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ENTOMOLOGIST'S RECORD JOURNAL OF VARIATION
Kpitep BY RicHarp 8. BAGNALL, F.L.S., F.E.S. E. A. COCKAYNE, M.p., F.z.s. Grorce T. BETHUNH-BAKER, Jas. E. COLLIN, F.z.s. F.L.S., F ZS. F.E.S. | Wels fShnk dig 1c GG ace ee M. BURR, p.sc., F.L.s. , B.Z.Sey F.E.S. Ala es
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VOL. XXXII.
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Che Entomologist’s Record Journal of Variation
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Henry J. TURNER, F.x.s., Hditorial Secretary. —————————————— ones
CONTENTS.
PAGE. HprrortaL:—G.1'.B.-B. me = ee ae oe a ala “5 Bes te 1 A remarkable latent faculty possessed by Alpine Butterflies, B. C. S. Warren, F.E.S. Ae i The Pyrenees in 1920, 4. D. Pearson, F.E.S. is Ls Ls ae ans oe se 7 Lepidoptera in Peninsular Italy during the year 1920, Orazio Querci.. '.. ae asi 10 New Species of Myrmecophilous Hymenoptera-Proctotrypidea, Liewt. L, A. Bow, F.Z.S.,
Corttectine Notus :—Notes from Kent, Middlesex and Surrey, 4. Sich, F.H-S ae me 17 Current Notes anp SHorT Novices Se =P Wh af ae ae ae Fe 19
SprectaL INDEX.
Tirne Pace of Vol. XXXII.
JANUARY Tdth, 1921.
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JOURNAL OF VARIATION.
Worn XXXII. Now. January ld5rH, 1921.
AND
EDITORIAL.
We are glad to be able to announce that Dr. EK. A. Cockayne has consented to join our Editorial Staff, and in welcoming him most heartily we would remind our readers that his advent brings an old friend and contributor officially among us. We feel that he will be a real source of strength to us, for he is an experienced morphologist and microscopist and a first class field observer.
His experiences in the “ice free sea’ during the war, as well as elsewhere, will probably be counted by him as events even to be re- membered, quite regardless of the strenuousness of the times through which he passed.—G.T.B.-B.
Considerations on the possibility that Alpine species of Butterflies are possessed of a remarkable latent faculty, exercised under peculiar circumstances in connection with the Act of Egg- laying.
By B. C. S. WARREN, F.#.S.
Many collectors who use pill boxes for carrying their captures, will have noticed at one time or another that a ? butterfly so enclosed has laid a few ova in the box. This is, however, a decidedly rare occurrence, so my attention was drawn to the matter some years ago, when I noted ova, so laid, on frequent occasions ; but it was not until August, 23rd, 1913, when two ° Hrebia manto laid eighteen ova in two boxes, that I began to become interested in this unnatural habit. The eggs were fixed in rows to the sides of the boxes, and, with one exception, in which one egg was laid op top of another, each egg was separate from its neighbours.
I had in the weeks immediately preceding this date found ova deposited in boxes by several other species of Hrebia, and subsequently noted the same on quite a number of occasions. Unfortunately, I made no notes at the time (except of the occasion mentioned above, and one other), but I was struck by the fact that all the species which behaved in this manner belonged to the genus Hrebia. Although writing from memory, I can state with certainty that ova were deposited in this manner, on more than one occasion each, by F. pharte, H. oeme, E. pronoé var. pitho, EK. tyndarus,,E. manto and E.. gorge, in the case of the last two on, at least, half a dozen times each.
