178 THE entomologist's record. 



noon of Avigust 25th there was more rain, and as the weather seemed 

 temporarily to have broken up, we brought our holiday to an end, so 

 far as entomology was concerned, and moved on to Paris. While at 

 Vevey, we paid a visit to Mr. Wheeler at Territet, and greatly enjoyed 

 seeing his collection of Swiss butterflies. Amongst many beautiful 

 series, the collection of Apaturids (including a number of very fine 

 varieties and aberrations) was, perhaps, the most striking. Our only 

 regret v\'as that the time at our disposal did not allow of our studying, 

 as we should have wished, the varieties of many species which Mr, 

 Wheeler was able to show us, and of which we had previously been 

 able to read descriptions only. 



Marasmarcha agrorum var. tuttodactyla, new var. (n. sp. ?) 



By Dk. T. a. chapman. 



In looking over the material of the genus Marasmarcha, accumu- 

 lated by Mr. Tutt and myself, chiefly from English and French locali- 

 ties, the first impression arrived at by a perfunctory survey, was that 

 there was only one European species, n's., 21. lunaedactyla, of which the 

 other forms were merely varieties. Two or three circumstances, how- 

 ever, point strongly to another conclusion. First, of course, due 

 weight must be given to the consensus of opinion that M. fauna and 

 M. agroram are good species ; secondly, we find amongst the plumes 

 several cases, as, for instance, in Ambhiptilia cosmodactyla and A. 

 punctidactula, in which, apparently, trivial differences are adequate to 

 mark specific distinction. The third ground was found on examining 

 the appendages. In Ji. lunaedactyla the clasps each carry two long 

 bristles, curled round in a special circular area, giving a remarkable 

 appearance to the clasp as having a disc or medal let into it. 



In M. fauna there are the same two bristles, but they are compara- 

 tively quite short and straight, and give the clasp a much less special 

 appearance. In M. agrorum a third and more remarkable condition is 

 found, riz., the bristles on the right (?) side are much longer than 

 those on the other, and though not restrained in a circle, as in M. lunae- 

 dactyla, are, nevertheless, curved as compared with the straighter ones 

 of the opposite clasp. This condition is remarkable from this point 

 of view, that the Platyptiliine division of the plumes have symmetrical 

 clasps, and are without spines or bristles (except, perhaps, in Eucnemido- 

 pJwrus rhododactyla) , the other,' the Alucitine section, have clasps with 

 spines or bristles, and the two clasps are always asymmetrical. 

 Marasmarcha has, on the whole, Platyptiliine affinities, and the pos- 

 session of spines on the clasps is therefore notable, but it is especially to 

 be remarked that, within the genus, there should be two species, and species 

 as to which it is possible to raise the question as to whether they are 

 truly distinct, one with symmetrical (Platyptiliine) and the other with 

 asymmetrical (Alucitine) clasps. Having bred M. fauna from larva 

 found at Ste. Maxime, I may say that the larva and pupa are ex- 

 tremely close to those of M. lunaedactyla. They are paler and more 

 delicate-looking, both usually of a light green, and the pupte agree 

 structurally in many minute details. I have yet to make a more 

 detailed examination of them, but am not hopeful of discovering any 

 structural distinctions, so that I should, apart from the evidence of 



