58 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



above them are finer. South Paissia (Herrich-Schiiffer). Herrich-Schaffer's 

 figure measures 39 - 6mm. 



This is another somewhat slight modification of var. caucasica (as 

 might be assumed from Herrich-Schaffer's locality of South. Russia), 

 in that the marginal border of the forewings is somewhat wider and 

 blacker than in the latter form, a character that appears to become 

 racial in the more southern parts of Asia Minor ; it is the polona of 

 Staudinger (Cat., 2nd ed., p. 12) which he diagnoses as "al. ant. 

 marg. latiore, al. post. mac. margin, nigris. As. Min. (Mont.) ; " 

 whilst it is again diagnosed (Cat., 3rd ed., p. 86) by Staudinger as 

 " violaceo-cferulescens ; Pontus, Taurus," under the name corydonius; 

 there is no doubt that it is also the polonus of the same author 

 (op. cit.) so far as the description " Al. ant. marg. latiore, al. post, 

 maculis marginal, nigris," and the locality " Taurus " is concerned, 

 thus explaining his remark " corydon var. caucasicae valde similis." 

 There are only one or two examples in the British Museum coll., one 

 labelled '"Taurus — Kiilek, from Led.,' 'Zell. coll.,'" and another 

 " col). Led." only. In almost all the other bright blue Asiatic 

 examples, in the British Museum coll., the dark marginal edge of the 

 forewing is either very narrow, or made up of vague, interneural 

 blotches, with the appearance of small modified spots. Gerhard's 

 pl.xxxvi.,fig. 3a, is a J of bright lilac-blue colour, with very black marginal 

 spots on hindwings, and very black outer margin on forewings, much 

 more contrasted than in his ossmar; the underside with the ground colour 

 "uniform brown-grey, the spots well-marked and white-margined : the 

 orange chevrons only on the hindwings. Holtz describes (7//. Zeits. 

 fur Ent., ii., p. 47) this insect, under the name of caucasica, as the 

 local form occurring in Cilicia, flying at a height of from 700m. to 

 1200m., in two broods, the first in May, the second in August, the $ s 

 of the second generation distinguishable by means of the more strikingly 

 marked red lunular marginal spots. Lederer also found only this local 

 form. Ruhl describes (Pal. Gross- Schmett., p. 276) this race, under the 

 name bcllar</us var. polonus, as having " the apical angle of the forewing as 

 sharp as in coridon, the hind-margin little bowed, the anal angle still 

 less rounded; the knob of the antenna black on the outer side, reddish- 

 yellow at the tip only; the blue of the upperside quite distinctive, less 

 inclined towards white than i« damon and coridon, and with a more 

 silver-grey gloss than in hylas; the discoidal spot is quite obliterated 

 by the ground colour, the black border as broad as in ordinary German 

 coridon ; on the hindwing it is even broader, at any rate on the apical 

 half: the underside is far darker than in coridon, light ash-grey on 

 the forewing, more brown-grey on the hindwing : the arrangement 

 of the spots is as in coridon, but the spots themselves are Larger, those 

 of the median rows regularly rounded, their broad white margins 

 standing out much more conspicuously in consequence of the darker 

 ground colour ; between the base of the forewing and the 1 discoidal 

 are two black spots, the row beyond the discoidal consisting of six spots 



on the forewing and seven on the hindwing. the last of which is made 

 up of two joined together. Locality the mountains of Asia Minor." 

 5. var. syriaca, n. var. Polonus, Stand.. "Cat.," 3rd ed.. p. 86 in part 

 (1901); Nich. and Elw., "Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.," p. 93 (1901); Fountaine, 

 • Ent.," xx.w., p. 98 (1902), Bellargus, Nich.. - lint. Rec," xiii.. pp. 207, 209 

 (1901).- Closely allied to var. caucasica, but rather smaller; the - s of the same 

 till! of blue, lint o! a rather more metallic' appearance ; the margin narrow, some- 

 times with pale interneural shades; the ; s Slightly sealed with blue. 



