96 
Psyche 
[Sept.-Dee. 
Lycaeides melissa Edwards 
Melissa is the commonest and most widely distributed nearc- 
tic Lycaeides, or more exactly its structure seems to be the most 
popular achievement in the genus. There is some indication 
that in some form or other it reaches Labrador in the North- 
East. For the Palearctic, it has been reported from the Lower 
yolga (as sareptensis Chapman, 1917, in Oberthur, op. cit., 14, 
pi. 12, male genit., et 1918, Ent. Rec. 30:2-5) on the basis of 
specimens collected by Sheldon and Jones (Sheldon, 1914, Ent. 
47:273); the authenticity of the locality data has been criticised 
by Stempffer, 1931, who however was only aware of the brief 
mention of sareptensis in the 1917 paper. A pair of specimens 
has also been reported from Kamchatka by Forster (1936, 
Mitt. Miinchen. Ent. Ges. 26:81, slide 418, male genit.) and 
this might seem fairly plausible had not Forster’s work been 
full of the most preposterous blunders. 8 
melissa melissa Edw. 
Although different shades of underside coloration can be 
racially perceived, the intergradation is so complete and geo- 
graphically so intricate that I do not hesitate to group all such 
specimens which only differ in the shade of fawn, from brownish 
fawn through greyish to almost white, under melissa melissa. 
I have series of this from nineteen stations in Colorado, eleven 
in California, six in Utah, five each in Idaho, Montana and 
Manitoba, four each in Washington and British Columbia, two 
each in Nevada and Wyoming, and from single localities in 
Saskatchewan, Alberta, Oregon, Arizona, Texas and Kansas. 
My material shows that at four points of its extensive West- 
ern range melissa produces four striking local races embossed 
as it were on its rather monotonous morphological texture. 
These are: 
1. A curious Colorado form from Pitkin Co. and Lake Co. 
which, owing to the narrowness of the underside ornamental 
band, bears a false resemblance to scudderi. Possibly referred 
to by Barnes and McDunnough op. cit.: 110. 
2. A darkish form with discernible insulae and a peculiar un- 
derside: hoary greyish fawn with a generous spread of pale 
8 Such as assigning an alien Lycceides organ (Mitt. Munchner Ent. Ges. 26, 
slide 493) to Plebejus argus ssp. tancrei Graeser (l.c. fig. 27) or confusing Lycoena 
anna Edwards with Thecla anna Druce (l.c.: 141), etc. 
