﻿CROMBRUGGHIA 
  DISTANS. 
  455 
  

  

  and 
  1904, 
  in 
  central 
  Spain, 
  at 
  Bejar, 
  La 
  Granja, 
  Soria, 
  Moncayo, 
  etc. 
  

   These 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  bright 
  ochreous 
  tint, 
  but 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  hesitation 
  in 
  

   referring 
  these 
  to 
  Zeller's 
  laetus, 
  whilst 
  the 
  most 
  extreme 
  of 
  these 
  

   Spanish 
  forms 
  are 
  so 
  warmly 
  tinged 
  with 
  reddish, 
  that 
  the 
  deepest 
  

   coloured 
  examples 
  are 
  rather 
  bright 
  rusty-brown 
  than 
  ochreous, 
  and 
  

   these 
  are, 
  one 
  suspects, 
  Zeller's 
  laetus 
  var. 
  p, 
  which 
  he 
  noted 
  as 
  

   " 
  brunnescens." 
  (3) 
  A 
  specimen 
  bred 
  (?with 
  others) 
  by 
  Walsingham, 
  

   from 
  a 
  larva 
  found 
  on 
  Andryala, 
  at 
  Granada, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  evidently 
  

   identical 
  with 
  Zeller's 
  "Messina" 
  laetus 
  and 
  Chapman's 
  Spanish 
  laetus. 
  

   The 
  closest 
  comparison 
  of 
  these 
  laetus, 
  or 
  more 
  ochreous 
  specimens, 
  

   with 
  the 
  more 
  fuscous 
  distans, 
  by 
  Chapman 
  and 
  ourselves, 
  failed 
  

   entirely 
  to 
  discover 
  any 
  structural 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  wing-structure 
  or 
  

   markings, 
  and, 
  presumably, 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  accept 
  distans, 
  Zell., 
  and 
  laetus, 
  

   Zell., 
  as 
  one 
  species, 
  for 
  Durrant 
  had 
  written 
  (in 
  litt., 
  December 
  3rd, 
  

   1904) 
  that 
  Lord 
  Walsingham 
  and 
  himself 
  had 
  carefully 
  studied 
  all 
  the 
  

   original 
  material 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Zeller 
  " 
  collection, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  they 
  

   were 
  unable 
  to 
  separate 
  distans, 
  Zell., 
  from 
  laetus, 
  Zell., 
  " 
  in 
  fact," 
  he 
  

   added, 
  " 
  we 
  agreed 
  with 
  your 
  conclusion, 
  written 
  (Pter. 
  Brit., 
  pp. 
  

   (>2-64) 
  some 
  years 
  ago." 
  JJut 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  altogether 
  satisfactory, 
  we 
  

   had 
  the 
  pupal 
  skins 
  of 
  Norgate's 
  tw 
  T 
  o 
  distans, 
  we 
  had, 
  also, 
  Hofmann's 
  

   description 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  and 
  pupa 
  of 
  the 
  German 
  distans, 
  which 
  

   evidently 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  insect. 
  We 
  had, 
  also, 
  the 
  larva 
  and 
  

   pupa 
  of 
  Walsingham's 
  Granada 
  laetus 
  from 
  Andryala, 
  and 
  Milliere's 
  

   description 
  and 
  figures 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  Andryala 
  insect, 
  and 
  these 
  

   larva? 
  and 
  pupge 
  of 
  laetus 
  were 
  as 
  different, 
  structurally, 
  from 
  

   those 
  of 
  distans 
  as 
  could 
  well 
  be 
  imagined, 
  the 
  former 
  inclining 
  to 
  

   the 
  Buckleria 
  structure, 
  the 
  latter 
  to 
  the 
  Capperia 
  form. 
  Separating, 
  

   therefore, 
  the 
  specimens 
  on 
  their 
  superficial 
  appearance 
  into 
  the 
  two 
  

   groups 
  noted 
  above, 
  Chapman 
  kindly 
  undertook 
  the 
  detailed 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  genital 
  organs, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   entirely 
  different, 
  and 
  proved 
  absolutely 
  the 
  difference 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  

   and 
  supported 
  the 
  wide 
  differences 
  existing 
  between 
  the 
  larvae 
  and 
  

   pupa3 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  insects. 
  That 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  British 
  specimens 
  of 
  distans 
  

   are 
  indistinguishable 
  from 
  laetus, 
  on 
  wing 
  structure 
  and 
  appearance, 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  true, 
  but 
  laetus, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  know, 
  is 
  a 
  purely 
  southern 
  

   species, 
  confined 
  to 
  southern 
  France 
  (Lyons 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  its 
  most 
  

   northerly 
  point), 
  Spain, 
  Italy, 
  etc., 
  and 
  overlapping, 
  in 
  south 
  France 
  

   (Riviera), 
  Italy 
  (Zeller), 
  etc., 
  distans, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  much 
  wider 
  distribu- 
  

   tion. 
  Snellen 
  observes 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  of 
  the 
  hindwing 
  of 
  distans 
  

   is 
  longer 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  Dutch 
  Oxyptilid 
  species, 
  being 
  above 
  

   two-thirds 
  and 
  almost 
  three-fourths 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  2nd 
  plumule, 
  

   its 
  inner 
  marginal 
  fringe 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  black 
  scale-tuft 
  is 
  

   placed 
  at 
  two-thirds; 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  black 
  scales 
  are 
  visible 
  nearer 
  

   the 
  base, 
  and 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  side 
  ot 
  the 
  apex." 
  Hofmann 
  

   observes 
  (Deutsch. 
  Pteroph., 
  p. 
  105): 
  " 
  The 
  examples 
  from 
  the 
  Alps 
  are 
  

   distinguished 
  by 
  their 
  great 
  size, 
  ll*5mm., 
  and 
  darker 
  brown 
  coloration, 
  

   from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  German 
  plains 
  which 
  only 
  measure 
  9mm. 
  

   The 
  black 
  scale-tuft 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  of 
  the 
  hindwing 
  is. 
  in 
  these 
  

   alpine 
  examples, 
  very 
  variable." 
  Probably, 
  this 
  accounts 
  for 
  Zeller's 
  

   statement 
  (Linn. 
  Knt., 
  vi., 
  p. 
  345) 
  that 
  distans 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  species 
  in 
  

   the 
  section, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  o( 
  British 
  examples 
  

   is 
  a 
  shade 
  below 
  that 
  of 
  British 
  pilosellae, 
  etc.. 
  yel 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  distans 
  

   from 
  Zeller, 
  in 
  the 
  Barrett 
  collection, 
  are 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  expanse 
  

  

  