4 THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD.
every one of the species already mentioned as occurring at the 5000 ft. level, flying as strongly as ever; none the worse for their forty-eight hours under four inches of snow, though I noted a slight decrease in the numbers of A. pheretes, P. hiera, and L. subalpina. Five days later I visited the higher levels. The snow here had not melted until the morning of the 29th, consequently the four species already noted had undergone twenty-four hours longer confinement than those of the lower level, i.e., three days and nights. HH. lappona was as abundant as ever, but decidedly more worn, and there were some additions to both H. cacaliae and B. pales, which were obviously freshly emerged since the snow had melted, while P. napi var. bryoniae was not so numerous as it had been. Nevertheless, the result was sufficient to place beyond doubt the fact that all the species in question were, one may say, unaffected by forty-eight and seventy-two hours respectively under four inches of snow. From a very reliable local source I obtained much information about these summer snow-falls. In that. part of the country, I was told that such snow-falls might be expected in any month of the summer, and sometimes lay for seven days. Higher up they were more frequent and of longer duration. The peasants welcome the snow when there is a spell of cold weather, for should there be frosts with fine weather the grass crop of the year 1s much damaged. This rarely happens, for frost without snow is unusual, and if the grass is once covered with snow no frost that. comes does it the least harm, and in a few hours after the melting of the snow it is standing as erect as ever. It of course rarely attains there a height of more than twelve to eighteen inches. Thus Alpine butterflies, in any month, are sometimes subjected to these conditions, and I see no reason to suppose that the other species are not as well fitted to support the climatic conditions under which they live, as those I observed. In fact I think we may conclude that, like the vegetation,. they benefit by this enforced entombment, which protects them from the frost and the icy wind which usually accompanies it.
The following records show such conditions may prevail anywhere in the Alps. Doubtless if looked for, many similar records would be: found in other publications. All the following references apply to the Entomoloyist’s Record.
Mr. D. H. Pearson notes (vol. xxi., p. 264), at Binn on the night of June 22nd, 1909, ‘‘ heavy thunderstorm and hailstorm with three: or four inches of snow.’ The morning after, when the snow melted, L. arion, A. eschert, P. eros, and P. mnemosyne were seen, the latter very common. On going on to Kggishorn he adds, ‘‘ weather grew worse . . . . and two or three days of snow and wind.”
Mrs. R. H. Page writes (vol.-xxii., p. 127), that at Zinal the first: few days of her stay (Aug. 3rd-5th, 1909), “ were very cold, snow falling at night.”
Mr. A. L. Earl writes (vol. xxii., p. 167), at Zermatt on June 4th, 1909, ‘‘ cold throughout the week, rain every afternoon until the last: few days when it snowed continuously.”
Mr. Pearson (vol. xxiv., p. 267) writes, “ the day after we lett Pontresina (July 21st, 1912), there was a fall of snow.
Mr. B. 8. Curwen (vol. xxiv., p. 289), notes on July 24th, 1912, between Handeck and the Grimsel Hospice, the following species :— C. phicomone, C. hyale. EH. pharte, EF. mnestra, E.. gorge, E. tyndarus:
BUTTERFLIES AND THE ACT OF EGG-LAYING. 5
and V. optilete, and adds ‘‘ two days previously there had been over a foot of snow.” In view of the date it is certain that all these species had survived burial under even this depth of snow. Unfortunately Mr. Curwen does not tell one how long the snow had lain.
Mr. A. L. Earl (vol. xxviii., p. 54), records a “twelve hours thunderstorm with six inches of snow” on July 26th, 1913, at Pontresina, which put him to flight; but Mr. H. J. Turner (vol. xxix., p. 161), notes on August 17th, 1914, the following species which had “successfully weathered ” twenty-four hours incessant snow-fall :—A. niobe, A. aglaia, P. brassicae, EF. yoante, H. tyndarus, E. melampus, A. medon, and a doubtful H. alveus.
I think no more need be added to show that all Alpine species, no matter what their season of flight, may be subjected to these conditions and are (as a whole, not individually) quite unaffected by them. This being so, is it unlikely or unnatural, that the @ ean lay under similar circumstances ?
Then there is another remarkable point to note. All the species, which first attracted my attention by their readiness to lay in pill boxes are, it may be remembered, Hrebiid species. Now Dr. Chapman, whose experience in obtaining butterfly ova is probably second to none, writes (Ent. Rec., vol. xxiii., p. 238) of Erebiid species, that they are “ often difficult to induce to lay eggs.” This, of course, means in captivity, in as natural surroundings as Dr. Chapman could provide for them ; yet, shut up in boxes, they show a far greater readiness to lay than other species. What does this suggest? What, but that the condi- tions under a net bag with light and food plant, are not as natural to these species as those of the box. We may take it that the inability to fly is disconcerting in the former case, but compatible in the latter. The only natural circumstances which would, in any degree correspond with the position of the butterfly in the box, are those experienced by the buried butterfly. It probably often has, when buried, the additional incentive of foodplant, lacking in the pill box, but again it often may not; and the fact that eggs are so freely laid on the sides of the box, suggests to me that the buried insect may often lay on a rock. The two principal elements wanting in the pill boxes are, of course, moisture and the lower temperature, but this does not seem to affect the Erebias. Possibly it accounts for the Alpine Lycenids and Hesperias not having, in my experience, laid in the pill boxes; but I must add that I have not at all so frequently had these species enclosed for a sufficient length of time.
