82 THE ENTOMOLOGIST'S RECORD. 



has enriched my collection. Italy is certainly the richest country in 

 Zygaena and a contribution of this sort has enlightened many obscure 

 points and revealed unsuspected errors of the past. 



The first remark I must make about the species we are here 

 dealing with is, that it is quite surprising how hitherto filipendulae 

 and stoecJiadis should have been kept separated into two distinct species. 

 There are for this absolutely no positive reasons, and indications to the 

 contrary are instead numerous and conclusive. One seeks- in vain for 

 a character by which to constantly distinguish these two insects. All 

 their different features suffer notable exceptions and combine mixedly 

 in certain cases. As a rule the characteristics of stoechadis 

 as compared with filipendulae are, its larger size, more robust 

 structure and tendency of the dark scaling of the wings to spread 

 more extensively : thus, the body and antennas are thicker, the wings 

 broader and more rounded ; the sixth red spot of forewing may be 

 obliterated either above alone or on both surfaces, the hindwmgs 

 constantly have a broader dark marginal band with its internal outline 

 more waved, and this dark scaling can get so extensive as to cover the 

 entire wing ; finally, the red suffusion connecting the spots on the 

 underside of the forewings has a much lesser extent and may often be 

 entirely absent. Concerning the habitats of Jilipendulae and 

 stoechadis it must be noticed that they always exclude each other, the 

 first ranging from the Arctic regions to the southern portion of 

 Central Europe, the second replacing it entirely in Southern Europe. 

 These two areas, however, are separated from each other by a broad 

 belt of ground whieh extends from the Pyrenees to the south of France 

 generally and to the basin of the Po (with its northern boundary on 

 the watershed of the Alps and its southern one on that of the 

 Apennines), and which thence stretches across the Balkan Peninsula 

 to the Black Sea. In this belt we find both filipendulae and stoechadis, 

 and we find races which exhibit the mixture of characters mentioned 

 above (these I will describe more at length when dealing with different 

 races) : (a) Pure filipendulae are found in the Pyrenees and in the 

 Alps at high altitudes, chiefly under the form of races manni and 

 paulula ; pure stoechadis is found in S.E. France (race major) and in 

 Piedmont (races medicaginis and stoechadis). (b) A race of filipendulae 

 exhibiting characters transitional to stoechadis is known from the 

 Bouches-du-Pthone (race anceps) and races of stoechadis exhibiting some 

 filipendulae characteristics are found in some Alpine localities, (c) A 

 race in which pure filipendulae and pure stoecJiadis occur commonly 

 together as extreme variations and in which the majority of 

 individuals constitute a gradual transition from one to the other, has 

 been discovered in the Modenese Apennines. Finally I can add that 

 the Sicilian race siciliensis of stoechadis resembles filipendulae con- 

 stantly to a degree, which might induce one at first sight to consider 

 it one of its races, and it produces now and then individuals, amongst 

 its weaklings, indistinguishable from the most robust and gaudy races 

 of the latter. This need not surprise us, because also the race 

 iiiuacria, Vrty., of Z. lonicerae, Schev., and the Sicilian races of 

 several Rhopalocera show a decided resemblance to those of Central 

 Europe and are more similar to them than they are to the races of 

 Central Italy, but this very fact seems a conclusive proof that 

 filipendulae and stoechadis are only two groups of races of one species 



