LYTHRIA. By L. B. Peout. 
71 
Genus 2 ( Rhodometra), it will be observed, has been transferred to the Sterrhinae, but this small change 
was not considered sufficient justification for re-numbering all the succeeding genera. 
3. Genus: Lytkria Him. 
L. plumularia Frr. (Vol. 4, p. 155) ab. rufataria Vorbrodt. All 3 bands confluent and the forewing so rufataria. 
strongly reddened that mere red-dusted remains of the yellow ground-colour persist in the costal half (be¬ 
tween bands 2 and 3) and at the distal margin. Founded on 2 and 1 $ from Madris-Avers, Switzerland. 
L. purpuraria L. The differentiation of this species and the following and the remarkable variability 'purpuraria. 
of both have given a fresh impetus to their closer study and some very interesting w r ork has been done by 
Zebny, Kitt and others. The latest and most exhaustive study of the named forms is Lempke's, published 
in “Lambillionea” last year and is here accepted with little reservation. — ab. porphyraria H.-Sch. (7 a). On porphyra- 
account of the varied opinions which have been expressed regarding this curious Lythria form (see Vol. 4, p. 156), 
we consider it desirable to reproduce the type figure. Dr. Zebny, having seen a similar example (a $ from 
Fbivaldsky, without locality), transfers it to purpuraria and I unhesitatingly follow him; the figure shows 
the wings at least as elongate, perhaps even more so, and the extension of the olive-toned ground-colour along 
the hindmargin so far as to interrupt the postmedian band would be extremely improbable in a purple-suf¬ 
fused aberration of purpurata. I suppose my statement that it seemed to be certainly this latter arose from 
my having seen an ab. sarmatica (see below) determined as porphyraria. — ab. mevesi Lampa. Zebny and merest. 
Lempke point out that my diagnosis in Vol. 4 is inexact; the original diagnosis, Lempke correctly says, runs: 
“ochre yellow, the transverse band of the forewing grey”. The forms from Central Asia often incline to this 
colouring, but I think it must be rare in Europe. — ab. lutearia Vill. (= abstinentaria part. Fuchs) (7 c) is lutearia. 
also very rare in the extreme form described by de Villiebs (with markingless uppersicle) and when it does 
so occur, there is often also — as in the $ now figured from the Sibilline Mountains, 4 September — an obso¬ 
lescence of the band beneath; de Villiebs seems to have had a with the latter band and a $ without. In any 
case, I still agree with Staudingeb in conjoining here specimens ■with “fasciis subnullis”. I have a from 
Kazvin, N. W. Persia. — ab. nigricans Manon. Forewing blackish, as though covered with a slight coating of nigricans. 
smoke-black; lines, as in lutearia, faint. Rochelle etc, in August and September. — ab. trilineata nov. (7 c) is trilineata. 
very remarkable on account of the development of a median line on the forewing, as distinct as the ante- 
median though slightly narrower, and the strong development of the line of the hindwing above. Brignoles, August 
1909 (Dr. P. Siepi), the unique type $ in the Tring Museum; collected with normal purpuraria. A q from the Ama- 
nus Mountains, recordedtestatively by Wehbli as “purpuraria sanguinaria” , may well belong here. —at). (\ sub- 
sp.) ruginaria Costa. Zebny merges this in lutearia and this may ultimately prove correct, as its author included ruginaria. 
with the rust-coloured (‘Tulvo-rubiginosa”) typeform occasional yellowish ochre examples; but it seems premature, 
unless material has been studied from the Terra d'Otranto, where it is said to be frequent near the Adriatic littoral. 
As it is a large form (12—14 lines) and has the wings concolorous, Cubo’s attempt to see in it ab. (gen. aest.) 
deceptoria is quite wide of the mark. — gen. vern. deceptoria Vill. ab. sordidaria Zett. This, as Zebny indicates, is sordidaria. 
probably the correct appellation of the frequent spring-brood form in which the purple bands of the forewing are 
developed on the dark ground; only if it can be demonstrated that Lapland has a differentiable race will it stand 
as purpuraria sordidaria and another name be required for the banded deceptoria ; there is, however, as with pur¬ 
puraria and lutearia, no sharp line of demarcation between banded and non-bandecl. — When Vol. 4 was written 
I had not access to any Lythria from Central Asia and therefore did not attempt to place Staudingeb's records; 
they belong, however r, to the present species, chiefly in the weakly marked forms. Westward it reaches France, 
where it is widely distributed; the records from Holland and Belgium, on the other hand, relate to purpurata. 
L. purpurata L. (= purpuraria Cl., nec. L.) ab. sarmatica Pruffer (= schumanni Hannemann) (7 d). sarmatica. 
Forewing almost entirely purple, excepting the obliquely bounded patch at the base; in Pbuffeb's type there 
remains also a subterminal spot at the costa; in the specimen which we figure there is further (though incom¬ 
plete) development of the subterminal (rubenima Hannemann). The type of sarmatica, a small, short-winged 
specimen from Zwierzyniec (Lublin), 13 August and all Hannemann’s named aberrations were originally referred 
to purpuraria but rightly transferred by Kitt. — ab. communiarea Romaniszyn has the forewing purple as far communi- 
as the end of the outer band, leaving only the narrow terminal area ochreous; the broad purple band on the area 
hindwing beneath, widening anteriorly, shows it to belong to purpurata. Taken at Lubyczky Krolowskiej, 
28 July 1923. — ab. rubrovittata Hannemann conserves the basal patch of sarmatica and the narrow terminal rubrovittata. 
band of communiarea, the rest of the forewing remaining solidly purple. — ab. triangulata Hannemann has triangulata. 
small costal patches of the ground-colour in the broad purple median band of rubrovittata, showing here its 
tripartite origin. — ab. tangens Hannemann, with “the bands widened and anastomosing" is defectively charac- tangens. 
terized, so that the suggestion is given of a slightly less extreme ab. triangulata, whereas the figure shows only 
the 2nd. and 3rd bands coalesced and only differs from the name-typical purpurata in the increased, with of 
the band so formed. Kitt compares it with sanguinaria ab. confluens Oberth. (7 d). — ab. rubrior Hanne- rubrior. 
mann also has the purple markings much broadened, but the outer (the coalesced) band here extends right 
to the distal margin. — ab. aucta Krausse. The description given in Vol. 4 (p. 156) might give the impression aucta. 
