Additions: CHLORIPPE. By J. Robee. AGRIAS. By A. H. Fassl. 



103/ 



Genus Chlorippe. 



Chlorippe burmeisteri G. db S. (p. 546, t. 110 B a, J). For a $ being figured 102 C e I am indebted 

 to the kindness of Sir. P. Jorgensen. It differs to such an extent from the $ of cyane that the presumption 

 of burmeisteri and cyane being separate species is thereby more substantiated. 



Genus Agrias. 

 (By A. H. Fassl f-) 



Since 1916 when the genus was treated upon in Vol. V, p. 566, by the late H. Feuhstorfee, a con- 

 siderable number of new forms have been discovered in the districts of the Lower and iliddle Amazon River 

 and its affluents having before been little explored entomologically, so that also the systematic division and 

 natural position of many forms can now be arranged according to these results and the much more copious 

 material from much different points of view. 



Altough our present knowledge of the genus can by no means be regarded as exhaustive, the siurprising 

 result is deduced that the Amazon River and the Rio Negro divide the whole enormous range of the genus 

 to the east of the Cordilleras with respect to its forms into two well separated regions; still vast important 

 districts are up to this day entirely unknown with respect to their Agrias-rsiees, above all the whole of Ve- 

 nezuela and the enormous plains of the Llanos of East Colombia, as well as the easternmost and central parts 

 of Brazil. 



A. Claudia. The northern forms, thus the races homed in the Guianas and to the north of the Amazon claudia. 

 and Rio Negro differ from all those occurring to the south of the Amazon by their smaller size and more uni- 

 coloiu-ed grey under sm-face, particularly in the band in which the row of eye-spots is situate. Most of the 

 subordinate forms of claudia described often occur as aberrations at the same place and time, which fact 

 will be affirmed by every collector of series of claudia^ from well explored habitats, such as the Maroni River 

 in Cayenne, Obidos and Manaos. Both typical claudia and all its transitions as far as amazona exhibiting 

 the least red colour, as well as those with a proximally notched red bow of the forewing (f . sahlkei) are foimd 

 together at either of the 3 habitats, just like the same forms with a more or less bluish-violet decoration of 

 the fore-and hindwing (vesta-iorms) . Specimens with an intense preapical blue lustre of the forewing have 

 in the meantime been described as imperialis Lathy, and an otherwise typical claudia (from Manaos and Obidos) hnperialis. 

 the large red spot of the hindwing of which is situate in a still larger bluish-violet spot, thus being the most 

 variegated of all the northern clatidia-iovms, we have denominated: tuschana form. nov. 



Most interesting are the forms of claudia to the west. From Manaos no Agrias had hitherto been known; 

 Dr. Hah^'el merely once saw the supposed sardanapalus flying, and Otto Michael obtained an entirely deso- 

 late specimen from a settler, which was said to have been taken near Manaos. Among the 40 red Agrias I 

 captured near Manaos there is no sardanapalus; all of them are forms of claudia, of ^^-hicli all the $$ and 

 most of the 2$' exhibit rich blue decoration which often entirely removes all the black tints above, whilst the 

 red disc of the hindwing is rather much reduced or entirely absent. Thereby a clatidia-ioini is produced near 

 Manaos especially resembling a sardanapalus, distinguished from its southern double sardanapalus by its re- 

 markably small size and a duller lighter blue of the hindwing being distally bordered by a uniformlj- broad 

 (almost 1cm) black edge; the preapical blue spot of the forewing is much more metallic and lustrous sky- 

 blue; the under surface is duller blue but with a more whitish margin than in sardanapalus; we denominate 

 the interesting new insect ninus form. nov. A form quite similar to it, likewise without a red disc on the hind- 

 wing, resembling also sahlkei, occurs near Manaos, with a deeply indented red bow on the forewing, of which 

 4 couples are before us, which are quite constantly coloured and marked and which we denominate claudia 

 biedermanni form. nov. (t. 113 B a (J aiid ?) in honour of Mr. Rob. Biedermann, the well-kno-mi collector 

 at Winterthur, since the same name having before been applied to a form of pericles becomes vacant for reasons 

 to be discussed hereafter. This magnificent new form of Agrias in the ? already shows distinct attempts 

 of the red band being distally broken up, where it is partly crossed by the black veins. 



We now come to the forms occurring to the south of the Amazon River. We do not wish to discuss 

 the question whether sardanapalus is justified to be regarded as a distinct species, still we must state the fact 

 that all the forms from the Southern Amazon District that were formerly placed to claudia combme certain 

 common marks which are absent in the genuine races of claudia from the Northern Amazon District and the 

 Guianas. Beside the larger size, the rounder shape of the wings and the much brighter ochreous-yellow under 

 surface we miss here above all every approach to the aberration sahlkei being of such frequent occm'ence in 

 the north with the basally angular excision of the red bow of the forewing. The different forms denommated 

 are much more bound to the locality; the discovery of a genuine sardanapalus on the Rio iladeira with 

 a large red disc of the hindwing proves the complete gradual transition of the most abundantlj- red eastern 



tuscluma. 



biederman- 

 ni. 



