100 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



NOTES ON COLIAS CROCEUS, FOURC. (EDUSA, F.) 



IN MESOPOTAMIA AND NOKTH-WEST PEESIA, 



1918-1921. 



By Lt.-Col. H. D. Peile, I.M.S. 



I have been much interested in reading Mr. Rowland-Brown's 

 paper on Colias croceus in the ' Entomologist ' for June (etc.), 

 192.1. I tried while in Mesopotamia in 1918-21 to get a good 

 series of this species, besides others, and when in England 

 selected some for setting, and of these Capt. Biley took 150 for 

 the National Collection. On seeing Mr. Rowland-Brown's article 

 I thought readers of the ' Entomologist ' might be interested in 

 this series of croceus, such as I was able to capture, and that the 

 rough notes taken from my field note-book might also be of some 

 interest as giving some idea of the appearance of the different 

 broods, and proportion of white to yellow females seen and taken 

 by me. There was much variation among captures on one and 

 the same day at the same spot. 



It has always seemed curious to me that although a white 

 form of the female occurs so often among the species of Colias, 

 and this form of the female is so common in Mesopotamia, I 

 have never, so far as I know — and I have collected in India since 

 1908 — come across a white female of Croceus fieldii, Men. ; and I 

 doubt, therefore, the accuracy of Leech's statement in his 

 ' Butterflies of China, Korea and Japan,' that he took a white 

 female of this in Kashmir. 



Colias croceus in Mesopotamia and North-west Persia. 

 1918: 



May 23. — (Amara.) Very common. 

 „ 24. — (Amara.) One large white $ h.w. all grey, with white 

 centred discdl. spot ; f.w. grey at basal third. 

 Also a small white female quite different from the 

 above large specn. taken a few minutes before at 

 the same spot. 

 June 9.— (L. bk. Pi. Dyala at Jebel Hamrin.) $ recognised as 

 brighter orange than usual on the wing, and 

 having white centre to blk. d. spot present though 

 smaller than in fieldii (of India). 

 ,, 15. — White $ and J 1 orange yellow above and without 



white centre to f.w. discdl. spot beneath. 

 „ 18.— White $ taken. 

 ,, 19- — White 9 taken, small and damaged. 

 „ 22. — Larger taken. 

 July 3. — Pair taken in cop. $ orange-yellow without any 

 white centre to discdl. spot, $ white similar to 

 other white females captured here. 



