

THE ENTOMOLOaiST 



Vol. XLII.] JULY, 1909. [No. 554 



FURTHER VARIATION IN NYSSIA LAPPONARIA. 



By E. a. Cockayne, M.A., F.E.S., F.L.S. 



(Plate V.) 



Amongst a very large number of males of Nyssia lapponaria 

 which I have examined since I wrote my note in the ' Entomolo- 

 gist,' vol. xxxvii. p. 249, the following forms seem worthy of 

 record : — 



In 1906 Mr. F. W. J. Jackson bred a very remarkable aberra- 

 tion from eggs which I obtained in the Rannoch district. In the 

 fore wing of this (fig. 1), a very small specimen, the third line is 

 moved inwards so far from the termen that it passes through 

 and obscures the discal spot. The second line is also moved 

 inwards and joins the third about halfway across the wing. The 

 first line is further than usual from the base of the wing, and 

 runs almost parallel to the second, actually touching it at a point 

 a short distance from the costa. Thus all three lines are parti- 

 ally fused, and the large space which usually exists between the 

 first and second line is almost obliterated. Similar aberrations 

 are well known in many other Geometridse. 



Fig. 2 shows a melanic specimen in which the second line, 

 though indistinct, does touch the first, but the third line is in 

 the normal situation. 



These two photographs were taken with the same conditions 

 of light and background. 



In 1907 I took a male with all the orange replaced by yellow. 

 Specimens with the costa pale yellow and the abdominal stripe 

 speckling orange are not very uncommon. In this, as far as I 

 know a unique male, the costa is almost white, and the thoracic 

 and abdominal stripe pale yellow. I have also one female with 

 yellow instead of orange markings. For this yellow form lutea 

 seems to be a suitable name. 



This year I have received a specimen (fig. 3) with the black 

 lines more obsolete than in any other I have seen. The discal 

 spot is very distinct, and the costal stripe unusually deep orange. 



ENTOM. — JULY, 1909. P 



