GO THE entomologist's RECORD. 



Lepidoptera with a general inland distribution in Europe but 

 confined to coast habitats in England. 



By T. A. CHAPMAN, M.D., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 

 (Concluded from p. 342.) 



The coast species that depend, then, on the higher coast tempera- 

 ture for some winter-feeding appear to be Thyiuelicim actacon, Sesia 

 chrijsidifonnis, Mditaea cinxia, Caradrina amhii/ua, Hrliothi.t pelthjcra, 

 H. annif/cra, Litlmsia lutarclla var, jn/i/wacnla, possibly also Aiirntia 

 luni(jcra (which is, I think, more probably a truly coast insect, with not 

 quite such southern limitations as Leiirania putresccm), Ai/rotis obelisca, 

 A. niwulans, and Actchia ]irai'vn.v. 



With regard to three of these, viz., ^[. cin.via, T. actacon, and .V. 

 cJiryiiidiformis, another element comes in. They are day-Hying insects, 

 and, as regards M. cin.via and T. actacon, at least, occupy precisely such 

 extra favoured warm nooks as I have above alluded to. It is very 

 probable, therefore, that the clearer skies of the south coast, and the 

 fact that such nooks are often warmer in summer for some days 

 together than any inland station, have more effect in these cases than 

 the mildness of the winter. 



Dianthoccia albiiiiacida is, again, a species that passes the winter as 

 a pupa, and does not perhaps value a mild winter so much as the 

 possession of warm and sheltered quarters in summer ; though, as I 

 have already noted, a mild winter and early spring will favour, though 

 in a less degree, pupa? as well as larva?. 



}[. cin.via is now and probably has always been confined to the 

 south coast, and to such special places as the undercliff at Ventnor. 

 Its Continental distribution extends up to the summer isotherm of 

 the south coast. That of T. actacon does not reach so far north. 



(SV.sm jdiila)ithiforiJiis may be taken as an example of a combination 

 of causes, restricting a species to the coast, though having inland 

 stations on the continent, and extending a little north of the mean south 

 coast isotherm. In Britain it reaches a considerable distance north of 

 this isotherm, and so probably benefits by mild Avinter temperatures. The 

 climatic conditions would, no doubt, however, permit it to occur inland 

 in south Britain, if its food-plant grew at such stations. This is not, 

 however, the case, the plant only occurring inland at such elevations 

 and so far north as to be outside the climatic range of the species. 

 Several Dianthoecias, probably, are governed by similar conditions — 

 1>. liitcaijo, D. cacsia, D. capsopJiila. 



There are a good many species Unit are not confined to tlie abso- 

 lute coast, but yet have, with us, such an extreme southern distribu- 

 tion that the mild winter is certainly an element in enabling them to 

 retain a footing on our shores. Such are Ithafiadoi i/lohulariac, Orrhodia 

 crytJiroccjdiala, Xi/lojiha^ia siihliist)-iK, ('alli))>orpha Iicra, I'jdcpia crihnim, 

 Sec. A large proportion of these hibernate as larva\ 



Those species that do not remain with us, but are immigrants, are 

 still dominated by the same climatic elements, such as An/i/nnis latli- 

 onia, Colias cdiisa, ('. In/alc, Kvercs arf/iades, fMuipidci hoctica, Vcilcphila 

 iialii, &c. Some of these are unable to stand frost, such as ( '. editaa. 

 There are spots on our south coast that escape frost for a year or two, 

 so that I incline to accept it as probable that (.'. ednxa, for instance, 

 does, sometimes, maintain a foothold in England for a season or two 



