EVERES ARGIADES. 61 



streak in the second row of spots ; above with all the wings (a) blue in the 

 <T fig. 3 ; (j8) blue-tinted on black, ¥ , figs. 4, 5." ::: ' A many-eyed species 

 with a reddish-yellow mark on the underside of the hindwings. The underside 

 pale, with two ai - cuate rows of black spots. On the upperside, the marginal spots 

 of the ? hindwings are encircled with blue. The Vienna entomologists call this 

 species amyntas, but, as Fabricius has already named an entirely different species 

 amyntas, 1 have renamed it polysperehon to avoid mistake (Bergstrasser). f 



It has been generally assumed for a long time past, that all the 

 specimens of the spring brood of this species were referable to poly- 

 sperehon, Bergstr., but, though the spring examples show general 

 racial characteristics, only a very small proportion are quite of the 

 extreme 2 form figured under this name by Bergstrasser (fig. 5). As 

 already noted (supra), whilst many of the 2 s of the spring brood are 

 plentifully sprinkled with blue scales, others have little or no trace 

 thereof, and have one or more fulvous crescents above the tail of the 

 hindwing. ■ The application of Bergstrasser's name to the vernal brood 

 as a whole was made by Borkhausen, Ochsenheimer, Zeller, Staudin- 

 ger, etc., the latter of whom, in his Catalog, ed. 2, p. 9, notes : " var. 

 gen. 1, polysperehon, Bergstr., ' Nom.,' pi. xliv., figs. 3-5 ; Ochs., i., pt* 

 2, p. 61 ; minor." That the size definition alone has been often 

 accepted may be judged from the fact that so good an entomologist as. 

 Aigner states that polysperehon is found in the 3rd, as well as the 1st, 

 generation (expanse 20mm. -26mm.) in Hungary, and that " the ? 

 frequently has the disc dusted, and sometimes strongly tinted, with 

 blue," making it clear that he included all small examples under this 

 name. Nor are these small examples elsewhere confined to the vernal 

 emergence, e.g., very small specimens are to be taken at Gresy-sur-Aix 

 in August, with others of typical size (Tutt), whilst at Glanon-sur- 

 Saone, also, with the large typical form one finds examples of small 

 size, $ s 19mm. -23mm., 2 s 18mm. -24mm., particularly during the 

 second fortnight of August (Rehfous) ; near Geneva, one sometimes 

 finds, flying with the ordinary form, $• s and ? s approaching poly- 

 sperehon in size, among others a 2 > taken August 29th, 23mm. in 

 expanse, sprinkled with violet-blue ; others, taken September 7th, 1907, 

 near Geneva, are of small size, and some of the 2 s are powdered with 

 blue, possibly a third generation (Reverdin), whilst at Crassier, at the 

 foot of the Jura, with many of normal size, others were taken, on 

 August 27th, of small size and sprinkled with blue (de Loriol). Ober- 

 thiir's notes on the vernalis brood have already been quoted (antea, p» 

 60). We strongly suspect, however, that most of the specimens 

 referred to polysperehon, Bergstr.,. by various authors, have been so 

 referred, on account of their small size, coupled in most instances with 

 Ochsenheimer's and Staudinger's indication that it belongs to the 



*" Bergstrasser's fig. 4 is, from the piece of upperside shown, undoubtedly a 6 . 

 f Of the above authors, Bergstrasser, Ernst and Engramelle, Ochsenheimer, 

 Hiibner (Verz.), Menetries, and Eversmann treat this form as a separate species. 

 Boisduval (Eur. Lep. Ind., p. 11) brackets it with tiresias, 1Tb., as a synonym, adding 

 to the latter name " absqiie maculis fulvis " (i.e., aleetas). Hiibner's figures, pi. 6 5, 

 figs. 319-321, are certainly a small form of aleetas, Hffmg. (see antea, p. 45), as is also 

 the polysperehon of Berce (Faun. Fr., i., p. 133) and of Lambillion (Pap. Belg., 

 p. 219). Meigen (Sys. Besch., ii., p. 15) must also be undrstood to refer to small 

 specimens of aleetas, as he gives a reference to Esp., i., pi. xlix., fig. 2, which 

 certainly represents that species ; his figures, pi. xliv., figs. Qa-b, are said to be 

 copied from Esper but are without any " tail." The references in Speyer (Geog. 

 Verb., i., p. 250) and Leech (Butts, of China, ii., p. 329) are doubtful (Wheeler). 



