AGEIADES THETIS. 345 



ture of a specimen in September, 1908, at Eastbourne, with the usual 

 red lunular markings on the upperside of the margin of the hindwings, 

 as well as those on the forewings, absent. [Dale's remark (Hist. 

 Brit. Butts., p. 67) that urania, Bischoff, "is a form of the $■ 



found in Turkey and is perhaps the same as ]>olona, 



Zell., which occurs on the mountains of Asia Minor" (see antea, pp. 

 323-1-325), is astounding.] 



f. ab. ceronus*, Esp., " Schmett. Eur.," L, pt. 2, p. 178, pi. xc. (contd. xl.), 

 fig. 2 (1784); supp. p. 50, pi. cii. (cont. lvii.), fig. 1 (1787); Jung, "Verz. der 

 Schmett.," p. 114 (1791); Hb., "Eur. Schmett.," pi. lxi., figs. 295-7 (1796); 

 Haw., "Lep. Brit.," p. 44 (1803); Hofmsgg., "111. Mag.," in,, p. 189 (1803); 

 Herbst, "Nat. Sys. Ins.," xi., p. 230, pi. 314, figs. 7-9 (1804); Ochs., "Die 

 Schmett.," i., pt. 2, p. 33 (1808); Dalm., " Handl.," etc., p. 98 (1816); Latr., 

 "Enc. Meth.," p. 691 (1819); Godt., "Pap. Fi\," i., p. 210 (1821); Curt., "Brit. 

 Ent.," fo. 6 (1824); Stphs. , "Ins. Cat.," p. 24 (1829); Bdv., "Eur. Lep. Ind.," 

 p. 12 (1829); Meig., "Eur. Schmett.," ii., p. 23, pi. xlviii., figs. Sa-b (1830); 

 Dup., " Pap. Fr.," supp. i., p. 432 (1832); Nick., " Bohrn. Tagfalter," p. 14 )1837); 

 Kamb., " Faun. And.," p. 272 (1839); Bdv., " Gen. et Ind. Meth.," p. 12 (1840); 

 Humph, and Westd., " Brit. Butts.," p. 106 (1841); Neust. and Korn., " Schmett. 

 Schl.," p. 47 (1842); Dup., " Cat. Meth.," p. 33 (1845); Stphs., " List," 1st. ed M 

 p. 20 (1850); Heydrch., "Lep. Eur. Cat. Meth.," p. 14 (1851); Meyer-Dur, 

 " Schmett. Schw.," p. 82 (1851); Westd. and Hew., " Gen. Diurn. Lep.," ii., p. 

 493 (1852); Freyer, " Neu. Beitr.," vi., p. 14 (1852); Wallgrn., " Skand. Dagf.," 

 p. 224 (1853); Westwoocl, "Butts. Gt. Britain," p. 109 (1855); Stphs., "List," 

 2nd ed., p. 18 (1856); Koch, " Schmett. Siidwest. Deutsch.," p. 29 (1856); Speyer, 

 "Geog. Verb.," ii., p. 273 (1858); Zebr., "Lep. Krak.," p. 158 (1860); Girard, 

 "Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr.," 4th ser., v., pp. 111-114 (1865); Fallou, "Bull. 

 Soc. Ent. Fr.," p. 1 (1865); Nowicki, "Lep. Gal.," p. 51 (1865); Berce, 

 "Faun. France," L, p. 142 (1867); Kirby, " Syn. Cat.," p. 367 (1871); 

 Staud., "Cat.," 2nd ed., p. 12 (1871); Curo, "Bull. Soc. Ent. Ital.," 

 vi., p. 112 (1874); Dubois, "Lep. Belg.," p. 32 (1874); Mill., "Cat. Lep. 

 Alp.-Mar.," p. 103 (1875); Sand, " Cat. Lep.Ber. Auv.," p. 6 (1879); Frey, " Lep. 

 Schweiz," p. 19 (1880); Kirby, " Eur. Butts.," p. 48 (1882); Lang, " Butts. Eur.," 

 p. 121, pi. xxvi., fig. 5 (1884); Kane, "Eur. Butts.," p. 44 (1885); Dale, " Hist. 

 Brit. Butts.," p. 67 (1890); Brom., "Butts. Biv.," p. 39 (1892); Buhl, "Pal. 

 Gross-Schmett.," p. 276 (1895); Tutt, "Brit. Butts.," p. 170 (1896); Kirby, "Hand- 

 book," etc., ii., p. 95 (1896); Favre, " Macr.-Lep. Val.," p. 20 (1899); Fleck, 

 "Macr.-Lep. Bum.," p. 21 (1901); Staud., "Cat.," 3rd ed., p. 86 (1901); Lamb., 

 "Pap. Belg.," p. 236 (1902); Wheeler, "Butts. Switz.," p. 32 (1903); Gillm., 

 " Soc. Ent.," xviii., p. 156 (1904); South, " Brit. Butts.," p. 170 (1906). Caerulea, 

 Sweetg., "Ent. Bee," xix., p. 306.(1907). — P. Plebeius Ruralis ceronus. Alis 

 ecaudatis cseruleis nigro-incluctis, omnibus fascia maculati ad marginem fulva, 

 ciliis albo nigroque tesselatis, omnibus subtus fuscis, ocellis numerosissimis. 

 This new kind of Argus, conspicuous for its brilliant colour, has lately been found 

 in the neighbourhood of Pressburg, in Hungary, by Herr Bummel. In the 

 number and position of the eye-spots, it is almost identical with P. meleager, 

 except that it shows, near the base of the forewing, in the majority of cases, an 

 eye-spot which I have never observed in that species ; also, the ground colour of 

 the underside is much darker and more tinged with brown. The most noticeable 

 distinction is afforded by the perfectly regular outline of the hindwing, in which 

 there is nothing in the way of points or outstanding angulations, as in meleager ; 

 it is, on the other hand, adorned with quite regular fringes, which, at the nervures, 

 have a blackish colour. The margin of all the wings exhibits, on both sides, a 

 row of deep red spots with black dots, which we never find in meleager. This 

 gives it a sufficient right to rank as a separate species (Esper). 



Reference to von Rottemburg's original description of thetis (antea 

 p. 326) will show that Esper's ceronus is practically identical with the 

 more striking blue form of what von Rottemburg calls his $ thetis, 

 " beautiful blue above, with blackish shade along costa of forewings," 



* It is quite impossible to separate the references to ceronus into those refer- 

 able to the various blue $ forms of this species. One suspects that only a small 

 number of those actually quoted, are really referable to the very striking form first 

 figured by Esper under this name. 



