AEASCHNIA. 
269 
Vanessa levana, Godart, Euc. Meth. ix. p. 312 (1810) ; Lang, Butt. Eur. p. 167, 
pi. xxxviii. fig. 4 (1881). 
Vanessa levana, var. prorsa, Lang, 1. c. p. 1G8, pi. xxxix. fig. 2. 
Arasclmia obscura, Fenton, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1881, p. 850. 
Vanessa levana, var. porima, Ochsenheimer, Schmett. Eur. i. p. 134 (1807) ; Lang, 1. c. 
p. 168. 
"Expands from I'O to 1-25 in. (the smallest species). The wings are fulvous ; fore wings with a 
slight projection at the anal angle, yellow on the costa ; they have several rows of small black 
spots towards the base and larger ones on the central area and at the apices, near which there 
are one or two white spots. Hind wings dentated along their hind margins, fulvous, spotted 
with black, and with a hind-margnial row of very small blue lunules. Fringes black and 
white. Underside : ground-colour purplish-brown, the nervures white. The fore wings have 
a small white circle in the discoidal cell near the base, and outside this four white lines ; near 
the apex are some yellowish-white and brown markings ; towards the anal angle are some 
light brown markings, and above these two pure white spots surrounded by light blue. The 
hind wings have an oblong white spot near the base touching the costa ; across their centre 
extends, from the costa to inner margin, a brownish-white band, and a line of the same colour 
runs parallel to the hind margin throughout its entire length, except opposite the angular pro- 
jection of the wing, where it is obscured by a large light blue blotch. The pattern of the 
underside, resulting from a combination of the white lines of the nervures and the delicatel} - 
defined markings, is exceedingly intricate, and has earned for the species its common French 
name of ' Carte geographique.' " {Lang, I. c.) 
Larva. " Black or dark grey, sometimes with brown stripes ; spiny, the spines being black or 
brownish-yellow. Gregarious on Urfica dioica." (Lang, I. c.) 
Var. prorsa, Linnaeus. " About the same size and the same shape as levana, biit all the wings 
are brownish black. Fore wings with a white central band interrupted much in the same way 
as that of Limenitis sihylla. External to this is a row of small white spots beginning near 
the apex ; near the anal angle is a red line, which is continued along the margin of the hind 
wings. Hind wings with a well-defined band across their centre, and besides the red line 
mentioned above two others, one on each side of it, less distinct. Marginal fringes black and 
white. Underside as in levana, but the ground-colour is darker and the yellow spots are 
replaced by white ones ; the central white band is distinct and the light blue blotches are 
absent." {Lang, I. c.) 
Var. obscura, Fenton. (Plate XXVI. fig. 9.) "Allied to A. fallax, Janson (Cist. Ent. 1878, 
p. 271). Male. Above soot-black: primaries with four short, narrow, transverse lines in the 
cell, and one below the median vein near the base, pale ochreous ; the transverse interrupted 
band on the disk extending quite to the costal edge at one end, but only to the submcdian vein 
at the other, very pale ochreous ; four spots in a curved row near the apex, the first and 
second, and a small linear spot about the middle and close to the margin, pale ochreous, the 
third (the smallest) and the fourth (the largest) and a small spot between the second and third 
median veinlets pure white ; no irregular submarginal lunular reddish-sienna spots : secon- 
daries produced at the middle of outer edge ; no undulating reddish-sienna lines ; fringe with 
white sinuations interrupted by black at the end of the nervules. Below pale ochreous ; the 
irregular marks at the base reddish-chocolate ; the apical third occupied by a broad band of 
