CUPIDO MINIMUS. 109 



The underside of both wings is of a lighter grey, with a stronger admixture of blue 

 towards the base, and the outer margin has white fringes, whilst, in the other 

 (minimus), they are unicolorous with those of the forewing.* In the centre of each 

 wing is a single black, white-ringed eye-spot, somewhat long in shape ; at the hind 

 margin is a row of very small eye-spots, without pupils, running parallel with it, 

 five on each wing, in close proximity to one another. P. minimus has several, 

 forming a row in a more sloping direction ; it has also two at the base, which, in 

 the present insect, are wholly wanting. This would be a sufficient distinction in 

 creatures so small and so closely related. This butterfly was found two years ago 

 in the neighbourhood of Turnau, in the month of August; one single example only. 

 A much valued friend, Herr Hoffmann, the artist, had himself discovered it, and 

 communicated the information to me as a welcome contribution, together with 

 other important observations. The butterfly is in excellent preservation, and 

 remains in his possession as an unique rarity (Esper). 



Our own note on this form reads: In spite of Esper's description 

 of the fringe of the forewings being latticed with black and white, his 

 figure appears to be a very small example, measuring 13 mm., of 

 Cupido minimus. At any rate it is quite aberrative in its fringe- 

 structure and the name cannot stand for small specimens of normal 

 appearance. 



/3. ab. pallida, Tutt, "Brit. Butts.," p. 161 (1896) ; Wheeler, " Butts. Switz.," 

 p. 24 (1903). — A rare aberration of the i , in which the ground colour is of a pale 

 grey tint (Tutt). 



The type of this form came from the South Foreland, in Kent, but it is 

 distributed, though rare, forBlachier (in lift.) informs us of a J with grey 

 upperside, taken on the Saleve, in May, 1890. We have a note that a 

 large, pale, and very grey $ from theKentei mts., captured by Domes, 

 is in the Brit. Mus. coll. 



y. ab. obsoleta, Tutt, "Brit. Butts.," p. 161 (1896); Wheeler, "Butts. 

 Switzd.," p. 24 (1903); Grund, "Int. Zeits. Gub.," p. 87 (1908). Simplex, Aign.- 

 Abafi, " Rovart. Lapok," vii., p. 144 (1900). — An underside aberration with the 

 spots almost or quite obsolete (Tutt). 



Aigner-Abafi gives almost the same description as ourselves, viz., 

 "beneath with only 2, 3, or no eyespots at all." We have already 

 isolated the absolutely spotless form, (except for the discoidal spots) as 

 ab. extrema (antea, p. 108), and retain the name obsoleta for the 

 variable examples with most of the spots obsolete. Dahlstrom 

 describes the species as very variable as regards the number of spots at 

 Eperjes, and adds that he has taken examples which exhibit on the 

 underside only 2 or 3 or even no ocellated spots at all. Leonhardt 

 refers a $ specimen to obsoleta, Tutt, and describes (Ent. Zeits., xviii., 

 p. 54) it as having all the spots of the median row absent on the under- 

 side of the hindwings, whilst of the basal spots only that in cell 

 Il^IIg of the right forewing is present. On the forewings the spots 

 in cell II 5 -III, and Hl^-IHg are absent. The specimen was taken at 

 the Castle of Dorneck near Dornach (Canton Solothurn) on May 14th, 

 1904. Reverdin states (in litt.) that of 80 specimens of this species in 

 his collection three only have the spots fewer than the normal number, 

 viz., (1) J . Taken in the Laquinthal, August 3rd, 1903 : Right fore- 

 wing — spot 1 wanting. Left forewing — spots 1 and 2 wanting. 

 Right hindwing — spots 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 lacking. Left hindwing — 

 spots 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 lacking. The basal spots absent on both 

 sides. (2). $. Taken in the Laquinthal, July 10th, 1907 : Right 



* This is obscure, the forewing being apparently contrasted with the upperside; 

 in the plate the forewing has chequered, the hindwing whitish, fringes on both 

 sides. 



