223 



ABERPtATIONS OF VANESSA URTIG.E and V. 10. 

 By T. Reuss. 



Fig. 1. — V. urticcc ab. litna, n. at). 



Fig. 2.—V. io, ab. 



T WOULD like to record that on the 26th of July I bred a 

 variety of V. urticce L. (Fig. 1), which showed the following 

 varietal characters : — 



Upper side : on the fore wings thei'e are only three blue lunules 

 in the median part of the black marginal band, the four apical and the 

 two lunules of the inner angle being replaced by black. The yellow 

 spot between the second and third costal blotches is crossed with black. 

 Hind wings : again in the black marginal band the four (in the right 

 wing three) blue lunules of the costal and median part are either very 

 faint or have entirely disappeared. The first two lunules of the four 

 in the anal angle coalesce and form a large conspicuous blue crescent ; 

 the other two lunules are normally developed. The dark orange belt 

 is narrowed and clouded with black in the costal part. Under side : 

 slightly darker than normal ; the crescent on the hind wings is 

 conspicuously marked. The parts of the facies not mentioned are 

 normal. 



It is of interest to note the development of the blue lunules in 

 this variety as compared with other forms in which reversely the 

 costal (apical) lunules are favoured at cost of the anal lunules 

 (io-formity, see ' Ent. Record,' pt. 4, 1909, plate vii). 



On the 8th of August I bred a variety of V. io from wild 

 Hertfordshire larvae, in which the ocellus of the hind wings is dis- 

 integrated into three distinct bright blue lunules (Fig. 2). On the 

 right hind wing a fourth blue spot is marked (as also in many 

 otherwise normal specimens of io), and the place of a fifth spot 

 is indicated — thus the possibility of a chain of lunules like in 

 V. urticce is suggested. The normally yellow parts of the fore 

 wings are narrowed and grey in colour ; the whole breadth of 



