160 NYMPHALID^. 
Apatura iris. (Plate XV. fig. 4, ? var.) 
PajiUio iris, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. i. 3, p. 775 (1767) ; Esp. Schmett. i. 1, pi. 11. fig. 1 
(1777) ; i. 2, pi. 71. fig. 4 (1781) ; Hiibn. Eur. Sclimett. i. figs. 117, 118 (1794?). 
Apatura iris, Lang, Butt. Eur. p. 156, pi. xxxiv. fig. 2 (1884). 
Apatura iris, var. bieti, Obertliiir, Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1885, p. cxxxvi ; Etud. d^Eutom. 
xi. p. 18, pi. iii. fig. 15 (1886). 
" Expands 2'25 to 3-25 inches. Fore wiugs dark brown, with ten white spots arranged as fol- 
lows : — one oval-shaped spot rather larger than the rest in the centre of the wing, and below 
this is a crescentiform spot with its convex side turned outwards, and then below this and 
nearly touching the inner margin a small round one; external to these and near the hind 
margin are two round spots placed one above the other ; above and internal to these last are 
three costal spots placed one above the other, and external to them two small ones close to 
the apex. Hind wings with a broad white band running across their centre from the costa 
to the inner margin, broadest at its costal end, and becoming gradually narrow towards the 
inner margin ; on its inferior edge is a spur-like projection just where the band crosses the 
discoidal ceU ; near to the anal angle is an orange ring, the centre of which is black or 
bluish ; the anal angle itself is marked with orange. The wings in the male are short, with 
rich violet, excepting along the hind margins, which are brown, sometimes slightly tinged 
with fulvous. Underside of all the wings light brown, with white bands and spots arranged 
as on the upper surface. The fore wings are strongly tinged with reddish orange towards 
the costa, and towards their centre is a black spot with a bluish pupil and surrounded by an 
orange ring : the hind wings are tinged with reddish brown along the edges of the white 
band, and at the aual angle is a round black spot with a bluish pupil. The clubs of the 
antennae are black without orange tips. 
" Larva. Green, slightly bluish towards the ventral surface, studded all over with minute yellow 
spots, each segment having a yellow line running upwards and backwards in an oblique 
direction. The head, which is flattened in front, has a pair of horn-like appendages, which 
are not retractile, and in colour are dark green in front and lighter posteriorly." {Lang, I. c.) 
Feeds on Salix. 
Var. bieti, Oberthiir. (Plate XV. fig. 4, ? .) Male. Brownish black, faintly shot with purple in 
certain lights. The base, sometimes the whole surface, of all the wings thickly powdered with 
fulvous scales ; the central band is formed as in typical iris, but is fulvous in colour, and the 
costal portion composed of spots which are uniform both in size and shape ; there are usually 
three spots towards apex, the upper two white, sometimes tinged with fulvous, the lower one 
generally fulvous ; the black spot on the first median interspace has a bluish centre and is 
broadly bordered outwardly with fulvous, in some specimens this spot is also inwardly edged 
with fulvous. Secondaries have central and submarginal bands as in the ty^je, but the former is 
narrower, and both are fulvous ; there is a broad interrupted band of the same colour between 
them ; the black spot towards anal angle has a bluish centre. Under surface as in typical 
iris, except that the ocellus on primaries is broadly ringed with fulvous, enclosing and partly 
obscuring the two usual white spots ; band on secondaries very slender below costa. 
Female. There are two forms of this sex. In one all the markings, except the subapical spots, 
are yellowish ; in the other the markings, excepting the submarginal band of secondaries, 
