NEW FORMS OF SOME EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES. 55 



more than balf a century ago. The specimen comes from 

 Central Tuscany (Plate IV., fig. 5). 



Argynnis lathonia, L., ab. alba, Spiiler. — This is an albino, 

 with the ground C()lour of all the wings white, of the well-known 

 Argynnis. I possess a good specimen of it, caught in Tuscany, 

 as well as one of the corresponding form of A. aglaia, L. ; for 

 the latter I propose the name of ab. albescens, ab. nov. 



Erebl\ neoridas, Boisd., Europ. Lepid. Ind. meth. p. 23. — 

 Since the discovery of this species towards the beginning of the 

 last century, it had never been found beyond the French frontier, 

 and it had always been thought that its range was limited to the 

 south of France ; but at the end of August, 1901, I received a 

 specimen that had been caught by a friend of mine on the Pania 

 della Croce (Alpi Apuane, the Tuscan mountains mentioned 

 above). Soon after, a gentleman who was collecting for me 

 during the same time on another mountain of the same range, 

 sent me thirty males and three females, and during the two fol- 

 lowing years I discovered the species to be quite common in the 

 second half of August on all the higher tops of the Alpi Apuane 

 towards 1200 or 1300 m. ( = 3500 or 4000 ft.). Considering that 

 the Alpi Apuane have a much older geological formation than 

 the Apennines, being in fact a continuation of the Maritime Alps, 

 it is interesting to notice that E. neoridas has never been found 

 in the Apennines, where E. cethiops, ligea, cassiope, and other 

 species of the genus, are common. 



On examining an extensive series of specimens of E. neoridas 

 from the south of France and others from Tuscany, one is imme- 

 diately struck by the much greater variation this species under- 

 goes in this locality. Some specimens are in fact so different 

 from the typical form that one would certainly think they 

 belonged to a distinct species, if there did not occur a series of 

 intermediate forms to connect them. 



E. NEORIDAS var. etrusca, var. nov.— I possess some Tuscan 

 specimens in which the submarginal fulvous band of the fore 

 wings is reduced to half the width it has in the type ; it rapidly 

 tapers to a point towards the hind margin, and ends abruptly on 

 or before the first medial nervule, instead of reaching the sub- 

 medial. There are only two coalescent apical spots, greatly 

 reduced in size, all the others being absent. The hind wings are 

 uniform brown, with no fulvous band or ocellated spots. For 

 this markedly different form I propose the name given above. 

 (Plate IV., fig. 6,c?; 7, ?). 



E. NEORIDAS ab. albovittata, ab. nov. — Another fine variety 

 which occurs in Tuscany has the apex of the fore wings on the 

 under side, as well as the base of hind wings and submarginal 

 band, bluish silvery white instead of light greyish brown as in 

 type of the species. This light colour stands out well on the 



g2 