The most unexplainable hypothesis which bas to be conceded, if we maintain that Alpine species possess this faculty, is that it can be con- served by a species, although only required intermittently, lying m abeyance for long periods. For example, in many seasons if the weather be fine, a given species will be able to lay its eggs without haying recourse to this faculty, especially in a series of fine seasons, perhaps ten might pass in succession without the necessity arising ; but, in the eleventh if required, the insect must be in full possession of the faculty which has passed down to it, although unrequired and unexercised by ten generations, if it is to benefit by it.
Although this hypothesis is perhaps not one one would readily accept, yet I think we find some support for it in the fact that on rare occasions lowland species of butterflies will lay an egg or two in a box.
6 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’ S RECORD.
In these cases what is the incentive? My own experience on this point is, as already mentioned, limited to two instances; and one of them (P. icarus) is an insect which often is found within the Alpine region. It therefore, to a certain degree, may have developed (or retained) the habits of an Alpine species. But the essentially lowland species which exhibit a tendency to lay in such circumstances, cannot be aceounted for in that way ; and though there can be no doubt that such occurrences are very rare, | think one can but regard them as the re-assertion and adaption of a natural instinct, once essential to the species in question, or rather to the ancestral type from which it was evolved, which in a remote past existed under very different climatic conditions. That after such a lapse of time as this concludes, the instinct still asserts itself, no matter how slightly, is suggestive that such a facilty as we have been considering, would be in no wise impaired by lying in abeyance through ten, or many more generations.
Another contention, which may be brought forward, is that if Alpine species can survive burial they do not need to lay in that con- dition, but can resume their task when liberated again. ' To accept that contention we must assume that they can hve under snow for an indefinite period ; in the case of those species located above 6500ft. for perhaps as much as fourteen days, and for all species for seven days and nights; the longest period of which I have obtained authentic in- formation of snow lying in July, at 5000 ft. This, it does not seem to me, we can do, for although it 1s impossible to put a fixed limit to the length of time which they may survive, there is no doubt that, as has been already noted, even during a period of no longer than forty-eight hours, a certain number of individuals succumb, and the complete want of butterflies, in especially poor summers, which has been observed on occasions by collectors in the high Alps, is probably to be directly attributed to a longer spell of snow than they can survive. That when only quite a short time buried it is likely no eggs are laid, I have already suggested, but when it comes toa matter of days, I feel sure if the eges were not laid, they would never be laid at all. Both these points are borne out by the fact that in boxes I have never found an egg laid, unless the butterfly had been enclosed for the best part of a day.
Again, in the case of late summer species: it is not an uncommon occurrence at altitudes over 6,000 ft. for snow falling in late August to be followed by successive falls at short intervals, so that the first fall has not completely melted before the next covers it again, and so it passes into winter without a break. Further, in considering the leneth of time any species can be buried and survive, one must remember that the depth of snow covering them may greatly affect this. The average depth of summer falls at altitudes between 5000 and 6000 ft. rarely exceeds five or six inches, but it can be double that (see Mr. Curwen’s note already quoted), and of course at higher levels it may frequently be so. It is quite possible that a quite short period under a greater depth, might be no more detrimental to the insects than a longer period under less ; but data on this question are wholly wanting.
