182 



AEGYNNIS LATHOMA. 



Queen of Spain Fritillary. 



LATONA, Linn. Lato'na, the mother of Apollo and Diana. The name is 

 variously spelt Latona, Latonia, Lathona, and Lathonia. 



This is the rarest as well as the most beautiful of our British Fritillaries. 

 The colouring of the upperside resembles that of the rest of the genus, being 

 fulvous spotted with black. Underneath, the fore-wings have nearly the same 

 markings as those on the upper surface, but near the tip is a group of silver 

 spots. The hind-wings are buff, varied with reddish brown, with numerous 

 silver patches of different sizes and shapes, and of which there are about 

 fourteen between the base of the wings and a row of seven dark brown eyed 

 spots with silver pupils, between each of which and the margin of the wing 

 is a large silvery patch resembling mother-of-pearl. It will be observed that 

 the form of the front wings differs from the rest of the N Frittillaries, the outer 

 margin being concave in its outline. The inner corner of the hind- wings 

 also is more sharply angular. 



The width across the wings is from an inch to an inch and a half. 



There does not appear to be any variation to speak of in English caught 

 specimens ; but on the Continent it varies much in size, and the black spots 

 on the upper surface are larger, or smaller in different specimens. The 

 Indian form is called Issaa, but it scarcely differs from the type. The silver 

 spots on the underside also vary in size, and sometimes are so large that they 

 become confluent. This is the variety Valdensls of Esper. A beautiful 

 specimen of this variety from Norway, the upper-side being likewise melanic, 

 is figured in the " Entomologist," Vol. XIV., p. 25. 



The egg, caterpillar, and chrysalis have never been found in this country. 



The caterpillar is blackish grey, with a whitish stripe down the back, and 

 two brownish yellow lateral lines. The spines are short and of a pale yellow. 

 It feeds on Viola tricolor. 



The chrysalis is anteriorly dull brown, posteriorly greenish, sprinkled with 

 gold and silver spots, and has a white streak at the end of the wing-cases 

 (J. F. Stephens " Illustrations.") 



The butterfly is rather later in emerging than the rest of the Fritillaries, 

 not appearing before August, and continuing on the wing till quite late in 

 the year, several being recorded in October, and one as late as the 4th of 

 November. 



In Petiver's time it was not very rare in Gamlingay Wood, Cambridgeshire, 

 in May ; but all the recently recorded British examples have occurred in the 

 autumn. 



