NEW ABEREATIONS OF ASTHENA TESTACEATA. 33 



of M. cyanea (one male), L. quadrimaculata, S. scoticum, Colo- 

 pteryx splendens, P. nymphula, A. puella, and Ischnura elegans. 



Mr. K. J. Morton tells me that in July, 20th to 30th, at 

 Emyvale, co. Monaghan, dragonflies were numerous, the species 

 being S. striolatum, L. quadrimaculata, JE. juncea, M. grandis, 

 C. splendens, Lestes sponsa, P. nymphula, I. elegans, Agrion pid- 

 chellmn, and E. cyathigerum 



Kingston-on-Thames: January, 1907. 



NEW ABEKRATIONS OF ASTHENA TESTACEATA, 

 Don. (SYLVATA, Hb.). 



By Eustace E. Bankes, M.A., F.E.S. 



I am indebted to my friend, Mr. Edward Goodwin, for the 

 opportunity of examining a few most interesting and beautiful 

 aberrations, taken by him in a very restricted area in Mid-Kent 

 during 1903-4-5, of the species generally known in this country 

 as Asthena sylvata. Authors are by no means agreed as to its 

 correct generic or specific names, but the question of nomencla- 

 ture is outside my present purpose. These aberrant forms, 

 which occur alike in both sexes, and appear to be undescribed, 

 fall into two main groups, which may be characterized as 

 follows : — 



1. Ab. intermedia, n. ab. — Both fore and hind wings have the 

 whitish ground colour, which still prevails, more thickly and generally 

 dusted with dusky brown, especially along the costa of the fore wing, 

 and have the transverse dusky brown lines more strongly pronounced, 

 than in the typical form. 



2. Ab. goodwini, n.ab. — All the wings are so generally and thickly 

 dusted with dusky brown that the whitish ground colour is largely 

 obscured by it, especially towards the costa of the fore wings; this, 

 however, tends to be less so along the actual termen, and near the 

 tornus, of both fore and hind wings, than elsewhere. The tawny fascias 

 on both the fore and hind wings are, however, still quite visible. 



The individuals in question, though all are referable either 

 to ab. intermedia or to ab. goodwini, vary considerably inter se, 

 and practically show every gradation between the typical form 

 and complete melanism. In the darkest example of ab. goodwini 

 the normally pale ground colour has almost disappeared, and 

 the head, collar, thorax with tegulae, and abdomen are, like 

 the wings, dusky brown above, though this last is prettily barred 

 with white, and has an ochreous anal tuft. The sight of this 

 specimen at once suggests the idea that before long we shall 

 hear of an extreme aberration in which the whitish ground 

 colour has entirely disappeared, and this is rendered all the 