One more point arises which might be used as an argument against my theory. The buried butterfly, of necessity, lays its eges on any available surface. What would become of the young larve on hatching from these eggs, possibly situated on a rock, or some plant, other than their foodplant ? With species with very specialised food-
THE PYRENEES IN 1920. fi
habits, the young larva might have to travel a little distance to get to its particular plant (that it can both feed and travel under snow is almost certain), but in such species the @ probably goes to rest in proximity to, 1f not on, or under, the foodplant. In many Alpine species too, the larvee probably make their first meal off the eggshell ; this I know to be the case with all those Hrebia species mentioned already as having laid eggs in boxes. This would provide them with sufficient food to enable them to travel a moderate distance. The grass feeding larve, like the Krebias, will never have more than an inch or two to move. All the eggs of the Hrebia species, which I had, hatched in thirteen to fifteen days; it therefore must often happen that the eggs of those species which lay in late August, or even mid August (glacialis, goante, ewryale, pronoé var. pitho, yorge, etc.), are snowed over before they hatch. This fact justifies my previous assertion that young larve can feed and travel under snow; if not, we should have to accept the almost impossible theory that the larva of any Alpine species of Hrebia can hybernate at will in any stadium from newly hatched to six weeks old, according to the weather. This affects, more or less, all species which do not hybernate as an egg. It may be useful to add that the Alpine grass keeps fairly green under the snow, well into December, so that so far as the condition of the vegetation is concerned, there would be nothing to prevent the larvee feeding for the requisite length of time to attain a certain standard of development before commencing to hybernate.
In conclusion, we have two irrefutable facts to reconcile: firstly, the meteorological conditions pertaining to the high Alpine regions, and secondly, the presence of butterflies in those regions. There have been, without doubt, in past centuries, repeated cycles of bad summers, in which the ordinary duration of the flight period of all Alpine species will have been lessened by half, a quarter, or three-quarters, their usual length ; and if we assume, not merely that the species are unable to lay under snow, but that to do so is not a completely natural function with them; then it follows that the repeated decrease in the amount of ova laid each year, reduced in proportion with the flight period of the species, must have so thinned the numbers of the species affected, that gradually, first one then another must have become extinct, until the whole butterfly Fauna of the high Alps would, long since, have ceased to exist.
The Pyrenees in 1920. By DOUGLAS H. PEARSON, F.E.S.
The Pyrenees had long been calling and after six years of enforced home keeping they clamoured with a voice that could no longer be disregarded and my brother and I decided upon a trip.
Leaving London early on June 28rd, we arrived in Paris in the evening and took the night train for Luchon, where we were timed to arrive at about 8.30 p.m. In passing through southern France it was interesting to note that oxen were almost universally used for farm work instead of horses, and it was quaint to see oxen drawing a modern hay cutter or reaping machine. We were landed at Montrejeau about mid-day with a wait of 5 hours before the train went on for Luchon, and after having disposed of an excellent lunch
8 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
at the station restaurant, sallied forth to explore the entomological resources of the district. In a field near the station we found Colias edusa in very fresh condition and with them 2 or 3 Everes argiades, but when the good lady of the farm explained that we were more or less in her clover crop we sought pastures new by the side of the river. While I stayed behind to catch Nordmannia (Thecla) acactae—some- what past their best, my brother worked some low ground near the river and called out that he had taken something new. This proved to be Heteropterus morpheus, which was quite an unexpected find, and we managed to take half a dozen, including both sexes. They were flying round some brambles and I took the first to be a “hair-streak”’ as it had much the same style of flight. One or two Lycaena arion and other oddments made up quite a decent bag and we returned to the station well pleased with the short excursion.
We stayed at Luchon from June 25th to July 1st, but were some- what unfortunate in the weather, the mornings being usually rather like a Turkish bath and the afternoons devoted to thunderstorms. On the 25th we walked up to the Hospice de France, a long uphill trudge— taking on the way Erynmnis altheae, which were in very good condition, but only appeared singly at long intervals, and one Hrebia oeme taken on a steep bank not far from the Hospice. The ground round the Hospice looked excellent, but we had no sooner arrived than thunder began to rumble and after a cup of tea we did the homeward tramp in a steady downpour.
On the 26th we tried the Vallée de Burbe, branching off from the Hospice road near the old ruined tower and found very good ground. Argynnis cydippe (adippe) were large and strongly marked, but we were only able to turn up 8 of the var. cleodova. Some nice L. arion were taken, with tendency of spots to run into streaks, and one Lampides boeticus which was a new species to me. On the 27th we went a short distance up the road towards Lac d’Oo, took another L. boeticus, several Pararge maera var. adrasta, and one or two P. aegeria which were very deep in colour and practically the same as a brother had recently brought me from Algeria, being much darker than my Swiss specimens. In hopes of finding a breath of fresh air, we took the mountain railway up Superbagnéres on the 28th, but the flies which had tormented us in the valley were in legions on the mountain, and of all sizes from the Scotch cleg to a horse-fly about 14 inches long, who carried a bradawl in his business end and only sulked if you boxed his ears or smote him with a stick. It was good to be among the alpine flowers again, and we were soon busy netting Hrebia epiphron, which showed a considerable amount of variation, Melitaea aurinia (not merope), a single Hrebia ceto and other things. We enjoyed our lunch seated among the Dryas octopetala and Rhododendron, but before it was finished thunder began to roll round and then the rain began. It came in such blinding sheets that one could not see 20 yards ahead and it was only by keeping along the ridge that we found our way back to the large hotel, which is being built at the railway terminus and which we could not see until we were close to the building.
