144 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



BUTTERFLIES OF THE PALAEARCTIC REGION. 

 Bv Henry Charles Lang, M.D., M.R.C.S., I,.R.C.P. Lond. 



{Contiinied /rout page 115.J 



Genus 2. SEKICINUS Westwood. 

 TV /T EDIUM-sized butterflies, i with whitisln 

 ■'■'-'■ wings, spotted or l^anded with black, h.w. 

 with a crimson blotch and some blue ocelli at an. ang. , 

 and some small red spots parallel with ou. marg. 

 9 dull buff with black and dusky spots and bands 

 extending over most of the wing area, h.w. with a 

 more or less broken sub-marg. band of crimson and 

 some blue spots along ou. marg. In both sexes the 



Sci'iciiius iclamoii. var. ainni-e^isis. 



Upper fig. c5 Lower fig, 9 



h.w. are slightly dentaled and extended into a very 

 long slender tail at the extremity of the median 

 nervule. The antennae are short. 



The larvae feed on Arislolochia and are said to 

 resemble those of Thais, being black with tuberculous 

 hairy projections, and with anterior retractile forks. 



Pupae have a dorsal row of spines. 



This remarkable genus seems to be very closely 

 allied to Thais in all its stales — but the long tails on 

 the hind wings present a very striking character. 



The genus Seiiciniis is confined to China, Corea 

 and the Amur, but it is not represented in Japan. 

 All the Palaearctic forms arc con.sidered by Dr. 



Staudinger to be varieties of Serkiniis Iclaiiioii, a 

 species first described by Donovan in 1798. They 

 are all certainly very closely allied and apparently 

 local forms or seasonal varieties of one species ; and 

 are therefore thus treated here. 



I. S. telamon Donovan. 



52 — 60 mm. 



i pale yellowish white, f.w. apices blackish, two 

 costal spots as commonly seen in this and the allied 

 genera, 3 blackish spots between the apex and the 

 disc-cell, and one on in. marg. towards an. ang. ; 

 h.w. with red spots occupying the same position as 

 those seen in Hyperiuncstra and Parnassius, small and 

 surrounded by black, near an. ang. a patch of bright 

 extending to the upper median nervule and sur- 

 mounting a deep black patch marked with three 

 indistinctly defined lunules of shining blue, the tail 

 shading oft' into black towards the middle, but 

 whitish at the tip. The general pattern of the wings 

 reminds one somewhat of that of the i of Thais 

 cerisyi. 9 yellowish buff with bands and blotches 01 

 black, recalling the pattern of Thais rumina but less 

 defined. H.w. with a narrow sub-marg. band of 

 crimson reaching from costa to an. ang. ; external to 

 this a marg. black band with 3 blue spots towards 

 an. ang. 



Hab., Mongolia and N. China. VI. 



a. var. aiinircnsis Stgr. 54 — 67 mm. Larger than 

 type and with blacker and larger spots in i and the 

 entire pattern in 9 darker and more strongly defined. 

 In all other respects it resembles the type. H.\n., 

 Corea, Amur (Poltk). VI. and VIII. Larva on 

 AiisiolocRia. V. and VIII. 



/). var. koreana Fixsen. 40 — 50 mm. Rathei 

 smaller than type. <5 f.w. with black markings more 

 diffused and spread over a large part of wing area, 

 base black, h.w. with a rather broad sub. marg. black 

 band, black blotch in centre of disc-cell. 9 duskier 

 and less strong!)- marked than in type. II.\K. , Corea. 

 VI. e. and Mil. (Rand H.) 



c. var. Jixscni Stgr. Rather smaller and darker 

 than the foregoing. A variation of ist brood. Hah., 

 Corea, VI. e. 



d. var. ii'Ieniachiis Stgr. 37 — 40 mm. Resembles 

 var. annnxnsis but smaller. 9 has the ground colour 

 clearer yellowish, giving it at first sight very much the 

 appearance of a Thais. The black markings are 

 more defined and separated, and the red band of h.w. 

 narrower. A var. of 1st generation. Hais. , S. Anun-. 

 Corea. VI. 



Genus 3. LUEHDORMA Criig. 

 The single species which constitutes this genus was 

 originally included in the next (Thais), to which it 



