THE ENTOMOLOGIST 



Vol. XLII.] MARCH, 1909. [No. 550 



LIFE-HISTORY OF ARGYNNIS LAODICE. 



By F. W. Frohawk, M.B.O.U., F.E.S. 



(Plate IL) 



On September 17th, 1907, I received from the Hon. N. Charles 

 Rothschild a number of eggs of Argynnis laodice, obtained from 

 four females captured by himself near Cs6htelek, in the Bihar 

 Comitat, Hungary. The four specimens were placed on potted- 

 up plants of dog-violet {Viola caiiina), with the satisfactory 

 result that about one hundred and seventy eggs were deposited 

 on various parts of the leaves and stems. By acquiring this 

 consignment of ova I have been enabled, through Mr. Rothschild's 

 kindness, to have the pleasure of successfully working out the 

 complete life-history of this rare species, which I believe has 

 never been previously accomplished, and, excepting the full- 

 grown larva and pupa that were described and figured twenty- six 

 years ago by G. Kiinow (' Schriften d. Physik, Oekon Geselbech, 

 zu Konigsberg,' vol. xiii. p. 147, 1872), nothing hitherto was 

 known of any of the earlier stages. 



Aigner has already recorded (' Rovartani Lapok,' vol. xiv. 

 p. 222, 1907) the capture of the specimens of this Argynnis by 

 Mr. Rothschild. 



This species, which apparently only occurs in the R6z Moun- 

 tains and not on the plain, frequents open spaces in the forest in 

 the neighbourhood of streams, where it flies in company with 

 A. paphia, A. adippe, and A. lathonia, frequenting the blossoms 

 of bramble and of hemp-agrimony. All the specimens that 

 Mr. Rothschild secured were worn, being taken from about the 

 middle of August onwards, and were mostly females. Apparently 

 the locality where these were captured is the most western point 

 in Hungary, and possibly in Europe, at which this species has 

 been observed. 



The egg resembles that of Argynnis adippe in shape and 

 general structare, but in the number of keels it is more similar 

 to A. aglaia. It is conical in form but rather straight-sided, and 

 3^2 in- in height ; the base is twice the width of the crown, which 



BNTOM. MARCH, 1909. F 



