SEASONAL POLYMORPHISM. 3 
variations that arose, the larger size of the spots, etc., and gradually 
increased the same. Ihave submitted this part of my paper to my 
friend Professor Poulton and he considers that the above arguments 
are quite sound, but would not exclude the possibility of some 
additional advantage being gained by the selection of trees in the 
neighbourhood of the ants’ nests, and therefore presumably visited more 
freely than others by the ants. 
The life history of this insect may be briefly recapitulated as 
follows :— 
Coccinella distincta passes its whole life in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of ants’ nests. Copulation takes place in May and June, and 
the female lays her eggs on the underside of pine needles, and leaves 
of trees, over the ants’ nests. The eggs are long, bright yellow in 
colour, and arranged close together two and three abreast, varying in 
number from seven to some twenty odd. The eggs hatch in five to 
seven days, and the young larve feed on the Aphids on the trees on 
which they were born. ‘There appear to be four moults, and the full- 
erown larva fastens itself up ready to pupate, having spent some 
twenty-five to twenty-nine days in the larval condition. It pupates in 
three to five days and about nine to eleven days elapse before the 
imago emerges from the pupal skin. The whole process lasting some 
forty to fifty days. The perfect insects feed on the plant lice on trees 
close to the nests, and the majority of them pass the winter on these 
trees; a few individuals only entering the nests for hibernation. 
Usually there is only one generation, but in some years, when ‘the 
weather is favourable, there may be two. 
Finally I consider the reason for its occurrence with Formica rufa 
is that it is a Mullerian mimic of Clythra 4-punctata. 
Expuanation oF Puarte I. | 
Eggs of Coccinella distincta on pine-needle. 
Pupa of Coccinella distincta. 
Empty pupa case of Coccinella distincta on pine-needle. 
. top. Coccinella distincta, Fald., subsp. labilis, Muls. 
. middle. Form with spots 1 on elytra very small, showing a disposition to become 
effaced and approaching the type form L. distincta. 
. bottom. Coccinella distincta, Fald., subsp. labilis, Muls., ab. domiduca, Weise. 
He He He Oo bo be 
Exxpnanation oF Prats II. 
1. Small larva of Coccinella distincta. 
2: Full sized larva of Coccinella distincta. 
5&3. Male genitalia of C. distincta (5. median lobe, etc. ; 3. tegmen, etc.). 
6&4. Male genitalia of C septempunctata (6. median lobe, etc.; 4. tegmen, etc.). 
Seasonal Polymorphism and Races of some European Grypocera 
and Rhopalocera.—Additional Notes. 
By ROGER VERITY, M.D. 
(Continued from page 201.) 
Hesperia serratulae, Rbr., and H. carthamt, Hub. The races of the 
Sibillini Mountains in Central Italy do not seem to differ from the 
Alpine ones, judging by a comparison with those of the Baths of 
Valdieri, although the former locality is separated by such a distance 
from the Alps, and both the species are not known to occur in any 
other intermediate one. | 
