﻿CROMBRUGGHIA 
  DISTANS. 
  459 
  

  

  trichodactyla, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  likewise 
  broadly 
  white 
  at 
  the 
  base,, 
  

   with 
  a 
  black 
  tuft 
  at 
  the 
  apex, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  anal 
  angle, 
  and 
  therefore 
  very 
  

   different 
  from 
  obscurus." 
  One 
  is 
  quite 
  at 
  a 
  loss 
  to 
  understand 
  how 
  

   Herrich-Schaffer 
  can 
  assert 
  that 
  the 
  ground 
  colour 
  of 
  distans 
  is 
  like 
  

   that 
  of 
  obscurus 
  (parvidactyla) 
  ; 
  they 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  

   them, 
  utterly 
  dissimilar. 
  The 
  synonymy 
  of 
  laetus, 
  and 
  Zeller's 
  

   original 
  description 
  read 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Laetus, 
  ZeU.., 
  "Isis," 
  xii., 
  p. 
  903 
  (1847); 
  "Linn. 
  Ent.," 
  vi. 
  p. 
  346 
  (1852); 
  

   H.-Sch., 
  " 
  Sys. 
  Bearb.," 
  v., 
  p. 
  373 
  (1853) 
  ; 
  Mill., 
  " 
  Icon.," 
  i., 
  p. 
  333, 
  pi. 
  

   xxxix., 
  figs. 
  7-11 
  (1864); 
  Stand., 
  " 
  Cat.," 
  2nd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  342 
  (1871) 
  ; 
  " 
  Sta., 
  " 
  Ent. 
  Mo. 
  

   Mag.," 
  vi., 
  p. 
  36 
  (1879) 
  ; 
  Jord., 
  " 
  Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag.," 
  vi., 
  p. 
  122 
  (1879); 
  Stand., 
  " 
  Hor. 
  

   Soc. 
  Ent. 
  Ross.," 
  xv., 
  pp. 
  425-7 
  (1880) 
  ; 
  Barr., 
  " 
  Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag.," 
  xviii., 
  p. 
  178 
  

   (1881) 
  ; 
  South, 
  " 
  Ent.," 
  xv., 
  p. 
  35 
  (1882) 
  ; 
  xxii., 
  p. 
  33 
  (1889; 
  ; 
  Tutt, 
  " 
  Brit. 
  Pter.," 
  

   p. 
  65 
  (1895) 
  ; 
  Staud. 
  and 
  Reb., 
  " 
  Cat.," 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  71 
  (1901). 
  [Laetidac- 
  

   tylus, 
  Brd., 
  " 
  Ann. 
  Soc. 
  Ent. 
  Fr.," 
  p. 
  34, 
  pi. 
  ii., 
  fig. 
  7 
  (1861).]— 
  P. 
  laetus.— 
  

   Corpore 
  absque 
  anterioribus 
  ochraceis, 
  his 
  2 
  Dost 
  i 
  ce 
  grisescentibus 
  ; 
  laciniis 
  

   obsolete 
  albo-bistrigatis 
  ; 
  digiti 
  tertii 
  dorso 
  longe 
  ante 
  apicem 
  squamis 
  paucis 
  

   atris 
  instructo. 
  Var. 
  /3. 
  Alis 
  anterioribus, 
  brunnescentibus, 
  basi 
  dilutiore 
  (As. 
  

   Min., 
  Rom.). 
  — 
  Size, 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  P. 
  tristis, 
  variable 
  (expanse 
  of 
  forewings 
  

   3"'-4| 
  '"). 
  Ground 
  colour 
  of 
  body 
  and 
  forewings 
  light 
  ochre-yellow. 
  The 
  

   upper 
  lobe, 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  white 
  transverse 
  line, 
  somewhat 
  

   brownish 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  costa 
  itself 
  brown 
  ; 
  the 
  fringes 
  beyond 
  the 
  second 
  transverse 
  line 
  

   narrowly 
  white, 
  as 
  in 
  P. 
  tristis, 
  and, 
  on 
  the 
  underside, 
  less 
  pure 
  white, 
  and, 
  therefore, 
  

   contrasting 
  but 
  little 
  with 
  the 
  light 
  ground 
  colour. 
  At 
  the 
  hind 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   lobe, 
  the 
  white 
  in 
  the 
  fringe 
  usually 
  more 
  restricted 
  than 
  in 
  P. 
  tristis. 
  The 
  plumules 
  

   of 
  the 
  hindwing 
  more 
  yellowish-brown 
  and 
  lighter, 
  the 
  scale-tuft 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  

   is 
  always 
  smaller, 
  and 
  consequently 
  at 
  a 
  greater 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  apex 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  

   apex 
  are 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  small 
  black 
  scales. 
  The 
  entire 
  underside 
  is 
  much 
  yellower 
  

