OYANIRIS SEMIARGUS. 279 



besides, the specimens before me of bellis* from the Tokat Alps, are almost twice 

 the size of those of helena. The appearance of L. semiargus from Greece (although 

 I have specimens only from the Parnassus) might also be deemed to show the 

 difference of L. helena, for these Greek semiargus are only smaller than our 

 German examples, and, notwithstanding that some show faint traces of orange 

 spots, they do not mark an actual transition to L. lielen r i. I much regret that I do 

 not know L. antiocliena in nature, as it seems very much to resemble my new 

 species. That Lederer ascribes naked eyes to this species cannot be important, 

 considering that he also thought L. semiargus had naked eyes. But Lederer 

 compares his species (antiocliena) with L. sebrus, and says that the c? showed the 

 same violet-blue colour. This fact, coupled with the statement that the orange 

 marginal band of (the ? of) his species gradually disappears towards the costa, 

 in addition to the large amount of blue of forewings, and the much larger spots on 

 the underside, cause me to consider L. helena to be a distinct species (Staudinger). 



This insect has all the general characters, in the £ , of the Greek 

 race bellis, Frr. (parnassia, Stdgr.) — small size, brighter colour, narrow 

 margin, faint discoiclals, etc., but is a much more highly -developed 

 and beautiful race ; the underside, too, is much more specialised in 

 the development of the orange marginal lunules, which here tend to 

 take on a banded form ; whilst the £ is, both on the upper- and under* 

 side, specially strongly marked with orange on the fore- as well as on 

 the hindwings. Staudinger's comparison with antiocliena is a sound 

 one, since the two are very closely allied. Although described at first 

 as distinct, Staudinger later wrote (Hor. Soc. Ent. Ross., vi.,p. 55) that 

 he described helena from only five specimens (pairs? see supra) but that he 

 had since come to the conclusion that helena was only a more highly- 

 developed form of parnassia, of which he had only a few specimens 

 before him at the time. Typical var. helena, he says, have, in both 

 sexes on the underside of the hindwings, near the inner margin, an 

 orange band made of united spots, the $ even having it on the upper- 

 side ; this feature, together with the smaller size, and somewhat 

 different tint of blue, separates them markedly as a local race, from 

 antiocliena, which, judging by a number of specimens of the latter 

 caught by Lederer last year (1867), in the Taurus mountains!, must 

 be certainly considered only as a form of semiargus. I These examples, 

 of which four of Lederer's are in the British Museum coll., are not 

 antiocliena at all, nor do they approach the beautiful Syrian race. They 

 are merely blue-suffused ( ? ) specimens of our var. intermedia. The real 

 var. helena was also described and figured by Milliere, in 1864 

 (lconographie, p. 326, pi. xxxix., figs. 1-3), from examples taken in the 

 Taygetos mountains, and sent him by Staudinger ; he compares the 

 male with Cupido sebrus and Glaucopsyche melanops. Miss Fountaine's 

 parnassia (Ent. Rec, xiv., p. 60) appear to be helena in the true sense. 

 She writes that she took examples near Delphi, in May, 1900, that 

 the specimens were confined to the south of the Gulf of Corinth, were 

 very strongly marked, the orange band on the upperside remarkably 



* These are, of course, not the true var. bellis, Fr., but var. intermedia, Tutt. 



"I" The specimens captured by Lederer in the Taurus mountains belong to var. 

 intermedia, and have been already referred to (antea, p. 27G). 



I This weakening of Staudinger's as to the specific value of helena is probably 

 sound, but as a race helena is most distinct; and Staudinger's reference in this para- 

 graph to antiocliena, on the strength of some specimens of intermedia which Lederer 

 distributed (1867) as antiocliena (and of which we have some of the actual specimens 

 under observation as we write), must not be considered as referring in any way to 

 the true Syrian antiocliena which Lederer first described and figured (1861), and which 

 bears such a marvellous likeness to helena, except for the magnificence of its blue in 

 the ? , that the two stand separate from all other races of this species. 



