AGRIADES THETIS. 319 



right forewing of which is of the blue ab. ceronus, the three others 

 being of the brown type. This example is also of the extreme form 

 obsoleta on the underside. Coll. Fallou. Captured on the slopes of 

 the fortifications in the Bois de Boulogne, by Caroff, in early August, 

 1864. 



Local Races. 



a. var. alfacarensis, Ribbe, " Soc. Ent.," xx., p. 138(1905). — I have before 

 me a whole row of ? s of Lycaena bellargus, from the Sierra de Alfacar, taken in 

 the years 1880, 1881, and 1905, which differ throughout from the type.* The 

 general coloration is grey-brown, whilst the yellow marginal band of the fore- and 

 hindwings, which, in bellargus ? s, is only weakly expressed,! stands out quite 

 sharply ; in some examples it forms a band of 3mm. in width, running along the 

 outer margin. The black markings in the white fringes are quite sharply contrasted. 

 The underside is brownish, and furnished with larger, more striking, white- 

 bordered, black dots. One may consider as the <fs of alfacarensis, those very 

 intense blue-coloured specimens which stand between bellargus and var. punctifera 

 (Ribbe). 



This is a somewhat vague and unsatisfactory description of a local 

 race ; indeed, no characters, not found elsewhere in the species, appear 

 to be sufficiently denned to seize with any certainty ; except, perhaps, 

 the pale ground colour of the $ s. The $ s appear to be referable to 

 ab. puncta, the $ s to a form near ab. marginata, but with paler ground 

 colour, and the orange spots united on all the wings into a compara- 

 tively broad band. 



j8. var. punctifera, Obth., "Etudes," i., p. 23 (1876); Riihl, "Pal. Gross- 

 Schmett.," v., pp. 276, 763 (1893-5); Tutt, "Brit. Butts.," p. 171 (1896); Staud., 

 "Cat.," 3rd ed., p. 86(1901); Wheeler, "Butts. Switz.," p. 33 (1903); Gillm., 

 "Soc. Ent.," xviii., p. 157 (1904); Fountne., "Ent.," xxxix., p. 108 (1906); 

 [? Grund, " Int. Ent. Zeit.," ii., p. 162 (1908).] Punctigera, South, " Ent.," xx., 

 p. 79 (1887); Obth., " Etudes," xx., p. 18 (1896); " Buil. Soc. Ent. Fr.," p. 25 

 (1908). — Larnbessa ; where one finds a very remarkable form. It is very brightly 

 coloured, the hindwings of the i marked above, near the fringe, with a border of 

 large black spots. Among the ? s, some are blue, and are referable to the var. 

 ceronus, others are brown, like those taken near Paris ; lastly, others are inter- 

 mediate between the two extremes Also at Magenta, in October ; 



Sebdou, in September, flying among the " broussailles de lentisques," on which 

 this charming Lycasnid loves to rest. The first brood flies in May (Oberthur). 



In the British Museum coll. are four <?• s from Larnbessa, captured 

 May 12th, 1881. They are of a pale blue, with well-marked chequered 

 fringes ; a well-developed row of interneural spots on the hindwings, 

 together with a distinct trace of an analogous interneural series on the 

 forewings, suggesting a somewhat broad marginal border, though the 

 real marginal line is as sharply linear as (though slightly wider than) 

 in other examples. There are three 2 s ; one, labelled " Larnbessa, 

 12. v. '82 (Elwes)" is large, dark, slightly tinged with blue, the orange 

 on the hindwings well- marked, on forewings almost obsolete ; except for 

 its large size, the specimen looks nearly typical ; two others, labelled 

 "Larnbessa, June, '85 (Bleuse)," and "Algeria, ex Staudinger," 

 respectively, are bright blue from margin to base, with dark nervures 

 on forewdngs, which accumulate in lower half of costal area into a dark 

 band, leaving in the apical half interneural blue lines ; the forew 7 ings with 

 a series of outermarginal black spots, edged with pale blue inwardly, 



* It would be interesting to know what Ribbe considers the $ type. The original 

 description of thetis, v. Rott., appears to include a pretty wide range of 2 forms. 



f This is a very dubious statement ; many ? s of bellargus have most strongly 

 marked orange-red marginal bands. 



