﻿418 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTEEA. 
  

  

  cannot 
  even 
  be 
  maintained 
  as 
  a 
  variety, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  Mann 
  suc- 
  

   cessively 
  quotes 
  obscunts 
  (parvidactylus) 
  and 
  dentellus 
  as 
  two 
  separate 
  

   species, 
  taken 
  near 
  Arnasia, 
  the 
  latter 
  at 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  June, 
  

   shows 
  that 
  Mann 
  was 
  not 
  over-critical 
  in 
  ihe 
  enumeration 
  of 
  some 
  

   species. 
  All 
  the 
  distinctions 
  that 
  Zeller 
  points 
  out 
  between 
  margin- 
  

   ellus 
  and 
  parvidactylus 
  are 
  vague 
  and 
  overlap. 
  The 
  tint 
  of 
  the 
  spots, 
  

   fringes, 
  etc., 
  is 
  very 
  variable, 
  and 
  in 
  38 
  specimens 
  from 
  Amasia, 
  before 
  

   me, 
  great 
  differences 
  are 
  apparent, 
  e.g., 
  in 
  one 
  example, 
  determined 
  by 
  

   Wocke 
  as 
  a 
  new 
  species, 
  the 
  hindmost 
  feather 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  wing 
  is 
  

   almost 
  white, 
  with 
  only 
  small 
  back 
  scale-tufts, 
  that 
  also 
  occur 
  in 
  

   transitional 
  stages 
  up 
  to 
  typical 
  parvidactylus. 
  In 
  others, 
  also 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  by 
  Wocke 
  as 
  a 
  separate 
  species, 
  the 
  white 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  

   of 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  forewing 
  breaks 
  through 
  the 
  cleft, 
  and 
  forms 
  

   almost 
  a 
  white 
  transverse 
  band. 
  The 
  fringes 
  on 
  the 
  costa 
  of 
  the 
  

   upper 
  lobe 
  are 
  sometimes 
  narrower, 
  sometimes 
  broader, 
  at 
  times 
  

   apparently 
  interrupted 
  with 
  white. 
  The 
  deeper 
  cleft 
  of 
  the 
  forewing, 
  

   which 
  is 
  particularly 
  supposed 
  to 
  separate 
  marginellus 
  from 
  parvi- 
  

   dactylus, 
  is 
  entirely 
  unreliable, 
  e.g., 
  I 
  have 
  Tyrolese 
  alpine 
  parvidactylus 
  

   from 
  Trafoi 
  which 
  have 
  the 
  cleft 
  much 
  deeper 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  my 
  southern 
  

   marginellus. 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  separate 
  these 
  insects, 
  although 
  I 
  have 
  

   100 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  before 
  me 
  — 
  from 
  Denmark, 
  Germany, 
  

   the 
  Alps, 
  Italy, 
  France, 
  Spain, 
  Dalmatia, 
  Greece, 
  Macedonia, 
  Smyrna, 
  

   Amasia, 
  North 
  Persia 
  and 
  Saisan 
  (in 
  southwest 
  Siberia). 
  Of 
  course, 
  I 
  

   readily 
  admit 
  that 
  extreme 
  examples 
  from 
  North 
  Germany 
  have 
  a 
  

   very 
  different 
  appearance 
  from 
  the 
  lighter, 
  more 
  marked, 
  southern 
  

   specimens, 
  especially 
  those 
  from 
  Spain 
  and 
  North 
  Persia. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   my 
  Amasian 
  examples, 
  and 
  particularly 
  those 
  from 
  Siberia, 
  are 
  very 
  

   light 
  brown. 
  In 
  other 
  Amasian 
  and 
  Persian 
  examples 
  the 
  second 
  

   plumule 
  of 
  the 
  hindwing 
  has, 
  in 
  the 
  hind-marginal 
  fringes, 
  before 
  the 
  

   tip, 
  a 
  pure 
  white 
  spot." 
  Zeller 
  remarks 
  concerning 
  dentellus, 
  Mann 
  

   (supra), 
  from 
  Fiume, 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  a 
  <y 
  that 
  scarcely 
  differs 
  from 
  parvi- 
  

   dactylus 
  ; 
  the 
  black 
  scale-tuft 
  on 
  the 
  third 
  feather, 
  however, 
  forms 
  

   almost 
  a 
  triangle, 
  but 
  adds 
  that 
  such 
  specimens 
  occur 
  particularly 
  

   among 
  the 
  $ 
  s. 
  He 
  further 
  remarks 
  that 
  his 
  example 
  belongs 
  to 
  

   var. 
  b. 
  Having 
  summarised 
  the 
  published 
  facts 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  southern 
  and 
  eastern 
  forms 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  we 
  give 
  the 
  descrip- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  doubtful 
  forms, 
  which 
  are 
  most 
  probably 
  referable 
  to 
  

   parvidactyla. 
  These 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  a. 
  ab. 
  dentellus 
  (, 
  Mann), 
  Zell., 
  "Linn. 
  Ent.," 
  vi., 
  p., 
  355 
  (1852).— 
  P. 
  dentellus, 
  

   Mann, 
  from 
  Fiume, 
  one 
  <? 
  , 
  does 
  not 
  differ 
  sufficiently 
  from 
  P. 
  obscurus 
  to 
  consider 
  

   it 
  distinct. 
  The 
  black 
  scale-tuft 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  is 
  somewhat 
  triangular-shaped, 
  

   but 
  such 
  examples 
  appear 
  also 
  with 
  us, 
  especially 
  among 
  the 
  £ 
  s. 
  My 
  specimen 
  

   belongs 
  to 
  var. 
  b 
  (Zeller). 
  

  

  This 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  MS. 
  name 
  of 
  Mann's, 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  we 
  fail 
  to 
  

   trace 
  any 
  description 
  by 
  that 
  lepidopterist. 
  Var. 
  b, 
  to 
  which 
  Zeller 
  

   refers 
  it, 
  is 
  diagnosed 
  as 
  " 
  digiti 
  tertii 
  medio 
  albido." 
  An 
  example 
  in 
  

   the 
  Frey 
  collection 
  is 
  labelled 
  "P. 
  dentellus, 
  Mann 
  = 
  obscurus, 
  Zell. 
  

   Croatica 
  (Groning)." 
  It 
  is 
  rather 
  small, 
  brownish 
  in 
  tint, 
  with 
  two 
  

   distinct 
  transverse 
  lobal 
  lines 
  ; 
  the 
  outer 
  one 
  crossing 
  both 
  lobes 
  ; 
  the 
  

   costal 
  edge 
  from 
  the 
  second 
  (inner) 
  lobal 
  line 
  to 
  apex, 
  white; 
  the 
  

   inner 
  marginal 
  fringe 
  well-marked, 
  with 
  light 
  and 
  dark 
  latticings. 
  

   The 
  hindwings 
  brownish-fuscous, 
  the 
  fringes 
  a 
  shade 
  darker; 
  the 
  scale- 
  

   tuft 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  rather 
  long. 
  

  

  