SCIEXCE- GOSSIP. 



marginal borders are unspotted in the $ , they are 

 invariably more or less maculate in the other - s 

 and greatly approximate to the species of the 

 group which has the borders spotted in both sexes. 

 Indeed they are in many cases almost indis- 

 tinguishable from them in the white varie- 



There is a third character which has been made 

 use of by some lepidopterologists for tbe establish- 

 ment of a new genus, and that is the presence in 

 certain species of an ovate patch of scales on the 

 costal nervure of the h.w. in the male on the upper 

 - ^ce. This structure is certainly remarkable. 

 It appears to be formed by a group of altered 

 wing scales of a smaller size than those of the rest 

 of the wing and often differing from them in 

 oolour. This was described by Boisduval (Gen. et 

 Inrl— Meth.), and called by him a "glandular 

 saccule." I hare noticed this sexual structure in 

 *' The Butterflies of Europe,'' p. 60, and fully recog- 

 nise its importance, but consider it too secondary 

 a character upon which to found a genus : as, for 

 instance, Mr. Watson has done, under the name 

 of Eriocolias. It is a useful character, however, 

 in the grouping of the genus, and is so used by 

 Mr. Elwes in his additional notes on the genus 

 CoUaz (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1884, Xo. 1). 



This genus Colias has for the most part some- 

 what the same geographical distribution as the 

 genus Parnasgius i but. unlike it, it extends into 

 South America. South Africa, etc. : C. eduga being 

 very widely distributed and extending into Syria, 

 the Azores, the Canaries and Xorth Africa. C. 

 electra is exclusively South African, replacing 

 iusa in the Taal River Colony, Xatal, and the 

 Cape. Temperate South America also furnishes 

 several species. Central and Western Asia pc s - 

 the greatest number of the Palaearctic species, 

 though many are found in Europe. 



The Xearctic species are very numerous, and 

 mostly resemble very much those of the Palaearctic 

 region. It is probable that many of the Xorth 

 American so-called species are nothing else than 

 local forms of species that occur in Europe and 

 Asia. The genus Colia* extends very much further 

 north than Parnat&im ; indeed it has been found 

 represented in the Polar regions almost as far as 

 any expedition has penetrated. C. Jiecla has been 

 taken between 78° and 83° X. lat. 



The larvae of Colia* are mostly, if not alwavs. 

 green in colour, with lighter lateral stripes. Thev 

 are cylindrical in shape, but slightly taperiiu- a: 

 the extremities, covered with a slight pubescence. 

 They feed on various species of Leguminosae. 



The pupae are straight and pointed anteriorlv. 



I will here endeavour to group the Palaearctic 

 species, and to give a general view of their 

 coloration. 



Group I. Female only spotted on the marginal 

 border of f.w. 



a. Having a patch of thick scales at the base of 

 upper side hind wing in male. 



C. rtiikatti and vars. Colour varying from green- 

 ish to bright orange, 

 marginal border often 

 very wide. 



edum Orange yellow, sometimes 



shot with violet. 



field.'- • . . Orange-yellow, but browner. 



aurorina Orange shot with violet. 



v. libaiudiea. Orange, powdered with 

 black, shot with violet. 



Jteldreielrii . . Orange,butdarker,strongly 

 shot with violet. 



dAva . . . Orange, strongly shot with 

 : "jlet. 



aurora . . . Bright orange, shot with 

 violet. 



olga . . . Brilliant orange, shot with 



violet. 



myrmidone . . Bright orange, sometimes 

 shot with violet 



h. Without basal patch of scales on the h.w. in 

 male. 



a ir\ . . . Orange. 

 romanom . . Bright orange, shot with 



vi>: I I 

 staudingeri . . Bright orange, shot with 



violet). 

 regia . . . Tery deep orange, almost 



red. shot with violet. 

 eogene and vars. . Deep orange, shot with 



violet, varying to yellow- 

 ish. 

 nluiemii . . Orange-yellow. 

 Jiecla and vars. . Orange, shot with violet. 

 eliryictheme . . Light yellowish-orange. 

 marco-jpolo . . S greenish-yellow, $ light 



orange. 

 palaeno and vars. Greenish-yellow, varying 



to greenish-white. 

 antltyale . . Greenish-yellow, varying 



- : h'-z'.-j " ■'..;--: 

 eraie and vars. . Light yellow, varying to 



light orange. 



Group n. Both sexes spotted on border of 

 f .w. :— 



C. christophi . . Yellowish-brown. 



enchoffi . . Golden yellow. 

 mgartia . . Varying from bluish-green 



( J) to nearly white ( ? ). 

 _ . From light yellow to nearly 



white. 

 sifamea . . Greenish-white to nearly 



pure white. 

 liyale . . . Sulphur-yellow to nearly 



white. 

 alpkerdki . . Greenish-white. 

 i -am . . From pale yellow to 

 _ rri:-L-~ :.::- 

 os . . . Greenish-white. 

 phicomone . . Dusky greenish-yellow to 

 nearlv white. 



