ON ZYGHINA RHADAMANTHUS, #SPER. 159 
graslint. The globular shape of the cocoon points to the same con- 
clusion and one can deduct a closer relationship than has as yet been 
recognised between the group purpuralis-erythrus and rhadananthus 
also by the following observation: Italy is in most species of Zyyaenae 
the country of melanic forms and races, but in those just mentioned, 
as well as in Z%. sarpedon race dystrepta, F. d. W., exactly the reverse 
takes place. The group purpuralis produces rubicundus, Hb., which is 
the most extensively red-scaled Zygaena in existence; purpuralis pro- 
duces the race fiorti, Costantini, which in many females is as red as 
the rare aberration polyyalae, Kisp., of Central Hurope, whereas the 
most melanic purpuralis are produced in the coldest Alpine and 
Northern regions; the Italian races of sarpedon produce the extreme 
red form and race dystrepta, F.d.W., whereas that species produces the 
most melanic forms in France and Spain. All this is exactly as in 
oxytropis compared with rhadananthus, for never has even a melanic 
aberration of the former been found, whereas the latter produces very 
dark individuals freely in the Maritime Alps and in Catalania. 
Subspecies ovytropts is proper to Italy, except for individual varia- 
tions similar to it in the Maritime Alps and in Catalania; it spreads 
from Piedmont to Sicily, but it has a tendency to localise. It usually 
flies in May; in the highest mountains it emerges in June. It varies 
very little as compared with rhadamanthus, both individually and 
geographically ; however, a very distinct high mountain race exists 
and a few minor races are also discernible; they can be described as 
follows from large series collected by Querci, part of which I will 
preserve as “‘typical.”’ ‘The localities mentioned have been described 
in Quereil’s paper on 4%. loti subsp. transalpina, Esp. (nt. Ree., 
page 28). 
In all these races the antennae are larger and thicker in the male 
sex, but vary markedly; the females in Florence often show faint 
traces of a white collar and epaulettes, which are extremely rare and 
never aS marked in the other sex; the red scaling is more extensive, 
but a little paler in the former and the dark scaling inclines more to 
greenish. Variation in both sexes only affects the upperside of fore- 
wings, for the red patch resulting from the confluence of the red spots 
on the underside and the thin-dark marginal band of the hindwings 
on both surfaces offer but very slight differences. 
Boisduval in his HMssai d’ une HOD Ne des Ayyénides, where 
_owytropis is first described and named, gives ‘‘ Piedmont and Italy ’’ as 
its habitat and adds that it has heen collected in Rome (Querci has 
never found it in the neighbourhood of this city), and by Passerini in 
Florence. In his Hur. Lep. Ind. Meth., published at the same time 
(1829), Boisduval only mentions “‘ Tuscany.” It is very likely his 
‘‘ types ’ were got from Passerini. In Florence there exists a race of 
ovytropis with the red spots more reduced in extent and consequently 
tending to separate from each other more than in any other locality 
Querci or I know of. In Boisduval’s original figure they are reduced 
to an extent which is very seldom seen, but which anyhow only the 
Florence race approaches in its extreme form : ; that author figures and 
mentions particularly spot 3 (anterior median) as exceedingly small ; 
spot 6 is confluent with spot 5, but it has very little extent too; the 
to basal spots ave as short and as isolated from each other and from 
the median | Olles as they are eves met with, 1 this, spegigs.. : I.think, gn 
bia- aS DIVO 
