34 MR. H. J. ELWES ON THE GKNUS PARNASSIUS. [Jan. 19, 



This species was discovered by Radde in Amurland, where it 

 seems common in many places from the middle of May till the 

 beginning of July. Christoph discovered the larva on a slope above 

 a swampy valley near Raddefskaia, but gives no details as to its 

 food plant, or the habits of the insect. Its range extends from the 

 Upper Amur to the Ussuri, but not apparently to the coast ; and 

 as far as I can learn, it is an inhabitant of mountains as well as of 

 low-lying wooded districts. 



The form described by Honrath as var. c/raeseri has red spots on 

 the fore wing beyond the cell, which are rarely found in the typical 

 bremeri: this form appears to be common, and is perhaps the pre- 

 valent one near Pochrofka in the Jablotschnoi Gora (Apfelgebirge) 

 in Transbaikalia, near the watershed of the Amvir region, at about 

 4500 feet elevation. Unless, however, it is proved to be constant 

 and pecuHar to this locality, I do not see any reason for separating it. 



P. APOLLONIUS. 



Parnassius apollonius, Eversm. Bull. Mosc. 1847, iii. p. 71, t. iii. 

 figs. 1, 2; Alph. Lep. Kuldja, 1881, p. 20. 



This distinct species was only known from Eversmann's descrip- 

 tion and figure in the Bulletin of the Moscow Academy for 1 84 7, until 

 quite recently, when it has been taken in large numbers by Alphe- 

 raky at Sibo, near Kuldja, and by Haberhauer in Ferghana. 

 According to Alpheraky's account, it is an inhabitant of saline 

 steppes about 2000 feet above sea-level, and flies at the end of 

 March and beginning of April, laying its eggs on a species of Salsola 

 which is abundant here, and which is probably the food-plant of the 

 larva. Eversmann, however, says that it flies in the mountains of 

 Soongaria in June ; and Erschoff says that it was taken by Fedt- 

 scbenko's expedition between 8000 and 12,000 feet in July. These 

 statements appear almost irreconcilable (c/. Alpheraky, I.e. p. 21); 

 and if the latter is correct, the vertical range of this species is greater 

 than that of any other Parnassius. Grumm-Grsbimailo found it 

 near Woadjili, south of Oscli, at the beginning of June, but gives 

 no particulars of its habits, save that the locality is bare, rocky, and 

 very ^ hot ; it is about 3000 feet above the sea, according to the 

 Russian Staff-map of Turkestan. The same explorer found it after- 

 wards near Karamuk, in the north-east corner of Karategin, at about 

 7500 feet. Alpheraky further states that whereas the fringe of the 

 wings in Kiddja specimens is alternately white and black, it is, in 

 those from Ferghana, almost entirely white ; but in nine specimens 

 in my collection, of which four are from Kuldja, four from Margilan, 

 and one from Samarcand, I do not find this remark confirmed, as 

 the fringes are more or less marked with black in all the examples. 

 The antennae of this species are deep black, the hairs of the neck, 

 thorax, and abdomen white. The number and size of the red spots 

 vary as in other species. The pouch is of the same form, but 

 perhaps rather larger than in P. apollo, black in colour, and 

 somewhat prominent as in P noinion. 



