do not appeal^ to a very 

 large proportion of entomologists, chiefly because they 

 know nothing about them. In consequence, they entirely 

 misinterpret such facts as Dr. K. Jordan especially has 

 illustrated, viz. that these appendages are as variable as 

 any other characters, and often differ in a regular way in 

 different races of the same species. From such circum- 

 stances they hasten to the conclusion that these structures 

 give no certain indication of specific differences, and in 

 short, which doubtless they find very comforting, that 

 what they don't know is not worth knowing. Yet, because 

 these structures present such variations, to assume that 

 their indications are untrustworthy, is of about the same 

 order of logic, as to assume that Colias edusa and Golias 

 hyale are one species, because G. edusa var. hclicG is of 

 much the same colour as G. hi/ale. 



It happens further that though I fell into no error as to 

 the relations of lefebvrei to melas, nor indeed as to those of 

 melas to nerine, I made the serious error of assuming that 

 nerine and not melas was the prior name. This error as 

 to nomenclature, no doubt discounted the value of my 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1908. — PART II, (SEPT.) 



