194 BKITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



the forewings, as well as on the hind wings, faintly scattered blue streaks. 

 . . . . Mann took aegon in July, near Brussa, not rarely." This 

 race is very fairly represented in the British Museum coll., and the 

 examples quite contradict Oberthtir's conclusions (Etudes, xx., p. 27) 

 that "Staudinger is mistaken in referring bella (from Brussa) to aegon," 

 and that " it should be referred to argyrognomon." On this point 

 "Wheeler writes [in litt.): " Oberthur's reference of this form to argus 

 (argyrognomon) (Etudes, xx., p. 27), with the observation that 

 Staudinger is mistaken in referring it to aegon, as he has received 

 specimens from Asia Minor which belong to the former species, merely 

 implies that Oberthur's specimens from the Barud Dagh are not of the 

 same species as Herrich-Schaffer's (and those in the Brit. Mus. coll.) 

 from Brussa, etc., as the original description leaves no room for doubt 

 as to the species to which bella belongs." Oberthur's argyrognomon 

 (which he refers to bella) came from the Taurus — Barud Dagh — at least 

 250 miles in a straight line from Brussa. We look on bella, H.-Sch., 

 as a mere aberration of our var. orientalis. 



f. var. iberiea, n. var. — Of fairly large size, c? 30mm., ? 28mm. The colour 

 of the c? s a bright purplish-blue, the black borders broad, somewhat suffused for a 

 short distance along the nervures, the hindwings suffused marginally, so that the 

 spots, conspicuous in hypochiona, bejarensis, etc., are largely lost in the marginal 

 shade, which is continued finely along the nervures, the costa of the hindwings also 

 much suffused ; the fringes pure white, with a trace of grey at the termination of 

 each nervure. The underside is silvery-white, strongly tinged with bright 

 blue scaling at the base ; the spots very black, but not larger than usual ; the 

 orange lunules bright on the hindwings, continued, but less brilliant, on the 

 forewings ; the d sometimes without metallic spots. The ¥ dark fuscous-brown, 

 the orange lunules continuous on the fore- and hindwings (fainter towards costa of 

 forewings); the fringes grey ; the underside of a pale fawn colour, the spots black, 

 with white rings, the orange band strongly developed and continuous on all the 

 wings ; the white transverse band well-developed on the hindwings ; the spots 

 moderately large ; the metallic spots better developed than in the <? . 



The specimens from which this form was described, were captured 

 at the foot of the mountains near La Granja, between June loth and 

 July 15th, 1908 (Lowe) ; it is really closely connected with var. hypo- 

 chiona, except that the band on the upperside of all the wings is wider 

 and more suffused, and the hindwings consequently do not 

 conspicuously show off the marginal spots of the hindwing as in that 

 variety ; nor is the underside of the $ so purely white. 



77. var. hypochiona, Ramb., " Cat. Lep. And.," p. 35 (1858); Staud, ''Cat.," 

 1st ed., p. 4 (1861); " Hor. Soc. Ent. Ross.," vii., p. 48, in part (1871); "Cat.," 

 2nd ed., p. 10 (1871); Obth., " Etudes," v., p. 22 (1880); Lang, "Butts. Eur.," 

 p. 106 (1884); Kane, "Eur. Butts.," p. 36(1885); Riihl, "Pal. Gr.-Schmett.," 

 p. 234 (1892-5) ; Obth., " Etudes," xx., p. 28, pi. iv., fig. 61 (1896) ; Stand., 

 "Cat," 3rd ed, p. 78 (1901); Lamb, "Pap. Belg," p 224 (1902); Siepi, 

 " Ann. Mus. Mars," ix, pt. 2, p. 38 (1905). — " Alis integris supra violaceo- 

 cu3ruleis, antieis margine externo intus radiato, posticis puuctis marginalibus 

 fuscis ; subtus cinereo-niveis, nigro seriatim punctatis, seria media intus 

 angulata, lunulis fulvis submarginalibus ; posticis viridi-argentis notatis, 

 tibiis antieis submucronatis (mas). Intermediate between argus and aegon, but 

 nearer to the latter, particularly in the genitalia and the black border of the fore- 

 wings. The upperside of a rather dark violaceous-blue, the forewings with a wide 

 black margin extended along the nervures ; the hindwings have a series of brown 

 spots sometimes slightly confluent exteriorly, at other times separated from the 

 margin and edged with blue. The underside ashy-white, almost shining, with the 

 median row of black spots angled below its centre, and several black marginal 

 spots marked with silvery-blue scales as in aegon, the fulvous lunules are somewhat 



