CYANIKIS SEMIARGUS. 273 



specimens are large." Eebel's remarks (Lep. Faun. Balk., i., p. 13) 

 also clearly chiefly refer to this form. He says that " the species is 

 not rare in West Bulgaria, even round Sofia, and becomes very 

 common in the Rilo, where it reaches an elevation of 2000m. His 

 statement that Elwes' specimens " of large size, with reddish marginal 

 spots on the underside of the hindwing, might, perhaps, better be 

 referred to bellis, Frr., than parnassia, Staud.," suggests that he quite 

 misapprehends the difference between the somewhat smaller, brightly- 

 coloured, narrow-margined $ s of bellis, as figured by Freyer, and the 

 large, darker, broader -margined $ s of balcanica, as represented by 

 Mrs. Nicholl and Elwes' specimens in the British Museum coll., whilst 

 the large, fuscous $ s are still more strikingly different. He adds that 

 Haberhauer sent numerous examples from the Rilo range, all, however, 

 typical, and that he himself only took typical examples there. The 

 specimens in the British Museum coll. (6 $ s and 6 ? s) are strongly 

 racia], just as Elwes describes them, and quite different from the very 

 many representatives of the species in the collection from all other 

 European and Asiatic countries. Mathew observes (in litt.) that " the 

 specimens from Gallipoli differ considerably from those of other parts 

 of Europe, being larger, the ocellated spots on the underside also 

 larger, whilst they have also two or three obscure orange spots beneath, 

 situated near the anal angle of the hind wings." This description 

 reads like balcanica, and the examples may have to be referred 

 here, but they may be var. intermedia as no diagnostic character is 

 given. Similarly, Caradja notes (Iris, viii., p. 40) that the Roumanian 

 examples are very large, 33mm. -34mm., the $> s extremely dark black- 

 brown, the underside, in both cases, beautiful pearl-grey, of a some- 

 what lighter shade than in German specimens, whilst two $ s from 

 Azuga have, at the anal angle of the hindwing, a trace of the red 

 spots, which are found in var. bellis. Mann also records the examples 

 from Tultscha, as being much larger than those found in the neighbour- 

 hood of Vienna. 



j3. var. parnassia, Staud., " Hor. Soc. Ent. Ross.," vi., p. 55, in part (1870) ; 

 Nick., " Ent. Eec," xii., p. 31, in part (1900) ; Rebel, " Faun. Balk.," i., p. 193, in 

 part (1903). Semiargus var., Staud., " Stett. Ent. Ztg.," p. 265, in part (1862). 

 Semiargus, Eountaine, "Ent. Rec," xiv., p. 60 (1902). — Only taken on the 

 Parnassus from April 20th-May 26th, but in very large numbers. The 

 specimens appear to be uniformly smaller than those from Germany, and even 

 from the Alps of Switzerland. The colour of the underside is of a slightly lighter 

 grey, whilst, in the majority of the specimens, are found, on the underside of the 

 hindwings at the anal angle, traces of reddish spots which, in individual cases, are 

 quite red, and, in some 3 s, even show through on the upper surface. One is, 

 therefore, entitled to name this var. parnassia. It only differs from var. bellis, in 

 size, the latter is only known to me in very large specimens (Staudinger). 



Specimens of this so-called small, local race, captured by Staudinger 

 on Mount Parnassus, and distributed by him as var. parnassia, now in 

 the British Museum coll., measure, $ s, 28mm. -32mm., 2 s, 29mm.- 

 33mm. It is only small, therefore, in comparison with the larger races of 

 this species, but, as a race, is very characteristic, and appears to be found 

 locally in northern Greece and Turkey. The $ is bright in colour, 

 with narrow marginal borders, and faint, or absent, discoidal spots on 

 the upperside, the £ fuscous, with or without two or three faint orange 

 lunules developed on the upperside of the hindwing, near the anal 

 angle, the latter only occurring markedly in the more aberrant 

 examples. This particular aberrant form was described and figured 



