AGRIADES THETIS. 353 



included under our ab. striata, sens. lat. Courvoisier refers (Mitt. 

 Schw. Ent. Gesell., xi., p. 20) under his "formae confluentes simplices" 

 to the above three striate forms — (1) Showing union of the first basal 

 spot and first spot of the curved row of the hindwing (two 2 s)=costa- 

 juncta (supra). (2) Union of the penultimate basal spot and the 

 penultimate spot of the curved row of the hindwing, the streak formed 

 being parallel with the inner margin (<? and 2) = basijuncta (supra). 

 (3) Union of the last or last two basal spots, and the last two of the 

 curved row of spots of the forewings ( 2 ), *•«•> analogous with Pobjom- 

 matus icarus ab. arcuata, Weym. Grund observes that, near Podsused, 

 in Croatia, the ab. arcuata is common in the $ s of both broods. 

 Eeverdin reports (in litt.) it from the Geneva district, where also 

 Blachier says (in litt.) that not only arcuata but the forms semiarcuata and 

 c -nig rum are not rare. Indeed, parallel forms to almost all the minor 

 aberrations of the conjuncta form mentioned under Plebeius argus (antea 

 pp. 178-179) are to be found in this species. The peculiar feature of 

 this ab. is one of the main characteristics of Hphys, Esp., described 

 and figured more than 130 years ago. 



6. ab. confluens, Aigner-Abafi, "Ent. Zeits. Guben," xix., p. 209 (1906). 

 Striata, Tutt, "Brit. Butts.," p. 171 in part (1896). — The upperside normal, the 

 underside dark, the basal spots and the discoidal lunule double ; the spot lying in 

 cell 2 is elongate in a curved manner towards the base, as in Polyommatus icarus 

 ab. arcuata; the spot in cell 2 of the hindwings also elongated. June 29th, 1898, 

 at Orsova (Aigner-Abafi). 



A combination of abs. guadripuncta, Courv., semiarcuata, Courv., 

 etc. Combinations of this kind are not infrequent. 



i. ab. obsoleta, Tutt, "Brit. Butts., "[p. 171 (1896); Gillm., "III. Zeits. fur Ent., 

 v., p. 52 (1900); Wheeler, " Butts. Switz'," p. 33 (1903). Subtus-impuuctata, Obth., 

 " Etudes," etc., xx., (p. 18), expl. pl. iii., fig. 27 (1896). Adonis ab., Hb., " Eur. 

 Schmett.," pi. cxxvii., figs. 645-6 (ante 1816); Curtis, "Br. Ent.," fo. 6 (1824); 

 Stphs,, "Ihus. Haust.," i., p. 90, var. f(1828); H.-Sch., " Sys. Bearb.," L, 

 p. 121, pl. Iii., fig. 248 (1843); Girard, " Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr.," 4th ser., v., pp. 

 111-114, pl. ii., figs. 4-5 (1865) ; Fallou, "Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr.," 4th ser., v., p. 1. 

 .(1865); Mosley, "Nat. Journ.," pl. iii., fig. 25 (1896); Walker, "Ent. Mo. 

 Mag.," xl., p. 189 (1904). Bellargus ab., Adkin, " Proc. Sth. Lond. Ent. Soc," 

 p. 165, pl. i., fig. 1 (1888-9); Dennis, "Proc. Sth. Lond. Ent. Soc," p. 51 

 (1892); Sladen, "Ent.," xxx., p. 81 (1897). Ginnus, Buhl, "Pal. Gross- 

 Schmett.," p. 276 (1895). Krodeli, Gillm., "111. Zeits. fur Ent.," v., pp. 

 50-52, pl. i., figs. 3-9 (1900); vii., pp. 337-340 (1902); Wheel., "Butts, of 

 Switz.," p. 33 (1903) ; Seitz, " Gross-Schm.," i., p. 315 (1909).— The outer trans- 

 verse (submedian) row of dots on both fore- and hindwings more or less absent 

 — an extreme form of this aberration, with all the spots absent except the dis- 

 coidals, is very striking (Tutt). 



This name obsoleta, was created to include all those examples in 

 which the submedian row of spots on both fore- and hindwings were 

 largely absent, including the extreme form in which all are absent ; 

 Oberthur, similarly, a few months later, named the obsolete form 

 subtus-im punctata (Etudes, xx., p. 18, expl. of pl. iii., fig. 27), noting that 

 he "possessed eight examples similar to fig. 27, but more characterised 

 in the direction of loss of spots than the specimen figured, in that the 

 forewings, as well as the hindwings, were entirely without ocellated 

 spots;" he adds that "Engramelle, in 1779, figured (Pap. Eur., 

 pl. xxxix., fig. 82/) an aberration of the sky-blue Argus, and observed 

 (p. 173) that it had no ocellated spots at all on the four wings, in 

 which it resembles" our fig. 27, whilst Herrich-Schaffer represents an 



* This, of course, is not so, as fig. 27 has several ocellated spots. Uberthtir 

 names his aberration impunctata, speaks of eight examples without any 



