LACHNEIS LANESTRIS. 505 



/3. var. aavasaksae, Teich, " Stett. Ent. Zeit.," xlii., p. 187 (1881) ; xliii., p. 214 

 (1882) ; Lampa, "Ent. Tids.," vi., p. 41 (1885) ; Keut., " Medd. F.F.Fenn.," pp. 48-54 

 (1890) ; "Act. Soc. F.F.Fenn.," ix., p. 29 (1893).— In Aavasaksa (within the Polar 

 circle in Eussian Lapland) I found a nest of larvae which reminded me of those of 

 L. lanestris. On June 19th, 1879, they were still very small, blackish-grey, weakly 

 haired, and ate the leaves of a dwarf species of sallow. After the first moult the 

 conspicuous red-brown spots of L. lanestris were indistinctly surrounded with yellow, 

 and on July 4th they moulted the last time. The ground-colour was then blackish-blue, 

 the legs black, prolegs and claspers reddish ; the lateral line and spiracles bright 

 sulphur-yellow, almost golden-yellow ; the hairs on the sides whitish, whilst on each 

 segment, as in L. lanestris, were two spots with reddish-brown hairs, but these 

 were edged by fine yellow squares not entirely closed ; the inner edges of the squares 

 right and left formed the double dorsal line, and the squares were connected with 

 one another by yellow streaks parallel with the lateral line; the head was also 

 marked with a yellow longitudinal line. The larvae were full-fed July 17th, were 

 2-3 inches long, pupated, like L. lanestris, in oval, brown cocoons, amongst leaves 

 and in moss. Kept in a warm room the moths were expected in the spring of 1880, but 

 none emerged, yet the pupae were all healthy with the exception of a few whose larvae 

 had spun their cocoons together in a "lumpy" mass and had perished. But on Decem- 

 ber 26th, 1880, four imagines emerged, one of which was crippled. Different as the 

 larvae were from those of L. lanestris, the moths show very little difference ; they are 

 more grey (as also are the body -hairs) which is a small matter in insects of northern 

 origin. The curved stripe on all the wings is less sharply defined than in L. lanestris, 

 only marked more distinctly by white dots on the nervures. The outer margin is 

 (also on the hindwings) whitish-grey, especially in the j , and the fringes are (in 

 the ? also on the hindwings) white-dotted. The costa of the forewings is, how- 

 ever, white — a character that I have never found in L. lanestris — and is especially 

 strongly marked from the costal spot onwards. I am inclined, however, to look 

 upon the insect as a var. of L. lanestris, and would propose for it the name of 

 aavasaksae (Teich). Submitting these to Staudinger, they were referred hy him to 

 L. lanestris. Teich further notes emergences from these pupae in January, 1881, 

 others in the middle of the summer, and yet others that were still (1882) lying over. 

 Distribution. — Sweden : Jamtland (Aurivillius). Norway : Eomsdalen Amt 

 (Schoyen). Finland; Osterbotten (Lampa). Edssia: Aavasaksa (Teich). 



7. var. grisea, n. ab. = var. (et ab.) borealis, Carad., " Iris," viii., p. 91 

 (1895). — An entirely dark grey, sharply-marked form of the male occurs as a rare 

 aberration in Hungary. In Lapland and Siberia it would appear that this is the 

 normal colour and it would be well to separate this dark grey form from the type as 

 var. (et ab.) borealis (Caradja). 



The northern grey form of the species had already been named 

 aavasaksae by Teich, who notes it as having the white marks less 

 sharply defined, and also notices the white costa, characters not 

 mentioned by Caradja. If, as we suspect, the sharply-marked grey 

 Hungarian form is distinct from the Siberian and Lapland aavasaksae 

 which is " less sharply marked," Caradja's name borealis is an 

 unfortunate title, which must of necessity sink as synonymous with 

 aavasaksae (described from Lapland examples), whilst the " sharply- 

 marked, entirely dark grey, Hungarian form" might be termed var. 

 grisea. Staudinger describes this Hungarian form as " even more 

 strikingly grey than the Amurland var. senecta" (see posted) . 



0. var. scnccta, Graes., "Berl. Ent. Zeit.," xxxii.,p. 126(1888); Staud., "Bom. 

 Mem.," vi., p. 314 (1892).— A nest of larvae found at Chabarowka on Pyrns fed up 

 readily on " Vogelbeeren " at Nicola jefsk. The larvae were similar to the southern 

 form found at Vienna. The greater part of the pupae hybernated two winters. 

 The moths are not so reddish-brown as European specimens but have a more slaty- 

 grey colour, plentifully varied with white, and thereby they have a very strikingly 

 different appearance from that of European specimens. This local Amurland form 

 I name scnccta (Graeser). 



Staudinger writes [Rom. Mem., vi., p. 314) that Domes sent a $ 

 from Bikin, with the reddish-brown tint of the typical German 

 examples, and from Ussuri two males with slaty-grey forewings more 



