GONEPTERYX CLEOPATRA, L. LOT 
Gonepteryx cleopatra, L. Has it more than one brood per annum ? 
By J. A. SIMES, F.E.S. 
Not very many years ago it was almost universally held by British 
lepidopterists that (Gonepterya cleopatra, L., produced only one brood 
per annum, and that the individuals of this brood, emerging as they 
did shortly after mid-summer, hibernated as imagines and reappeared 
in the following spring to pair and lay their eggs. Latterly, however, 
there has been a tendency to depart from this view; and we find in 
current literature definite allusions, by lepidopterists whose standing 
and reputation carry much weight, to the second and even the third 
brood of the species. Dr. Roger Verity, for example, has gone so far 
as to distinguish the second and third generations of cleopatra with 
separate names (Hnt. Rec., xxxi., p. 67); while more recently our 
Editorial Secretary, Mr. Turner, in his interesting paper on ‘‘ The — 
Butterflies of Cyprus” (Trans. Hint. Soc. Lond., 1920, p. 183), shows 
an inclination to accept Dr. Verity’s view, being impelled to that con-— 
clusion, apparently, by the facts recorded and brought to his notice by 
his Cyprian correspondents. 
It was in 1903 that I first made the acquaintance of G. cleopatra 
in its native haunts; and in the years which have elapsed since, I have 
had abundant opportunities of studying its habits in many different 
localities. Holding at the outset the one-brood theory, the extraordinary 
freshness of the spring specimens almost induced me to accept the 
theory of a new emergence ; but the attention which I have since paid 
to the species, and the careful observations which I have carried out 
over a number of years, have led me back to my original faith —a faith 
which I now hold more strongly than [ ever did. I concur absolutely 
in the views of Rober (Seitz), to the effect that it is very doubtful 
whether any Gonepteryx ever produces more than one brood in the 
Palearctic region. To prove a negative is admittedly an impossible 
task; and all I can hope to do in support of my view is to place on 
record the observations and considerations which lead me to hold the 
one-brocd theory. 
It is I believe common ground that there is a fresh emergence of 
G. cleopatra about midsummer. ‘The actual time of appearance of this 
fresh emergence varies considerably. [I have met with this summer 
emergence at Brindisi as early as the first week in June; and I have 
known its appearance in the same locality to be deferred until nearly 
three weeks later. In the south of France this emergence takes place 
generally just about midsummer ; and it was shortly after that time 
that I had an opportunity of studying G. cleopatra last summer at La 
Sainte Baume, Var, in company with Mr. G. T. Bethune-Baker and 
Mr. Hugh Main. Arriving on July 4th, I found G. cleopatra well out 
and abundant ; its numbers increased very considerably for a few days 
until it could be described as extremely abundant in both sexes; but 
when I left La Sainte Baume, on July 13th, its numbers had fallen 
markedly, and the flight was evidently on the wane. Throughout these 
days of flight G. cleopatra had but one object in life, namely, to feed. 
Both sexes devoted themselves to this task with great assiduity, and 
rarely flew further than was necessary to carry them from one clump 
of lavender to the next. Once or twice Isawa ¢ try to flirt with a 
2; but his attentions were absolutely ignored and he soon desisted. 
Novemper, 1920. 
