CUPIDO MINIMUS. Ill 



Geognostic influences have a remarkable effect upon it, e.g., all my Alpine specimens 

 have the hindwings more rounded off. and wider than those from the Jura. In the 

 Yalais, a much larger form of the butterfly appears, which is also characterised by 

 the strong blue scaling at the base of the upperside of the wings = alsoides, Andevegg 

 (Meyer- Diir). 



The name is generally referred to Ancleregg, but we are quite unable 

 to trace any description to this entomologist, and it was presumably a 

 MS. name under which Ancleregg distributed the species. Boisduval 

 simply says "var. ? alsoides, Andgg., Valesia." Meyer-Diir appears 

 first to have diagnosed it, and then Gerhard noted, in 1853, that 

 alsoides, Andgg., was an interesting variety of alsus, discovered by 

 Anderegg, at Gamsen, described by Boisduval, and chiefly distinguished 

 by its size. His figures (pi. xiii., figs. 3a-c) are especially unsatisfactory, 

 the blue being of an almost impossible shade in this species, and the 

 so-called $ more strongly blue-coloured than the so-called $ . Riihl 

 mentions it as " a very large form, with strong blue scaling at the 

 wing bases on the upperside," whilst Wheeler describes it as "showing 

 a still further increase of size without more blue (than var. montana) 

 in the $ , 26mm. and above, found in the highest alps, e.g., the 

 Simplon Pass, Pierre-a-voir-sur-Saxon, Glacier de Trient (Favre), 

 Laquinthal (Ratzer), Murren, August 2nd," etc. (Wheeler). His 

 statement that the form is " without more blue in the $ ," and the 

 fixing of a definite minimum size, are not in accordance with Meyer - 

 Dvir's description. Favre gives a more correct diagnosis, " much 

 larger, with the disc of the wings bluish." Wheeler elsewhere (Ent. 

 Record, xi., p. 314) notes that splendid examples of this aberration 

 occur near the sixth refuge on the Simplon Pass, above Berisal ; and 

 (Ent. Eec, xvi., p. 13) that he found it, on July 13th, 1903, in the 

 Laquinthal of large size, the largest measuring 29mm. Rehfous notes 

 (in I'M.) that the individuals he has captured in the Laquinthal have 

 had a mean wing-expanse of 25mm. (the smallest individual 21mm., 

 the largest 27mm.). Zeller observes (Stett. Ent. Zt<j., 1877, pp. 293-4) 

 that what Meyer-Diir says of the variation in the size of this species, 

 and in the bluish dusting of the wings, applies also to the examples 

 taken at Bergiin ; tw T o $ s taken there are as large as the smallest 

 semiargus. Sheldon records this form from Digne, May 2nd and 3rd, 

 1905, and Low r e, above Santa-Maria, near Susa, June 16th-21st, 1902. 

 [Glased erroneously referred the little ab. minutus to the var. alsoides 

 of Anderegg and Gerhard. Piffard, an English collector, recorded 

 [Ent. Bee, xiv., 288) some quite ordinary specimens from Lymington, 

 under this name, and later offered them for sale. The specimens were 

 certainly not the alpine form.] 



d. var. montana, Favre, " Lep. Yalais," p. 23 (1899); Wheeler, "Butts. 

 Switz.," p. 24 (1903). Alsoides, Staud., " Cat.," 3rd ed., p. 89 (1901).— Montana, 

 Prey, j and ? larger, strongly grey-green, with the spots on the underside often 

 larger. On the roads, in the pasturages of the alpine region, on the Simplon 

 (Favre) . 



Favre referred (Macro-Lep. du Yalais, p. 23) this name to Frey, 

 but the latter certainly never described a form of minimus as montana. 

 He wrote (Lep. ScJuceiz, p. 21) in his description of alsus: " Common 

 in the Alps, appearing first at considerable heights, in July and 

 August. One finds here, not rarely, single unusually large specimens 

 thickly dusted with blue." This no doubt refers to alsoides, which 

 Favre also mentions. One suspects, therefore, as the name alsoides 



