334 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



What is Erebia epiphron var. cassiope, Fabr. ? 



While on this subject, I should like to draw the attention of 

 British lepidopterists to M. Charles Oberthiir's remarks (loc. cit. 

 pp. 284-88) on the relation of Erehia epiijliron, Knoch, to its 

 so-called variety cassiope, Fabricius. 



"In what respect," he asks, " does it actually differ from 

 cassiope ? According to Staudinger and Eebel, because of the 

 extracellular (antemarginal) rusty band, and the white-pupilled 

 black eye-spots in the female epiphron ; in cassiope the eye-spots 

 are blind, and the rusty bands obsolete ; but on the same moun- 

 tains are found examples of epiphron and cassiope. Epiyhron, 

 then, only designates one local race as cassiopte designates another. 

 There may be localities where cassiope predominates, e.g. the 

 Grisons ; but I think cassiope is to be found in all places where 

 epiphron exists, and vice versa.'' * 



British epiphroUy he continues (note they are called by the 

 type name), are relatively large. . . . They most resemble 

 the form of the Vosges (which, by the way, is a reputed head- 

 quarters of the type), in that each black eye-spot in the ante- 

 marginal series of the fore wings is surrounded by a sort of 

 reddish brown circle (this suggests mnemon, Haw.), instead of 

 being placed in the middle of a reddish brown band, the exterior 

 contours of which are irregular, and do not form a ring. In the 

 classification of the form cassiope, then, should we not denominate 

 it rather as var. et ab., or even only ab. of epiphron'} Or does 

 the male cassiojje in its numerous forms differ so materially from 

 the male epiphron as to entitle it to varietal rank at all ? 

 M. Oberthiir suggests that it does not differ so materially ; and 

 if, as he says, and I have found to be the case, the female with 

 the unpupilled ocellations occurs on the same ground as the 

 female with the white-pupilled eye-spots, would it not be more 

 correct to describe the " unpupilled " cassiope as epiphron var. et 

 ab. female cassiope only ? 



In this connection the genesis of the names epiphron and 

 cassiope is exceedingly interesting. Knoch (' Beitnige,' iii. 

 p. 178), without differentiating the sexual forms, is emphatic : — 

 " Alse superiores ante ocellis duobus, seu pluribus saepius maculis 

 tantum vel punctis nigris ; post eadem ratio. Inferiores supra 

 ocellos tres infra totidem plures(q)ue seu maculas exhibent." 



But, on turning to the beautifully executed figure of the 

 butterfly, tab. vi. fig. 7, it will at once be seen that the figure is 



- For example, Mr. B. C. S. Warren, collecting with me in the moun- 

 tains above Eaux Bonnes in the western Pyrenees in July, 1911, took one 

 of these white-pupilled females of " cassiope " ; but all others seen or 

 captured by us were of the usual form (cp. Entom. vol. xliv. p. 337) ; and in 

 the British Museum there is another similar female from the Leach collec- 

 tion among the others taken by Sir George Hampson on the mountains 

 above Luchon. 



