ADSCITA GERYON. 401 



green in colour. Posterior wings smoky-black ; all the wings short 

 and stumpy. The antenna} slightly thickened near the tip, more 

 serrated in the male than in the female. [Much smaller than its British 

 allies, and both sexes of almost equal size.] 



SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. The sexes are much more nearly equal than 

 in our other British Adscitids. The males average from 22-24 mm., 

 the females about 18-75 mm. in expanse. The smallest males are 

 sometimes only as large as the largest females. 



GYNANDROMORPHISH. A specimen of this species is recorded 

 (Slater, Entow., vol. xxix., p. 215) as being captured at Wansford, 

 Northants, on June 1st, 1896, that had the right side with longer 

 wings, and with a pectinated antenna, the left side with shorter wings, 

 and an almost simple antenna. 



VARIATION. The sexes of this species are very nearly equal in 

 size, although Fuchs mentions that he took among many typical 

 specimens, at Lennig, one as large as A. statices. The colour varies 

 from bronze-green to blue-green, the latter form being comparatively 

 rare. The specimens may be classified as : (1) Golden- or bronzy- 

 green (type). (2) Deep green (ab. riridis, n. ab.). (8) Blue-green 

 (ab. caerulea, n. ab.). Staudinger recognises two local forms of the 

 species : 



a. var. chrysocephala, Nick. - Atychia thorace, abdomine, alisque anticis 

 coeruleo-viridibus, posticis fuscis, antennis valde pectinatis, capite auro-micante. 

 Half the size of A. statices. Discovered on high-lying meadows, the Pasterze 

 (Upper Carinthia) ; inhabits high alps in Carinthia up to 7,000 ft., common nr. 

 Salzburg (Stett. Ent. Zeit., 1845, p. 93). 



This has always been looked upon as a mountain insect, and by many 

 Continental authors considered a distinct species from A. gei-yon, by 

 others as a mountain form of A. statices. Staudinger notes it in his 

 Cat. p. 45, as " var. minor ; highest Alps of Carinthia and Switzer- 

 land." Speyer considers it as an alpine or subalpine insect, and 

 gives as localities Heiligenblut, 5,500-8,000 ft. ; Andermatt, 4,500 ft. ; 

 Miirren, 5,000-5,500 ft. Zeller says, it appears in late June-July, and 

 at moderate elevations in August ; he found it abundantly at 

 Siala, and in the meadows between Latsch and Stulo. Frey, who 

 considered it as a mountain form of A. statices, says that the name was 

 given in error, a red-headed specimen never being seen in nature, 

 and notes it as occurring in the high alps of the Engadine, and at 

 Zermatt, at 8,000 ft. and over. Curo notes it from the Italian Alps, 

 and Reutti from Nassau, whilst Fedtschenko records it from Naubid, in 

 Central Asia, between 4,500-8,000 ft., on June 9th. The only difference 

 there may be between the mountain and lowland forms is the slightly 

 smaller size of the former, but even this is doubtful in a long series. 



j3. ? var. anceps, Staud. Of the same size as A. geryon, but its antennae 

 decidedly longer and somewhat stouter. The fore-wings are much more densely 

 scaled, very shiny, green, with golden gloss. The hind-wings less transparent, 

 blacker. The black inner marginal angle is also, in most examples, very strongly 

 developed. The two females not smaller than the males (Stett. Ent. Zeit., 

 xxiii., p. 355). 



Staudinger notes that he has this form only from Brussa, and is 

 inclined to consider it distinct from A. i/eryon. Lederer remarks that 

 he once received from Brussa a consignment of A. t/eryon, which 

 may have been the insect in question. On the other hand, other 

 specimens were referred by Lederer to obscura, Zell., although (teste 

 Staudinger) some only were dull examples, and others shiny green 



z 



