314 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



Schmett.," p. 308 (1893) ; Tutt, "Brit. Butts.," p. 157 (1896) ; Spul., " Schmett. 

 Eur.," p. 69 (1902) ; Lamb., "Pap. Belg.," p. 254 (1902) ; Courv., "Ent. Zeits.," 

 xxiv., p. 202 (1910). — Varietati obscura Christ, ut videtur, proxima. Alae supra 

 nigro fuscae, in disco parum caeruleo pulveratae, maculis cuneiformibus anticarum 

 aterrimis, fimbriis grisescentibus. Subtus a forma typica differt his ; serie 

 marginali punctorum nigrorum simpliei, non duplici, punctisque basalibus in alis 

 posticis, ad basin laevissime virescentibus, subdeficientibus. Femina a mare 

 differt magnitudine alarumque nigredine (Kroulikovsky). 



The peculiarity of this form is in the marginal spots of the under- 

 side, which form a single, instead of a double row, the basal spots of 

 the hindwing being also reduced in number or entirely absent. The 

 upperside resembles var. obscura in its more extreme forms, the hind- 

 wings being entirely suffused with brownish black, and the forewings 

 alone showing a powdering of bright blue on the basal half, more 

 marked in the $ than in the $ . The powdering on the underside 

 hindwing is slight, but in its green tint approaches more nearly to the 

 other Oriental than to the Western forms. This variety comes from 

 the spurs of the Southern Urals in the Govt, of Ufa, but the 

 absence or obsolescence of the basal spots of the hindwing is also 

 noticeable in specimens from the districts of South-west Eussia, e.g. t 

 from the Govts, of Kasan and Yiatka. This fact, in connection with 

 the oriental affinities of its neighbour, var. uralensis, has induced us to 

 place these two varieties among the Eastern, rather than among the 

 mountain forms, where they would also have been appropriate. 



Forms characteristic of the South. 



The peculiarity of the southern forms of avion is a general 

 lightening of the ground-colour both on the upper- and the undersides. 

 We have classed these forms together on account of their general 

 similarity, and have therefore included var. arcina, Friihst., although 

 the district from which it comes is not, strictly speaking, a southern 

 one. On the other hand, the specimens from the Apennines and 

 from Parnassus do not resemble these in the lightness of their 

 appearance, but it must be borne in mind that these latter are 

 mountain forms, whereas the light-coloured varieties described below 

 are from hot localities, and, generally speaking, from low levels. 



(a) var. ligurica, Wagn., " Soc. Ent.," xix., p. 1(1904); Bebel, "Berges 

 Schmett.," p. 76 (1909); Seitz, " Gr.-Schmett.," p. 321 (1910); Friihst., "Int. 

 Ent. Zeits.," iii., p. 55 (1910); Courv., "Ent. Zeits.," xxiv., p. 203 (1910); 

 Obtb., "Lep. Comp.," iv. p. 325 (1910). — Plerumque major, alis omnibus supra et 

 subtus dilutioribus, maculis permagnis, alis posterioribus supra ocellis ante- 

 marginalibus nigris albo cingulatis (Wagner). 



This form, which appears to be racial, or at least dominant, on the 

 coast of the Riviera, from Bordighera to San Remo, is distinguished 

 by its lighter ground colour on both sides, and by the increased size of 

 the spots both above and below ; so light, indeed, is the ground-colour 

 on the underside that the pale rings of the spots are almost invisible. 

 Its special distinction, however, is that the antemarginal spots on the 

 upperside of the hindwing are ringed on the inside with whitish. The 

 dark antemarginal lunules on the forewing also stand out conspicuously 

 in consequence of the almost complete absence of the black border in 

 the S and its very slight darkening in the 2 • 



This form, though dominant on the Riviera, is not confined to that 

 district, or even to low levels. Oberthur, (Lep. Comp., iv., p. 326) 



