SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



26: 



as it is of dark scales, is very bright. Its black 

 markings are extremely reduced ; consequently this 

 form is in effect the whitest which has yet been 

 included under the head of P. delphius." Translated 

 from Honrath, quoted by Aust., p. 210.) " Elle 

 volait dans des sites deserts, recouverts de neiges 

 perpetuelles oil la vegetation ne peut plusse manifester 

 que par ses representants les plus degrades." — 

 Honrath, I.e. Hag. Alps of Alai, east of Och, 

 Turkestan. VI. e. 



P. orlcansi. 



h. var. maximinus Stgr. Seems to be merely a 

 form of var. albulus, inhabiting the mountains to the 

 south-west of Issyk-Kul Lake, Central Asia. As I 

 do not know the var. , I am not prepared to sink the 

 name, but from the description in R. H. it seems 

 identical with albulus. 



The var. illustris Gr. -Gr. is, I believe, identical 

 with var. transiens, Aust. The name is treated by 

 Austat, p. 205, as a synonym of transiens, and, as it 

 seems, with every good reason. There are several 

 named varieties of P. delphius included by R. H., 

 besides those mentioned here. I do not include 

 them, as I do not think that they can properly be 

 considered as belonging to the Palaearctic Region. 

 If, however, I have reason at a later date to alter 

 my opinion concerning these vars. of P. dolphins, 

 and also vars. of other species of Parnassius, they 

 shall be added in an appendix. In H. and R. all 

 the known species and vars. of the genus are given, 

 whether Palaearctic or not, though the rest of the 

 work deals only with butterflies that strictly inhabit 

 that region. 



18. P. cardinal Gr.-Gr. Aust. Parn. 83, pi. 

 19, fig. 1. 



54—56 mm. 



The white ground colour of all the wings has a 

 decidedly yellowish tinge, but not to the exaggerated 

 extent shown in Austat's figure. The greater part of 

 the f.w. is occupied by dusky semi-transparent mark- 

 ings, consisting of the marginal and ante-marginal 

 bands, together with a third one internal to these 

 and coalescing with the ante-marginal. The only 

 really black markings are the two subcostal spots. 

 H.w. yellowish-white, base black as in P. delphius 

 var. staudingeri, but the black shading reaches as 

 far as the central red spot. Both red spots large and 

 brightly coloured, surrounded by broad black rings 

 and joined by a black band. Out. marg. not 

 semitransparent, white with a wavy ante-marginal 



band forming a row of crescents having their 

 extremities reaching as far as the edge of the 

 wing, two distinct black spots at the anal extremity 

 of the ante-marginal band. ? resembles the <J, 

 but the markings are paler and less intense. There 

 are one or two small red spots near an. ang. h.w. 

 Abdominal pouch with the inferior lobes shorter than 

 in P. delphius. 



Hab. Turkestan. High Alps to south of Samar- 

 kand. 



Group 4. Cornuti Aust. 



This group contains one species only. Abdominal 

 pouch peculiarly shaped, like a curved horn. 



19. P. eharltonius Gray. Cat. Brit. Mus. 1852, 

 p. 77, pi. XII. 7. Aust. Parn. 188, pi. V. 1—2. 



80 — 84 mm. 



Ground colour of wings white, with a slightly 

 yellowish tinge, but whiter than in P. delphius and its 

 vars. F.w. powdered with black towards base. 

 Marginal and ante-marginal bands well defined. 

 The two innermost black subcostal spots large and 

 square. External to these a short black band. H.w. 

 narrowly black along inner marg., somewhat as in 

 P. apollonius. The costal and central spots present, 

 but the former of these is very small and only marked 

 with red in ? ; the latter, however, is larger than in 

 any of the species above described ; oval in shape 

 and of a deep rich red broadly edged with black 

 internally and with a white dot towards upper part ; 

 near the an. ang. is an oblong black spot, in 5 

 broader and marked with red. There is a faint ante- 

 marginal band of shading, and on it a row of five 

 deep black spots with distinct blue centres. U.S. 

 f.w. as above. H.w. chalky white in centre, and 



P. feldoi. 



with the costal spot marked red in both sexes. Basal 

 spots black, with a faint tinge of red. Abdominal 

 pouch in % light yellowish, and of the peculiar shape 

 shown on page 171. 



If we except the magnificent P. imperator Oberth., 

 which belongs to the Indo-Australian Region, this 

 is without doubt the most splendid species of Par- 

 nassius, although it does not attain the expanse of 

 large specimens of P. ha, bolus. Yet the clear 



k 3 



