﻿520 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  Wocke, 
  of 
  the 
  darker 
  base 
  to 
  the 
  fringes 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  margin, 
  is 
  not 
  con- 
  

   stant, 
  and 
  certainly 
  does 
  not 
  denote 
  a 
  differentiation 
  of 
  species.' 
  " 
  In 
  

   1893, 
  Hering 
  gave 
  (Stett. 
  Ent. 
  Ztg., 
  pp. 
  117-120) 
  further 
  details, 
  ^nd 
  

   described 
  at 
  length 
  the 
  larva 
  found 
  on 
  Gentiana 
  pneumonantke. 
  In 
  

   1895, 
  Hofmann 
  had 
  no 
  hesitation 
  in 
  referring 
  the 
  lowland 
  form, 
  

   pneumonanthes, 
  as 
  a 
  variety 
  to 
  the 
  mountain 
  form, 
  graphodactyla, 
  Tr. 
  

   In 
  Staudinger 
  and 
  Kebel's 
  Catalog, 
  1901, 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  77, 
  the 
  mountain 
  

   and 
  lowland 
  forms 
  are 
  treated 
  as 
  distinct 
  species, 
  the 
  former 
  from 
  the 
  

   "Alps, 
  Galicia, 
  and 
  Hungary," 
  the 
  latter 
  from 
  "north 
  Germany, 
  

   Holland, 
  and 
  ? 
  England." 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  notion 
  of 
  "England" 
  

   being 
  a 
  locality 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  true 
  scabious-feeding 
  

   plagiodactylus, 
  the 
  gentian 
  species 
  not 
  being 
  discovered 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  

   till 
  August, 
  1906. 
  

  

  Variation. 
  — 
  Herrich-Schaffer 
  notes 
  (Sys. 
  Bearb., 
  v., 
  p. 
  377) 
  that 
  

   examples, 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  Zurich 
  district 
  by 
  Frey, 
  are 
  smaller 
  than 
  those 
  

   from 
  the 
  Schneeberg, 
  the 
  Sommering, 
  etc. 
  In 
  1878, 
  Zeller 
  referred 
  

   (Stett. 
  Ent. 
  Ztg., 
  p. 
  164) 
  the 
  north 
  German 
  examples 
  to 
  this 
  species. 
  

   He 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  $ 
  taken 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Schleich 
  on 
  July 
  4th, 
  on 
  the 
  

   island 
  of 
  Wollin, 
  and 
  four 
  $ 
  s 
  and 
  two 
  £ 
  s 
  which 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  Stange 
  captured 
  

   from 
  among 
  several 
  specimens 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  meadows 
  near 
  Spandau, 
  June 
  

   24th 
  and 
  29th, 
  I 
  must 
  consider 
  this 
  species 
  as 
  one 
  also 
  indigenous 
  to 
  north 
  

   Germany, 
  if 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  possess 
  a 
  specific 
  distinction 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  white 
  

   transverse 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  is 
  also 
  continued 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe, 
  

   although 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  touch 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  adjacent 
  margins. 
  The 
  two 
  

   brown 
  spots 
  are 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  fissure 
  by 
  a 
  pale 
  space. 
  Perhaps 
  

   Gentiana 
  pneumonantke 
  is 
  the 
  foodplant 
  in 
  our 
  district." 
  Hering 
  

   observes 
  (Stett. 
  Ent. 
  Ztg., 
  1891, 
  pp. 
  225-6) 
  that 
  "the 
  graphodactyla 
  

   from 
  Switzerland 
  and 
  Austria 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  specifically 
  different 
  from 
  

   examples 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Germany, 
  to 
  which 
  two 
  examples 
  received 
  

   from 
  Turati, 
  and 
  taken 
  in 
  Lombardy, 
  approach 
  the 
  nearest." 
  The 
  series 
  

   of 
  fine 
  somewhat 
  large 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Frey 
  collection," 
  

   under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  plagiodactylus" 
  and 
  taken 
  near 
  Zurich, 
  are 
  exceed- 
  

   ingly 
  well-marked, 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  brownish 
  colour, 
  tinged 
  with 
  darker 
  

   fuscous-brown, 
  strongly 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  black 
  scales 
  along 
  the 
  nervures 
  

   and 
  costa, 
  the 
  lobal 
  line 
  and 
  transverse 
  lunule 
  (running 
  through 
  the 
  ter- 
  

   mination 
  of 
  the 
  cleft) 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  outer-marginal 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  lobes 
  very 
  

   thickly 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  white 
  scales; 
  the 
  apical 
  and 
  outer-marginal 
  fringes 
  

   of 
  the 
  lobes 
  pure 
  snowy-white, 
  becoming 
  grey 
  at 
  the 
  anal 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   lobe 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  inner 
  margin 
  ; 
  the 
  costa 
  and 
  median 
  area 
  longitudin- 
  

   ally 
  white-scaled 
  ; 
  a 
  small, 
  linear, 
  black, 
  median 
  dot 
  ; 
  a 
  distinct, 
  double, 
  

   black 
  dot, 
  often 
  united, 
  and 
  often 
  with 
  an 
  inner 
  branch 
  towards 
  the 
  

   centre 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  just 
  inside 
  the 
  termination 
  of 
  cleft 
  ; 
  a 
  very 
  con- 
  

   spicuous 
  linear 
  spot 
  in 
  the 
  transverse 
  band 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe; 
  a 
  narrow, 
  

   black, 
  outer-marginal 
  line 
  passing 
  between 
  the 
  outer 
  white 
  area 
  and 
  

   the 
  white 
  fringes 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe. 
  Hindwings 
  very 
  dark 
  grey-brown, 
  

   fringes 
  a 
  shade 
  paler 
  than 
  the 
  lunules, 
  markedly 
  paler 
  basally. 
  The 
  

   specimens 
  in 
  the 
  "Frey 
  collection" 
  labelled 
  " 
  graphodactylus" 
  from 
  

   Zurich, 
  are 
  somewhat 
  smaller, 
  less 
  markedly 
  contrasting 
  between 
  the 
  

   dark 
  and 
  paler 
  tints, 
  more 
  uniformly 
  greyish-fuscous, 
  the 
  white 
  parts 
  

   less 
  strongly 
  marked 
  and 
  scaled, 
  the 
  black 
  markings 
  in 
  "plagiodactylus" 
  

   are, 
  in 
  this, 
  only 
  a 
  darker 
  shade 
  of 
  fuscous-brown, 
  and 
  scarcely, 
  if 
  at 
  all, 
  

   distinguishable 
  from 
  the 
  ground-colour 
  ; 
  the 
  fringes 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  

   and 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  hindwings 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  preceding. 
  One 
  from 
  

  

  