An expedition up the Val de Lys was spoilt by rain and want of sun and nothing was taken, but the ground looked promising.
On July 2nd we left Luchon for Gavarnie, and on arriving at Luz found it too late for the diligence, and on the advice of the station
THE PYRENEES IN 1920. 9
master hired a motor to take us up to Gavarnie. It was a weird machine and we agreed that 8 trips at the rate charged would just about pay for the car. It broke down twice on the road and was only persuaded to resume action after much tickling of the carburretter, and as the boy who drove found it necessary to look at his hands every time he changed gear, we missed the boundary wall which kept us out of the scenery several times by a very slender margin. It was with a sigh of thankfulness that we drew up at the Vignemal Hotel with an added stock of grey hairs.
Gavarnie is a truly delightful spot and we spent the time until July 16th very happily and wished it could be extended. The famous Cirque we left to the donkey riders, but worked hard to get samples of the entomological treasures of the district and were very fairly success- ful. Our favourite ground was the Val D’Ossue with its tumbled rocks and rushing river of beautiful clear water, but we found the lower part of the valley most productive. Near the entrance Hrynnis (Carcharodus) lavaterae was met with, a small form in good condition, and we managed to take a short series, but the most interesting species in the valley was Melitaea didyma. In the Rhone valley where didyma is sometimes very plentiful, one occasionally meets with the var. alpina, but I have always looked upon it as rather a prize. Here we did not meet with a single normal @, all being of the var. alpina, or more like the description of meridionalis. In my examples from Switzerland and Modane the reddish or sometimes yellowish ground colour shows on both upper and lower wings. The Gavarnie specimens are very varied. In most of them the ground colour is greenish-grey and in one both fore and hindwings are nearly black. Two have blue spots in the lower wings and one has the outer row of black spots extended into streaks. The g g have a darker border than most of my Swiss specimens and one has large black blotches on the upper wings. They form a lovely series, but unfortunately the 9 ? were by no means plentiful, and we would sometimes work for an hour without taking one. We only took one Ayriades coridon at Luchon, and the males were only just out when we arrived at Gavarnie, but became plentiful later. We examined a considerable number and with one exception —which is moderately spotted —all were very washed out and feebly marked on the underside. We only took 8 ° 2 of a very ordinary brown form. Plebeius aegon (aryus) swarmed in the valley and continued plentiful up to about 6000ft., but appeared to be of a very ordinary form. In this valley we also took a few Melitaea dictynna, which are by far the lightest form I have met with of this species. We made several excursions towards the Port de Spain, and on ohe occasion went over the border but were met by such an icy blast that we were glad to turn our backs to it and get into shelter. On the way up we found a spot for Krebia lefebvrei and when there was not a howling wind we managed by patient work to secure a nice little series. Dr. Keynes says that Hrebia stygne only crosses the screes or haunts the edges, but on this particular scree this was not the case, as one could watch an insect flying up and down the scree in exactly the same way as lefebvret, and when at last it came within reach and was netted it would over and over again prove to be stygne and provoke. unparliamentary language. Just before reaching this scree and near the main stream, a lovely brook of clear, cold water
10 THE ENTOMOLOGIST ’S RECORD.
wells out of the ground, and several very pleasant meals were taken there and all efforts to drink it dry were unavailing.
We worked very hard to find Latiorina pyrenaica, both on the way to Port de Spain and also on the way up Pimené, but had no success until July 12th when we took six on the way to Port de Spain and one more on the same ground on July 15th: we were no doubt too early for it. L. orbitulus we did not find at all.
