24 



Notes on some South European Lepidoptera, with 

 remarks on Thais and Euchloe. 



By A. H. Jones, F.E.S. Read May \2th, 1898. 



You are all no doubt well acquainted with the limits and extent 

 of the Mediterranean flora. That it spreads all along the Riviera — 

 up the valley of the Rhone — to a spot a little north of Avignon, 

 along the coast of Spain to Gibraltar, and the African coast to 

 Tangiers, including the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Within 

 this area we find similar lepidopterous life, the butterflies found 

 on the African coast and the south of Spain having a close affinity 

 to those occurring on the Riviera, the difference often being merely 

 a question of size, as in Charaxes jasius, and of colour, as in Thais 

 ruinitia, and var. medesicaste. 



I will refer firstly to the Riviera and its surroundings, and then to 

 the adjoining mountains — the Maritime Alps and the Basses Alps. 



The entomologist who is familiar with the profusion of butterfly 

 life in the Swiss Alps will be disappointed on his first arrival in the 

 Riviera if his object be to obtain a number of specimens. He will 

 not find as he wanders among the olive trees — be the day ever so 

 fine — much beyond a few white butterflies and an occasional 

 Geometer. The localities have to be found out, the attractive flowers 

 discovered, before he will meet with the butterflies which he has 

 come so far to capture. 



When stopping at Beaulieu, near Nice, in May a few years ago, 

 I spent several days, working most diligently with but very poor 

 results, when at last I discovered a ravine with a profusion of flowers ; 

 and in this locality, of very limited extent, I found butterflies and 

 day-flying Geometers in abundance. One of the best localities of 

 this description on the Riviera is probably at Carqueyranne, a few 

 miles south of Hyeres ; it is of some extent, spreading over many 

 acres, and is an ideal spot for the collector. 



It is in this locality only that I have seen an abundance of butterfly 

 life on the Riviera. That beautiful species, Euchloe eiiphenoides, is 

 quite plentiful, accompanied by an occasional E. cardai/iities ; 

 Goiiopteryx cleopat7-a is, of course, common ; Limenitis cauiilla is 

 sometimes seen, and numberless "blues" and "skippers" are found 

 among the wild thyme in the open places. 



The road from Hyeres to Carqueyranne aff"ords very good collect- 

 ing. It leads through extensive woods of fir and arbutus, which on a 

 hot day give forth a most delicious perfume. In these w^oods during 

 May little is to be seen beyond Gonopteryx cleopatra, but on reaching 



