80 THE ENTOMOLOGIS!’S RECORD. 
H. armoricanus, Obth. 
It is not many years since this species was separated from alveus, 
and so was rescued from the oblivion of that all-embracing phrase, 
which has gradually become (metaphorically speaking) a sort of asylum 
for unidentified Hesperias, ‘‘some form of alveus.” Armoricanus 
probably deserved the fate more than the majority of other species 
that met with it; for in its typical form it resembles alveus to a 
certain extent; but on occasions it also resembles one or two other 
species somewhat closely, principally onopordi, fritillum, and carlinae. 
Despite this I have never found a specimen of armoricanus which 
I could not identify superficially. ‘The species (at any rate in 
Switzerland) cannot be considered so variable as alveus; but all 
the same it shows a considerable tendency to transitional 
variation, which causes individual specimens to assume a likeness 
to one or other of those species already mentioned. ~The coloration 
of the underside of the hindwing is the most variable feature; 
indeed in this respect it varies more than any other species of 
the genus. Armoricanus is known. to occur in various parts 
of Switzerland, but I have only taken it at Branson and Follaterre in 
the Rhone Valley. From these localities, however, I have a long 
series ; which I think gives a fairly complete idea of the normal range 
of its variation. The var. evtensa is more often met with in this species 
than any other, and is responsible for the most confusing forms, which 
are always a good imitation of onopordi. In its various habitats at 
Branson and Follaterre (and other localities in the Rhone Valley too) 
armoricanus is found in company with onopordi; hence, any extensa 
form will be the more likely to get identified as the latter. The 
ground colour of the hindwing underside is normally much yellower in 
armoricanus than onopordi; but the former in this respect varies 
endlessly, and.one not infrequently sees specimens exactly similar to ° 
onopordi. A specimen showing. this combination of vaciation (colour 
and shape of markings) requires careful examination to prevent 
mistakes, but still can always be identified without recourse to the 
genitalia. In onopordi the anvil-shaped central spot of the median 
band projects in a very characteristic way, both towards the hind 
margin as well as towards the base of the wing, and both it and the 
hooked spot next the inner margin are bordered by a very fine sharply 
marked black line, most striking in fresh specimens and still fairly 
visible in worn ones. ‘These lines are never found in armoricanus; the 
projection from the central spot is never the true onopordi shape ; and 
thirdly, the spot on the inner margin is never similar to that specialised 
feature of onopordi. 
Ot the other aberrations, we get examples which are slightly sug- 
gestive of carlinae, particularly so in the beautiful coloration of the 
underside; but this form can never cause trouble, if the collector has 
taken care to label his captures accurately, armoricanus being quite a 
lowland species. ‘lhe fritillwm-like form too is an interesting one, 
which might easily get recorded as fritillwn. That this has happened 
in the past on more than one occasion is shown by the var. cirsiv, 
Rmbr., recorded from Salquenen and Martigny by Favre and Wullsch- 
legel respectively (Butts. of Switz., p. 4, Wheeler) which almost 
certainly can only have been this aberration of armoricanus. This 
a 
