CYANIRIS SEMIARGUS. 263 



times the only ones that are so, whilst, in rare examples, they occupy the 

 whole margin, except just in front; one $ is noted with seven on the 

 hindwings very marked (from Arolla) ; the colour of these spots is 

 rather warmer and browner than the ground-colour. This form, with 

 grey spots indicated, we call ab. initia, n. ab. In three examples 

 ( $ Simplon, $ Fionnay, ? Binn) in Blachier's collection, the spots 

 situated at the anal angle in cells 1 and 2 are not grey, but dark 

 reddish- brown shaded with burnt sienna ; the $ has a third small 

 spot of this colour in cell 3. This form, that seems to suggest an 

 indication in the direction of the Orient forms, we call ab. brmmescens, 

 n. ab. Riihl speaks (Pal. Gross. -Schmett., p. 297) of black-brown 

 spots. Kroulikowsky says (Soc. Ent., vii., p. 163) that, in the Govt, 

 of Wiatka, one sometimes meets examples with traces of fulvous spots 

 on the underside of the wings ; one suspects that these are like those 

 mentioned by Blachier ; as also are the examples, $ and $ , recorded 

 by Hering as sometimes being found with a weak trace of red spots 

 on the underside of the hindwings at Daram and Schrey, Pomerania, 

 in the Berlin district (Rartel and Herz). The development of the orange 

 lunules on the underside is most interesting. The earliest to appear are 

 the two nearest the anal angle on the hindwing, and, in this form, it 

 occurs aberrationally in var. balcanica, var. bellis, var. mesojtotanuca, and 

 var. intermedia, normally in var. persica, but rarely extending in these 

 forms beyond the hindwing. It becomes much more definitely marked in 

 var. helena, and var. antiochena, extending sometimes strongly in these 

 to the fore- as v ell as the hindwings, but never, apparently, so strik- 

 ingly developed on the under- as on the upperside. In 1779, 

 Bergstrasser (Nom., vols. ii. and iii.) described the following aberra- 

 tional forms of this species : — 



a. ab. byzas, Bergstr., "Nom.," ii., p. 79, pi. xlviii., figs. 5-6 (1779).— P.P.R. 

 alis rotundatis integerrunis coeruleis primorilrus in disco, posticis a margine nigro 

 virgulntis ; subtus ocellorum fascia solitaria. The wings uniform blue, except 

 that, in the centre of the fore wings, there is a black median spot, and, in the hind- 

 wings, a marginal series of black internenral spots ; the underside with a single 

 arcuated row of spots. I was almost inclined to consider this butterfly the " Astra- 

 galus " butterfly of the Vienna entomologists ; however, as their damoetas is said 

 to be the same as Geoffrey's demiargus, and also the same as Rosel's vol. iii., pi. 

 xxx vii., figs. 3-4, it is necessary to thoroughly differentiate our own insect, which 

 has, on the underside of the forewing, 5 ocellated spots in an arcuate row, and 

 behind these, somewhat exteriorly towards the lower margin, two smaller ones, 

 one above the other ; on the hindwings, but towards the centre, and towards the 

 base, is a black reniform spot which is absent in Rosel's figures. It is highly 

 probable that byze is the ? of this species (Bergstrasser). 



The essential characters of Bergstrasser's byzas appear to be the 

 wide marginal band and distinct discoidal lunule on the upperside of 

 the forewings, the interneural marginal spots on the hindwings ; the 

 large well-marked ocellated spots and dark ground colour of the under- 

 side. The figure, $ , is highly-coloured, the forewings with a 

 conspicuous black discoidal lunule, dark nervures, and rather wide 

 outer marginal band ; the hindwings with a row 7 of five black interneural 

 dots on the outer margin; the fringes white (continued along the inner 

 margin of the forewings) ; the underside grey (no blue at base), the 

 discoidal spots large and strongly margined with white ; the single 

 transverse row of spots on the forewings, 8 in number, large, and 



* It may be here noted that damoetas, S.Y. — cyllarus, Linn., that demiargus, 

 Geoff. = semiargus, v. Rott., whilst Rosel's vol. iii., pi. xxxvii., fig. 3= ? bellargus 

 or icarus, and fig. 4 = semiargus, v. Rott. 



