74 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



NEW EXPERIMENTS ON THE SEASONAL DIMORPHISM 

 OF LEPIDOPTERA. 



By Dr. August Weismann. 



(Translated from the German by W. E. Nicholson, F.E.S.) 



(Continued from p. 39.) 



E. Details of the Markings ofphloeas, independent of Climate. 



1. The blue spots. — It has long been known, that many 

 specimens of phlocas have bright bine spots on the outer margin 

 of the upper side of the hind wings with the females, indeed, as 

 well as with the males. As many as four can be present, but 

 often one or the other of the spots is only indicated by some 

 scattered blue scales, frequently only by a single one, and not 

 infrequently no trace of the spots is to be seen at all. 



Now, if specimens from the south are compared with those 

 from the north, it turns out that well-developed spots occur in 

 individuals everywhere, that indications of them are frequent 

 everywhere, but that no correspondence exists between the 

 climate and the degree of perfection of the blue spots. Some 

 cases are here given by way of illustration. 



A. The following specimens in my collection exhibit 3-5 well- 

 developed blue spots : — 



1 specimen from Lapland. 



1 „ ,, Sardinia, spring brood. 



1 ,, ,, Corsica, summer brood. 



1 ,, ,, Lindau, summer brood. 

 3 specimens ,, Japan, summer brood. 

 8 ,, ,, Japan, spring brood. 



2 ,, ,, Naples, reared at Freiburg at a 



room temperature. 



3 ,, of pupae developed at 7-10° C. 



B. Slight indications of the spots, i.e. they exhibit blue 

 scales in lesser number and more or less scattered : — 



1 specimen from Lapland. 



3 specimens ,, Sardinia, spring brood. 



10 „ ,, Genoa, summer brood. 



3 ,, ,, Greece, summer brood. 



2 ,, ,, Berlin. 



4 ,, ,, Lindau. 



12 „ „ Leipzig, pupae at 27-31° C. 



28 ,, ,, Japan, summer brood. 



14 ,, ,, Japan, spring brood. 



14 „ ,, Naples, reared at Naples, summer brood. 



23 ,, ,, Naples, reared at Freiburg at room 



temperature. 



6 „ ,, Naples, pupae developed at 7-10° C. 



