494 



PAPILIONID^. 



frontier. All these specimens differ from Himalayan examples in being 

 clouded Avith dusky scales, the red markings are usually brighter and larger, 

 and the females have a very glossy appearance. Oberthiir states that his 

 male and female types were taken by Major Charlton in Chinese Tartary 

 together with the types of jacquenionti. Gray. 



Under the name cachemiriensis, Oberthiir describes and figures tvro speci- 

 mens of P. epaphus which he received from a London dealer (these were 

 probably some of my duplicates from N.AV. flimalayas). He states that they 

 differ from typical epaphus in the absence of the red basal spot on the upper 

 surface of secondaries and in having small red spots, inclining to yellowish, 

 on these wings. 



Epaphus is an exceedingly variable species, and I have specimens of both 

 sexes in which there are no traces of red spots on upper surface of any of the 

 wings ; other specimens have three well-defined red spots on each wing and 

 all the gradations between these two extreme forms are represented. The 

 central red spots are sometimes connected by a black streak, and in some 

 examples all the spots are pure yellow instead of red, a character not 

 infrequent in other species of the genus. The dark markings vary in size 

 and definition and the fringes are invariably chequered. - In expanse of wings 

 the specimens range from 52-72 millim., but the largest example of epaphus 

 is smaller than Boisduval's type of P. Jacquemonti. 



Var. si/ckimensis, Elwes, from Sikkim, is distinguished chiefly by its smaller 

 size. 



The species being so variable I found it necessary to retain a series of 

 118 specimens of those collected by myself in Baltistan and Kashmir in 

 1887, and by Mr. McArtliur in Ladak and neighbouring districts in 1889. 

 So far as my experience is concerned I found tliat tlie insect was not often 

 met with below 14,000 feet and its range extended up to 18,(:()0 feet. It 

 frecpients grassy mountain-slopes and its fliglit is not very ra])id. 



1 have received specimens from the Kuktie, Barra-lacha, and Kardong 

 Passes, Depsang, Chonging Valley, and the Karakoram, and from Rudok in 

 Western Thibet. 



Foeta is oidy a slight local form of 7^ (paphus. Th(> male is somewhat 

 more suffused with darker scales and tlie female is darker and more trans- 

 ))arcnt than the same sex of epaphus, and usually (lie red sjxjts are better 

 (leveloj)ed. 