   than 
  in 
  P. 
  tristis, 
  and 
  the 
  abdomen 
  particularly 
  light 
  without 
  any 
  brown. 
  The 
  other 
  

   details 
  agree 
  with 
  the 
  latter 
  species. 
  The 
  Asiatic 
  example 
  (from 
  Kellemisch) 
  is 
  

   the 
  largest, 
  and 
  is 
  particularly 
  dark 
  (deep) 
  in 
  colour 
  ; 
  the 
  first 
  white 
  transverse 
  line 
  

   and 
  the 
  spot 
  at 
  the 
  cleft 
  are 
  slightly 
  shiny. 
  A 
  <$ 
  from 
  the 
  Campagna, 
  near 
  Rome, 
  is 
  

   exactly 
  like 
  it, 
  but 
  is 
  smaller. 
  I 
  caught 
  specimens 
  on 
  June 
  26th, 
  near 
  Catania, 
  in 
  

   company 
  with 
  P. 
  acanthodaetylus 
  ; 
  and, 
  on 
  July 
  lOth-llth, 
  three 
  examples 
  in 
  dry 
  

   spots 
  on 
  the 
  mountains 
  near 
  Messina 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  Campagna, 
  south 
  of 
  Rome, 
  specimens 
  

   were 
  flying, 
  not 
  rarely, 
  on 
  dry 
  grass 
  patches 
  on 
  August 
  24th 
  and 
  28th, 
  in 
  exactly 
  

   the 
  same 
  manner 
  as 
  our 
  P. 
  pilosellae. 
  The 
  species 
  is 
  probably 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  

   for 
  a 
  long 
  period. 
  Dr. 
  Loew 
  caught 
  it 
  in 
  Asia 
  Minor 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  September- 
  

   November 
  (Zeller). 
  Distribution: 
  Europe 
  (south 
  and 
  central), 
  Asia 
  Minor, 
  

   Armenia, 
  Tura, 
  Mauretania, 
  Canaries 
  (Staudinger 
  and 
  Rebel). 
  [One 
  supposes 
  that 
  

   " 
  Central 
  " 
  Europe 
  will 
  now 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  deleted.] 
  

  

  Some 
  five 
  years 
  after 
  Zeller 
  had 
  written 
  the 
  original 
  description 
  

   of 
  laetus, 
  he 
  monographed 
  the 
  " 
  plumes," 
  and 
  gave 
  the 
  following 
  

   diagnoses 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  he 
  recognised 
  (Linn. 
  Ent., 
  vi., 
  p. 
  346) 
  : 
  

  

  a. 
  Alis 
  anterioribus 
  pallide 
  ochraceis, 
  laciniis 
  obsolete 
  albido-bistrigatis 
  ; 
  digiti 
  

   tertii 
  dorso 
  longe 
  ante 
  apicem 
  squamis 
  paucis 
  atris 
  instructo 
  (d 
  ? 
  ). 
  

  

  (3. 
  Alis 
  anterioribus 
  brunnescentibus, 
  basi 
  dilutiore. 
  

   He 
  then 
  notes: 
  "The 
  very 
  light 
  ochreous 
  colour, 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  scale- 
  

   tuft 
  on 
  the 
  Brd 
  plumule, 
  readily 
  separate 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  /'. 
  tristis, 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  smaller 
  size 
  of 
  its 
  body 
  distinguishes 
  it 
  from 
  /'. 
  distans: 
  

   var. 
  p, 
  although 
  darker 
  than 
  the 
  type, 
  is 
  still 
  considerably 
  lighter 
  than 
  

   distans." 
  He 
  adds 
  '• 
  Castle 
  Abbadessa 
  in 
  Dalniatia, 
  in 
  June, 
  singly 
  on 
  

   pasture-land 
  (Mann)," 
  to 
  his 
  previous 
  localities. 
  Staudinger 
  and 
  Rebel 
  

   give 
  laetus 
  under 
  distans 
  as 
  "gen. 
  aest." 
  (Cat., 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  71) 
  and 
  

   simply 
  diagnose 
  it 
  as 
  "minor, 
  pallidior," 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  illuminating. 
  

   Chapman's 
  recent 
  work 
  has 
  shown 
  conclusively 
  that, 
  Milliere's 
  laetus 
  

   (Iconographie, 
  i., 
  pp. 
  3;->i 
  et 
  seq.) 
  belongs 
  here; 
  and, 
  for 
  reference, 
  we 
  

   here 
  give 
  Milliere's 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  which 
  reads 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Oxyptilus 
  laetus.- 
  Cet 
  insecte 
  a 
  de 
  grands 
  rapports 
  avec 
  le 
  laetue 
  i\s 
  Zeller. 
  

   11 
  posscdcdes 
  caractcres 
  constants 
  qui, 
  a 
  La 
  rigueur 
  pourraientei) 
  faire 
  one 
  espeoe 
  

  

  