THE ATHALIA GROUP OF THE GENUS MELIT^A. 57 



for a paper by Capper in the * Tijdschrift voor Entomologie,' 

 vol. xlii. pi. ii. fig. 3, the upper side of which is definitel.y nava- 

 rina, but the under side is nearly normal, except that the elbowed 

 line is again represented by a series of black dashes. Fig. 4 on 

 the same plate represents a transitional female, showing on the 

 upper side two rows of fulvous spots on the fore wing, and part 

 of a third row on the hind wing. The under side is like that of 

 the male, except that the black dashes representing the elbowed 

 line are shorter. 



ab. aphcea, Hiibner, * Sammlung,' vol. i. pi. 147, figs. 738, 739, 

 probably represents an aberrant form of this species, but in the 

 absence of date and locality it is impossible to speak with con- 

 fidence. Most authors have, however, accepted it as such with- 

 out question. The following is a description : — 



Un. s. f. w. : Outer subterminal coalescing with border ; inner 

 subterminal very fine ; elbowed line very broad, almost reaching the 

 inner subterminal ; the basal suffusion forms two large black spots, 

 one above the median nervure reaching to the inner basal line, and 

 another below it joining the marginal blotch ; beyond the outer basal 

 line is a black blotch followed by yet another surrounded by a thin 

 line of the ground colour, which expands into a bar towards the inner 

 margin. 



Up. s. h. VI. : Has a broad black border, followed by a narrow 

 lunular line of the ground colour, edged with an equally narrow 

 lunular line of black representing the outer line ; the basal suffusion 

 extends to the inner line, but shows just within the latter a row 

 and part of a second row of very small spots of the ground colour ; 

 the light basal spot is prolonged into a scimitar-shaped curve up to 

 the costa. 



Un. s. f. w. : Has black lunules almost filling the usual terminal 

 lunules, whose arrangement rather suggests parthenie. This peculi- 

 arity is exaggerated on the hind wing. The elbowed line is repre- 

 sented by large elongated spots, and the basal band of the hind wing 

 is completely invaded by the dark inner band ; otherwise the under 

 side is fairly normal. 



This must not be confounded with Freyer's aphaa, ' Neiiere 

 Beitrage,' vii. p. 169, pi. 696, fig. 1 (1858), which appears to be 

 a form of parthenie which one meets with occasionally in the 

 Ehone Valley, and doubtless elsewhere. Its sole distinction, 

 which, however, produces a very remarkable facies, is the great 

 breadth of the elbowed line, and the unusual size of the marginal 

 blotch on the upper side. 



This form brings us by a natural sequence, though somewhat 

 out of chronological order, to the corresponding form of athalia, 

 var. mehadiensis, Gerhardt, ' Berliner Entomologischer Zeit- 

 schrift,' vol. xxvi. p. 126 (1882). It is described as follows* : — • 



* A very beautiful aberration of athalia, striking in consequence of its 

 pronounced markings ; from Viertlau, Mehadia (Hungary) ; ratlier larger 

 than ordinary athalia ; the black band crossing the middle of the fore wing 



