390 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



? sex. Captured July 14th, 1901, at Fortunes Bock, near Biddeford, Maine 

 (Winn, Ent. News, xiii., p. 78.) 



In the British Museum coll. is a $ labelled — "Bagovitza, Podolia. 

 Coll. Gr.," and, in Grum-Grshimailo's handwriting, another label is 

 attached to it, with the word " hermaphrodite." It is a $ , showing a 

 peculiar aberrational development on the right forewing, the iridescent 

 blue extending somewhat along the lower branch of the median 

 nervure, and invading for some distance the black marginal band. 

 This seems to have no sexual connection or origin.- 



Teratological example. — The following is the only teratological 

 specimen we have noted : — 



(1) A specimen taken at the end of May, 1883, at Woodford, with the hind- 

 wings distinctly angled in much the same way as Gonepteryx rhamni, but the 

 angles not so prominent or acute (Bishop, Ent., xvii., pp. 41-2). 



Variation. — This is probably one of the most difficult species 

 with the variation of which we shall have to deal, in our considera- 

 tion of the British species, not that it is in itself so very variable 

 an insect, although its exceedingly wide range of distribution, extend- 

 ing apparently over the whole Palrearctic and Nearctic, as well as a 

 great part of the Oriental, regions, and its tendency to form local 

 races with somewhat distinct facies, make the sum total of its variation 

 considerable, but the fact that it is, as it were, the centre of a large 

 number of closely- allied species with similar facies, from which the typical 

 form varies superficially almost as little as from its own local races. As a 

 result of this, the local races of this common species have been in 

 almost every instance described as distinct species, whilst on mere 

 superficial appearance it is difficult to say which forms are varietal and 

 which entitled to specific rank. As an aid in forming a correct con- 

 clusion concerning these species, Chapman has carefully examined the 

 male genitalia of several of the more doubtful forms, and he 

 notes {in litt.) : " The general results of my examination show that 

 specimen from Japan ( = ladonides), Corea ( = levettii), India ( = coeles- 

 tina), and China, are all very definitely C. argiolus, whilst 

 American examples {=pseudargiolus) are very nearly identical; in this 

 particular, too, huegelii (India) is practically the same as argiolus, 

 showing the tiny teeth on the outside of the clasp. It may be further 

 noted that coelestina (India), levettii (Corea), and ladonides (Japan) show 

 some slight variation towards obsolescence in the size of the teeth, 

 which is also discoverable in pseudargiolus (N. America); all of which 

 would lead one to suppose that these are all hypothetically syngamic. 

 In addition, however, to these races, more or less generally admitted to 

 be forms of argiolus, there are also sikkima, Moore (a form perfectly 

 good as against jynteana), a form, apparently undescribed, very like 

 albocaeruleus, and mixed with that species, or at least labelled albo- 

 caeruleus in the collection at South Kensington (var. albocaeruleoides, 

 n. var.), and victoria, Swinhoe. These forms are very remarkable 

 deviations from typical argiolus, and require much fuller notice. Some 

 Indian species, superficially very like these forms of 0. argiolus, 

 have very different appendages, those of C. argiolus having a very 

 special form of clasp, long and pointed, with short microscopic 

 teeth on its outer edge. Of others examined, the appendages of 

 C. puspa make the nearest approach to those of C argiolus, 

 being of the same general type, but the spine on the clasp is 



