22 
It will, no doubt, be rightly assumed that it is the variation of the 
imago of which I intend principally to speak ; but it may be of some 
interest—and the title of my paper certainly does not preclude it—to 
remark that “ The Variation of Entephria caesiata ” is by no means 
confined to its final stage. The larva also is very variable, and 
most of its forms are very gay. It seems to have been first made 
known by Freyer, is briefly described by Guenee, and has more recently 
been figured and described by Milliere (Sat. Sicil ., vi., p. 8, pi. i.» 
fig. 16, 1886) and by Buckler ( Larvae, vii., p. 166, pi. cxxvii., fig. 3, 
1897). The description in Buckler was supplied him by Hellins (Ent. 
Mo. Ma<i., xii., p. 6), and gives two principal forms of the larva, the first 
“ deep red-chocolate,” the second “ a deep bright green,” both having 
the distinct dorsal ornamentation which makes it such a handsome 
creature. Buckler figures two of the former main variety, one (fig. 36) 
being green at the segment incisions. The food-plants, as recorded 
by Hellins, by Staudinger, Frey, Hoffmann (Stett. Ent. Zeit., xlix., 
p. 174), and others, are chiefly the species of Vactinium and Calluna, 
though Frey (Lep. Schweiz, p. 231) also gives willow and, with a 
query, young firs, while Milliere (Nat. Sicil., vi., p. 9) says that in 
confinement it eats Primus, Crataegus, Cistus, and Geranium, but 
prefers Convolvulus arvensis — i.e., is partially polyphagous. My own 
acquaintance with the larva is based solely on some which Dr. Chapman 
kindly sent me, fullfed, in July, 1900, from Pontresina, where he 
found them feeding on rhododendron—an otherwise unrecorded food- 
plant, I believe, though related to its favourite pabula. They seemed 
to be mostly of the purplish-brown form, changing to green when 
about to pupate, but it struck me that they had been definitely variable, 
and some probably green throughout, at least, the final instar. 
So far as is at present known, Entephria caesiata was first detected 
as a species by Denis and Schiff’ermiiller, who published it in 1775 
(Schmett. Wien., p. Ill), under the name of Geometra caesiata, placing 
it in “ Family L ” (subsequently named Larentia by Treitschke, 
Stinnett. Eur., v., 2, p. 440, 1825), with the “family” (generic) 
characters as follow : Geometrae, Mediofasciatae —upper wings almost 
as in the preceding” (i.e., “marked transversely on the upperside with 
parallel, clustered, wavy lines”), marked with curved or waved trans¬ 
verse lines, yet with those in the central area of the wing more massed 
together and darkened, so as to form a transverse band of almost equal 
breadth throughout. The species (No. 6, p. 112) comes in section ., 
“forewings grey,” and is diagnosed as the “blue-grey, dark-striped 
geometer,” the locality given being Styria. These particulars, taken 
in conjunction with the testimony of Schiffermiiller’s contemporaries, 
are amply sufficient for the recognition of the species, and Staudinger 
should not have cited Lang, Verz. (1789) as the earliest authority for 
the name. 
Leaving out of consideration the varietal names, there are really 
remarkably few synonyms for this species. It is, indeed, hard to 
believe that Schrank, in his studies of the fauna of Bavaria, can have 
remained unacquainted with it, especially as he clearly did not neglect 
mountain collecting,* but a careful examination of the diagnoses of 
* See, for instance, his Fauna Boica, ii., 2, pp. 51-52, alpinata (---quadrifaria, 
Sulz.) and aarbonata ( = alpinata , Scop.). 
