PABNASSIUS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
Ill 
sharply defined submarginal spots. —- rhodius Hour., from Kashmir, differs in the more circular ocelli and rhodius. 
the diffuse submarginal bands of the hindwing. — chitralensis Moore is a local form with pure white ground- chitralensis. 
colour, reduced black and red spots on the forewing, but more extended black basal spot on the hindwing, 
which sends tooth-like projections into the middle of the wing, and more reniform red ocelli. Chitral. — jac¬ 
quemonti is a high alpine species, which has been found on the passes of the Himalayas at elevations of 10,000 
to even 18,000 ft. The butterflies fly low and rapidly over snow-fields or the frozen ground, even where the 
least vegetation can no longer exist. Time of flight July to September. The of the races of jacquemonti 
possess keeled pouches, whilst those of the following epaphus -series have instead of the keel a pouch with trans¬ 
verse folds at the broad end. 
P. epaphus Obertli., from the north-west Himalayas (Ladak), is a species which flies in July and August, epaphus. 
has been observed up to a height of 15,000 ft. and is locally common, although it is seldom brought to Europe. 
Oberthur’s type belongs to the rainy-season form, recognisable by larger red ocelli and broader black bands 
than the form cachemiriensis Obertli. (vol. I, 15c), which has smaller spots and ocelli and pure white instead 
of ochre-yellow ground-colour. Near Leh, Kashmir, the latter is not rare. — nirius Moore (vol. I, 15 b), which nirius. 
belongs to epaphus on account of the melanotic colouring of the $ (which is much darker than the $), is a 
habitually small individual aberration, likewise from Kashmir, and only to be distinguished from epaphus 
by the complete submarginal band of the forewing, not broken up into separate spots (Bingham). 
P. sikkimensis Elio. (50 d) is a well-defined, very small local form from Native Sikkim, where it was sikkimensis. 
taken by Elwes in September 1870 on the Tibetan border at an altitude of 19,000 ft. Also in South Tibet (Kam- 
bajong) the species is still common, but varies much in size, some specimens even approximating to the North 
Tibetan nanchanica Aust. by their large red ocelli, whilst dark examples also occur with the disc of the fore¬ 
wing densely dusted with black. 
P. hardwicki Gray (vol. I, 15 b) represents in its most developed forms decidedly the most brightly hardwicki 
coloured species of all the Parnassiids, with such a wide range of variation that Moore devoted to it in the 
Lepidoptera Indica three plates with 24 coloured figures, no two of which are alike, and yet the peculiar moss- 
green tinted under surface only occurring in hardwicki (similar to that of certain Colias) is not once represented 
there. 
hardwicki was discovered by Major Charlton in Kashmir together with acco and simo. There and in 
Simla the species occurs all the year round. It prefers bare mountain peaks only overgrown with grass, flying 
slowly above the tree-limit like ordinary sluggish Pierids, but can also hasten rapidly over the rocks. Two 
broods have been definitely proved. Moore even believes there is evidence of the existence of three, but only 
an early spring and a late autumn brood are certain. The latter apparently hibernates, for Capt. Lang has 
seen hardwicki flying in December and February on fine days which followed on weeks of snow-storms. Young 
found large numbers of pupae in the middle of October and believes that even more pupae than imagos hiber¬ 
nate. The larvae, like those of the allied species, feed on species of Saxifrage. The species varies least in the 
western Himalayas, the lighter forms fly at elevations of 7500—9000 ft., the dark ones from 10—15,000 ft. 
I consider that two races can be differentiated, namely hardwicki Gray (vol. I, 15 b), from Kashmir and the 
western Himalayas with the extremely albinotic development f. otos Fruhst. (50 c), and charino Elw. (50 d), 
the melanotic high alpine form. —- For the smaller Sikkim race, which particularly in the female is also dusted 
with darker green beneath, the name viridicans subsp. nov. (50 c, d) may be introduced. Of this afer Fruhst. 
is a darkened form, albicans Fruhst. an albinotic one, and parva Verity an undersized mountain form. The 
$$ are the most brightly coloured, being always darker than the <$<$ and also beneath marked with red on 
a green ground. The pouch is compressed laterally, bladder-shaped, Avhitish yellow, with a deep longitudinal 
furrow on the underside. 
P. imperator Oberth. (50 a, <$\ $ vol. I, 16 f) is the largest representative of the group. One of the imperator. 
rare which are found in very few collections, is here figured, and also a race from South Tibet, taken 
near the border of Sikkim, augustus Fruhst. (50 b). This highly specialised local form differs from imperator augustus. 
in the yellowish, sometimes even canary-yellow ground-colour and the more sharply defined and narrower black 
bands of both wings, the very large red, transparent basal patch and the red tear-shaped spots (resembling 
those of jacquemonti, epaphus and hardwicki, but even larger) in the cell and the subanal area of the liind- 
wing. The red ocelli of the hindwing remain smaller, but are more broadly margined with black and as well 
as the blue anal ocelli have more white in the centre, augustus does not equal imperator in size, on the other 
hand the submarginal band of the forewing is almost twice as broad, moreover all the yellowish bands on the 
forewing show a tendency to increase in width. Pouch of the $ similar to that of delphius, but stronger, 
darker, with two pointed lobes. 
Among the most conspicuous of all the species is also 
P. charltonius Gray (50 a), distinguished by the gorgeous, mostly very large, quadrate, light red ocelli charltonius. 
and the isolated, large black blue-centred submarginal spots of the hindwing. In contrast to augustus there 
otos. 
charino. 
viridicans. 
afer. 
albicans. 
parva. 
