206 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



marginal black transverse band of the hindwings. Boisduval notes 

 (Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., 3rd ser., iv., p. ex) this form as being of occasional 

 occurrence. Calberla records (Iris, iv., p, 141) one in the collection 

 of Stefanelli at Florence. Bartel says that it is everywhere very 

 rare with the type. 



j3. ab. lafitolii, Thierry-Mieg, '" Le Nat.," xi., p. 181 (1889); Bartel, 

 " Palseark. Gross-Schmett.," ii., p. 87 (1899); Staud., "Cat.," 3rd ed., p. 102 

 (1901). Lafitchii, Kirby, "Cat.," p. 666 (1892). — Tout ce qui est rouge chez 

 euphorbiae est jaune dans cette remarquable aberration. II m'en est eclos quelques 

 individus, conjointement avec des exemplaires typiques, de chenilles recueillies au 

 pied des Alberes (Thierry-Mieg). 



Bartel notes that this form occurs in both sexes, that all 

 that is red in typical H. euphorbiae is yellow in this aberration. 

 The original type was bred from a larva collected at the foot of 

 Les Alberes (French East-Pyrenees). 



y. ab. rubescens, Garb., " Sitzungsber. der Math.-Natur. Classe der kais. 

 Akad. der Wissenschaften," ci., p. 917 (1892) ; Bartel, " Palaeark. Gross-Schmett.," 

 ii., p. 86 (1899). Rubrescens, Seebold, "Ann. Soc. Esp.," xxvii., p. 119 (1898). 

 Paralias, Staud., " Cat.." 3rd ed., p. 102 (1901). -This form scarcely requires 

 a diagnosis as it is sufficiently described by its name. Tt is the red form of 

 the species which is found everywhere, more or less rarely, with the type. It is 

 normal except that the specimens aie suffused with reddish, the pale portions 

 of the forewings being cherry-red, the colour especially well-developed on the 

 marginal band ; the outer margin of the central diagonal almost always without red, 

 whilst the red of the hindwings and underside is usually mure intense. The larva 

 typical, except that the orange-red markings pass into a dark carmine red. This 

 form is very abundant in a dry meadow on the banks of the Sukiel river between 

 Bolechow and Bubnisczze, and is here almost the only one developed — some 90 per 

 cent. — so that, in this restricted locality (and certainly in many others), it has become 

 a variety, whilst in most localities this dark form of the larva only occurs singly. The 

 larvae feed only on Euphorbia cyparissias and refuse other Euphorbia species, larvae 

 from Lemberg dying on E. peplus. This renders Pallas' remarks interesting : 

 " Aliquoties Majo in campestribus ad Volgam (et Samaram ?) circa Euph. pilosam et 

 floribus volatu suspensa interdiu (in Galicia never by day) larva ad Jaicum passim 

 in eadem et alia minore euphorbia Inderskiensium montium. Frequens etiam in 

 Dauriae euphorbiis. In epilobio Sibiriae copiose 1770. Epilobium angustifolium 

 et palustre, idemque Galium verum depascitur Larva 1770. In Sibiriae Euphorbiis 

 frequens larvaque saepe intra mensem edit sphingem (with us only one generation) ; 



quum alibi nunquam nisi post hiemem vel intra duos (never with me) 



S. euphor-biae larva Evonymo nutrita, dedit Sphingem obsoletissimi coloris siue 

 ullo rubore, griseam." Such a specimen is in the Vienna Museum, and forms 

 a transition to D. galii. Pallas did not know reddish forms, although he 

 observed the species so often. Our ab. rubescens has often been referred to the 

 beautiful var. paralias, Nick., and distributed as such. Even Frey calls the reddish 

 specimens from the Jura paralias instead of rubescens, but these two forms are, 

 however, not identical, and exhibit important differences at first glance, much 

 more easily observed than described, e.g., var. paralias, is much larger; the dark 

 portions of the forewings are more weakly developed ; the large olive-brown spot 

 under the middle of costa considerably larger and horizontally hexagonal ; the 

 pale portions suftused with red, whilst, for the particular characters of the hind- 

 wings and underside, reference should be made to the author's description. The charac- 

 ter ol the red is most important, being quite uniformly spread and including also 

 the outer margin of the diagonal, the tint, too, is of a beautiful uniform rose-red [in 

 7-ubescens it is cherry-red, of about the tint of " coccineus " (No. 58a in Miiller's 

 "Table of Colours," i860), whilst that of paralias corresponds with that of " ruber " 

 (No. 57<z, I.e.),] and it appears as if the moth was artificially coloured with red dusting, 

 and the marginal area is never darkened. In both forms the white lateral stripes on 

 shoulder- covers and head are commonly suftused with reddish. The larvae of var. 

 paralias were collected on the shore of Lido, and are distinguished from those of the 



type and ab. rubescens by their dark colour Specimens received from 



Staudinger as paralias were really only normal south European examples of large 



