38 



RHODOSTROPHIA. By L. B. Prout. 



iaeniaria. and Southern Central Europe and Syria ; ? Armenia. • — ab. taeniaria Frr., originally described from a $ 

 from Ragusa ( ? Dalmatia), is a pale yellow form -with the markings grey instead of rosy. If it came from 

 Ragusa m Sicily, the name will have to be transferred to sicanaria; the specimen was furnished by a Laibach 



separata, entomologist. — ab. separata Th.-Mieg is a not very important aberration, of rather frequent occurrence 

 (at least in France and Spain), in which the postmedian band is broken up into two lines, the iiaterspace remain- 



unilinea. ing of the gromid -colour. ■ — ab. unilinea ab. nov., is a further and much rarer development in which the 



outer line of ab. separata is obsolete, OT)ly a few rosy scales being discernible beyond the middle line; antemedian 



line of forewuig also faint, distal margms and frmges scarcely rosy. Casayo and Canales, Spain, in coll. L. B. 



sanguinea. Peotjt. — In ab. sangulnea Th.-Mieg, on the other hand, the rosy colouring suffuses the whole of the wings, 



sometimes so completely as almost entirely to obliterate the markings. Eastern Pyrenees, M-ith the type-form. 



muscosa. — muscosa Bastelb., founded on 3 (J and 1 $ from Kreuznach, and considered by its author to be a distinct 

 local race, is apparently similar to ab. taeniaria Frr., but is described as yellowish grey tinged with moss-green, 

 the markings and fringes dirty moss-green, the outer band rather narrower than usual, a small discal spot 

 present on forewing. Some Andalusian specimens before me approach this form, but are less extreme and in- 

 cline, in the formation of the outer band, to ab. sefarata. It may be here remarked that the Spanish forms 

 are very often somewhat duller, and mth larger discal spot, than those from more easterly localities, but they 

 vary greatly, without producing any local race; I even have one specimen from Bejar, and Staudikgee, Ribbe 

 and Cheistoph record others from Northern and Southern Spain and Transcaucasia respectively, which, in the 

 presence of a conspicuous discal spot on the hmdMoirg, would be referable to the next-mentioned form. — 

 tabidarki. tabidaria Zell. (2 k). We have already stated that this form may possibly be entitled to specific rank. If so, the 

 aberration occmTing among the type form in Spam and m Transcaucasia will no doubt prove to owe its likeness 

 to tabidaria merely to convergence. The true tabidaria, in addition to having a large discal spot present on 

 each whig, has the band usually a httle broader than in calabra calabra, its edges often more denticidate, and the 

 basal area of the forewmg more suffused with rosy. Perhaps the distal area of both wmgs is also on the average 

 more broadly suffused, but both forms are variable m this respect. According to Zellee the hair-pencil ui 

 tabidaria is a little shorter than in the name-type, as is also the median spur. I have only in part verified 

 these observations, while Guenee's statement that the $ lacks one of the median sjjurs is certamly erroneoiis. 

 The form occurs m Southern Hungary, the Balkan Penmsula, Asia llinor, Cyprus and Syria. The only speci- 

 mens which I have seen from Crete seem to indicate a subordmate race, rather smaller, the band even broader 

 and separated into two distinct lines, as in calabra ab. separata; they bear a curious resemblance to inconspicua 

 Butl., though much larger. As, however, they are not in quite perfect condition, and I have not the (J, I 

 forbear to name the form. 



axcanunu. 



R. sicanaria is confusmgly similar to the lighter forms of the preceding species, without discal spots, 

 but can be easily separated hy the hindtibia of the q. This is slender, -without hair-pencil, the median spur 

 not club-shaped and not abnormally approximated to the termmal spurs, the second median spur also some- 

 times present. In general the yellow ground-colour is less olivaceous than in calabra, the hindwmg in particular 

 of a clearer or brighter yellow, the transverse band of this whig seldom, if ever, complete, usually only conspicuous 

 in (approximately) the inuer-margmal half. — sicanaria Zell. (2 k). The form origmally described by Zeller, 

 with only three spurs on the huidtibia, occurs in Sicily, and has the forewing, as a rule, as strongly and brightly 

 marked as that of calabra. I have, however, seen one ^ from S_>Tacuse resembling the form quadricalcarata in 

 colour, while Staudinger records one sport with a fourth spur present on the left huidtibia and Guenee's 

 sole Palermo ^ had also both the median spurs — whether on both hindlegs is not stated. Thus the races of 

 this species have apparently not yet become quite sharply differentiated, though tending in that direction and 

 probably even towards species-formation. '. I have unfortimately not seen the North African form which 

 Staudinger refers here, but Herr PIIngeler writes me that his 3 Algerian ^^ have both median spurs, thus 



perezaria. referable to quadricalcarata. — perezaria Ob. was founded on a smgle aberrant $ from Carthagena and has 

 been determined by Staudinger as an aberration of sicanaria. As we have no proof that he is incorrect, I am 

 placing it here provisionally; but the locality raises a suspicion that it should rather belong to quadricalcarata, 

 or else to calabra. The forewing is uniformly dusted with rosy above, obliteratmg the markings, as in extreme 

 forms of calabra ab. sanguinea; the hmdwing above is yellow, ^vithout the band, the anal area broadly dusted. 

 Beneath the conditions are nearly reversed, the forewuig being yellow, only dusted at the costal and distal 

 margins and in the apical area, the hindwrng dusted all over except a narrow inner-marghial area. The size 

 is rather small for calabra, and this circumstance, together with the unmarked yellow hindwing above and fore- 



qxuiilricui- wing beneath, brings it rather near one or two of the examples of undoubted quadricalcarata. — quadricalcarata 

 carala. subsp. 1WV. (5 c). Scarcely distmguishable from certain aberrations of sicanaria sicanaria except in the presence 

 of both the median spurs on the hindtibia of the ^. The rose-coloured markings rather weak, the antemedian 

 line not distinctly defined, accompanied by rosy suffusion reaching to the base, the postmedian band not 

 perceptibly curved, not narrowing at the inner margin of hindwing. Hindwing lighter yellowish than in typical 

 sicanaria. ' Underside of forewing with postmedian line greyish, only markedly rosy from costal margin to first 



