142 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



Borkhausen, in 1788 (Sys. Beach., i., p. 161), recognised this as a 

 form of P. iearus. It is the $ form in which all the wings are of an 

 uniform fuscous colour, the outer margin of all the wings with orange 

 lunules, those of the hindwings blue-edged outwardly (no other blue 

 markings on the wings). It is, therefore, a form of postico-caeruleo- 

 marginata, with orange lunules on all four wings. The underside 

 is normal, with two basal spots to the foiewings. [The anal 

 angle of the hindwings is overdrawn, hence the " angulatis " 

 of Bergstrasser's description (supra).] Bergstrasser himself sus- 

 pected this (pampholyge) as well as salacia ( — Agriades thetis 2) 

 to be 2 forms of his oceanus (==P. icarus 2), hence his statement 

 that pampholyge and salacia were possibly aberrations of the same 

 species. As illustrating Bergstrasser's want of clear knowledge of 

 the 2 s of this species and A. thetis, we may note that he figures 

 (Nam., iii., pi. lv., figs. 5-6) von Rottemburg's typical form of P. icarus 

 (brown in tint with orange marginal lunules on the borders of all the 

 wings), as an aberration of his salacia (pi. 1., figs. 1-2) which is really 

 A. thetis (see our preceding vol., p. 344). 



V- ab. polyphemus, Esp., " Schmett. Eur.," i., p. 387, pi. 1. (supp. xxvi.), fig. 2 

 (1779). — Alis eoaudatis fuscis, omnibus utrinque fascia marginali fulva, subtus fusco 

 cinereis, punctis oeellaribus numerosis. Among the Argus species, aberrations are no 

 longer rare, and we are already acquainted with many, but one is often uncertain ns 

 to their subspecific, varietal or aberrational value, and, in this direction, the present 

 insect offers some difficulty. It seems, however, that it wants a separate name, 

 and the arbitrary one of polyphemns is chosen ; it resembles argus and medon very 

 much and the differences must be described carefully. The upperside is of the 

 same brown as 2 P. argus, the bright reddish-yellow bands, however, quite 

 different, being formed of roundish, contiguous spots, whilst, in P. argus, they are 

 more separated, and, in the forewings, much less often present, whilst they are 

 always developed in polyphemns. This insect, moreover, never has the metallic 

 spots on the outer margin of the underside of the hindwings, an essential character 

 of P. argus, whilst, instead of the whitish band between the two outer rows of spots 

 on the underside of the same wings, there is, in polyphemns, only a single elongated 

 whitish spot in the middle of the wing. From P. medou, polyphemns is at once to 

 be distinguished by its size, still more by its ground-colour which is greyish- black 

 instead of a genuine glossy brown. The fulvous spots, which, in polyphemns, occur 

 along the margin of all the wings are, in medon, larger and redder, but in polyphemus 

 strongly tinged with yellow. The underside, also, has many more ocellated spots, 

 which can readily be seen in comparing the figures. Common in September with 

 phlaeas and icarus in wooded places. It is sometimes a line larger, often about half 

 a line smaller, of the size of P. tiresias. The upperside is sometimes tinged with 

 bluish-grey .... on the margin of the upperside of the hindwing the spots are 

 sometimes half-filled up with bluish, making as it were eyes without pupils. By 

 the side of polyphemns is figured an aberration which may be the other sex. On the 

 underside of the hindwing towards the body is a longish white spot resembling a 

 stigma, usually there is here only one round spot; whilst the ocellated spots are 

 somewhat differently placed ; the white band on the border of the upperside of the 

 hindwing instead of blue is also aberrant (Esper). 



Esper's polyphemus is a rather small $ form of /'. icarus with 

 orange lunules on all the wings; the upperside tinged at the base and 

 margin of the hindwings (outside the orange lunules) with blue, the 

 underside of the melanotojra (arcuata) typo as recently noticed by 

 Leonhardt, Rebel, etc., but, as Esper. in his description, particularly 

 distinguished it by the upperside, and does nor, characterise it by the 

 arcuata mark, although be says that it has " more ocellated spots on 

 the underside," it is well to retain the name, as Esper evidently 

 intended, for the upperside form, and not further complicate the 

 synonymy really referring to the underside peculiarity. Borkhausen, 

 in L788, rightly recognised (Sys. Besch., i., p. 1G1) this as an aberration 

 of P. icarus. 



