ABERRATIONS OF COCCINELLA. 121 
On the Subspecies and Aberrations of Coccinella Il-punctata L. 
(With a plate.) 
By HORACE DONISTHORPH, F.Z.S., F.E.S. 
There appears to be a considerable diversity of opinion amongst 
Entomologists as to the advisability of giving names to varieties and 
aberrations of insects—some, such as Sir George Hampson, object to 
it entirely, others take the opposite view. Others again are inconsis- 
tent accepting some and not recognising other such named forms (not 
wishing such new. names to be given, but admitting those which have 
been already published; and even accepting some such name for one 
Species, and objecting to an exactly parallel form in another species of 
the same genus having a name). 
In an admirable paper read before the Entomological Society of 
London, on February 6th, 1918, Lord Rothschild showed very clearly 
the reason for giving names to geographical races and aberrations. 
With his views I entirely agree, and I propose to quote some extracts 
from the paper in question. 
‘‘Nomenclature was invented to enable people at a distance and 
also when in company to discuss the objects of their mutual study in 
the easiest and shortest manner possible. Now Linnezus, the father of 
our zoological nomenclature, established the categories of genus and 
species, and used the word varietas to denote local or geographical 
race . . .. . but later authors used the word varietas to denote 
both local rage and individual variation, so the bulk of modern zoolo- 
gists have abandoned the use of the word varietas altogether. They 
substitute for it the words susspscies, denoting local or ae at 
race, and ABERRATION denoting an individual variation 
‘‘ As to the desirability of naming local races and individual varia- 
tions, surely the case is its own justification. It is much clearer, much 
shorter and less cumbersome to say Colias fieldi chinensis than. to be 
obliged to put the ‘large Chinese brilliantly coloured race of Colias fieldi,’ 
or the ‘broad banded variety without blue submarginal oe of 
Vanessa antiopa,’ instead of Vanessa antiopa ab. hygeia 
‘¢The rules laid down by the International Commission on No! omen- 
clature are the only possible ones to be followed, viz., each species 
must have a generic and specific name, and a subspecies must be 
treated trinomially by adding the name after the specific name of the 
typical, or rather nymotypical form, while the names of individual 
_ variations should be written after the specific name but preceded by 
AB.” 
I will now proceed to consider the subspecies and aberrations of the 
Hleven spot Lady-Bird (Coccinella 11-punctata L.). 
It may be as well, however, to point out that in any investigation 
such as this paper deals with, it is absolutely necessary to consult all 
the original descriptions oneself : as not only are the references, dates 
and pages often given incorrectly in catalogues, etc., but some authors 
take the liberty to construe the original descriptions to suit themselves, 
adding to some parts of them and disregarding others, which not only 
leads to confusion, but is, moreover, unscientific and inaccurate. 
Jury 157H, 1918. 