On July 18th we started in a thick fog by the lower road up Pimené, and where the path crosses a steep gulley we found a sooty black Hrebia which I take to be Hrebia manto v. caecilia. Our nets were so drenched with fog as to be useless, but we managed to box a nice little series as they sat on the dripping grass heads. They seemed to be confined to a small patch about 20 yards by 10 as we could not find them either above or below, and possibly they came up the gulley.
Melanargia galathea var. leucomelas is said to be found near the village, but though we netted and examined a large number we failed to turn it up.
The flowers were interesting but were not in such profusion as in some Swiss valleys. At Luchon we found the ‘“‘Sweet William,” which was new to me as a wild flower, and a pale Viola with stem 12 to 18 inches long and a long spur. Ramondia pyrenaica was going over at Gavarnie, but there were still some fine blooms left, and in some places were grand specimens of Sawifraga lonyifolia, which does not appear to bloom until the plant reaches a considerable size. On Pimené we found a small Colchicwn, so dwarf that the petals he back oh the turf. Gentians were rather poor and G. acaulis generally looked ill-grown and unhappy, but we found some beautiful patches of the little Gentiana nivalis.
The most striking flower at Gavarnie was the purple Iris, and when seen in a mass On a mountain side it was a sight to be remembered.
Of the black and white Skippers, Hesperia carthami was fairly common, but so small in comparison with Rhone Valley specimens as to be recognised with difficulty. We took several Powellia sao, and some others, which at present 1 do not feel competent to name.
On July 16th we moved on to Biarritz and walked to the Lac Mouriscot, where we took Heterupterus morpheus and Coenonympha oedipus among the reeds, but neither were plentiful and many were decidedly past their best. MHnodia dryas was in fine condition and we took a nice series, including some large 9 2. and also a single specimen of Hipparchia (Satyrus) arethusa.
We left Biarritz on the 20th and arrived home in the early hours of the 22nd after a tedious journey, but well content to have again felt the sun and tasted of the joys of the chase.
Lepidoptera in Peninsular Italy during the year 1920. By O. QUERCI. (Continued from p. 227.)
When, at the beginning of the month of June, 1920, I was persuaded that every hope Of collecting in Florence was excluded, I took counsel with Dr. Verity as to the best mode of employing my time. It was decided that I should go to the marshes of the lake of
LEPIDOPTERA IN PENINSULAR ITALY DURING THE YEAR 1920. 11
Massaciuccoli (Lucca), where many years ago there was collected a form of Chrysophanus dispar.
On the morning of June 9th I went to the Pian di Mugnone, near Florence, and Dr. Romei left for Monte Morello. On the Mugnone, considering the time of year, I ought to have found in abundance M. galathea, EF. jurtina, P. tithonus, P. brassicae, M. didyma, M. athalia, B. hecate, C. arcania, N. ilicis, A. flava, T. acteon, Z. stoechadis, 4. carniolica. I perambulated the whole zone from morning till night, not being persuaded that on such a splendid day some insect would not fly. At night I returned home with 3 specimens, and soon after my son-in-law, who had walked for 14 hours on the mountains, came back with one P. argus.
The following morning I left for Torre del Lago, which is the nearest station to the lake of Massaciuccoli, and tried to penetrate into the marshes, but every road was closed by the walls of the Villas, and so I had to turn back passing through the whole Pineta of Migliorini, where I only saw a few shabby specimens of Mpinephele jurtina and Syntomis phegea. From Migliorini, along the dyke of the river Serchio, I went to Vecchiano without finding anything exeept two P. icarus, and from Vecchiano on the following day I penetrated into the marshes of the lake. I walked for many hours exploring the wettest and most grassy places, but insect life seemed suspended, not a butterfly, nor a fly, I only saw a red dragonfly hovering over the muddy water of a canal. On returning from this unpleasant excursion I took the train and arrived in the evening at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana.
On the morning of June 11th I left by motor car for Fivizzano, the pretty village destroyed by the earthquake of September 7th, 1920. I did not find any favourable localities and I immediately went to Piazza al Serchio, from which I went on to Gorfiglano in the midst of the marble region. From Gorfigliano, by the valley of Acqua Bianca, I ascended the peak of the Pisanino, 5000ft., and reached a high valley full of snow. On the grassy slopes of the valley I collected an Mrebia gorye and an Aglais urticae, nothing else. Returning to Gorfigliano I crossed the mountain to go to Vagli Sopra, and | went towards Monte Tambura, for I was convinced that the marble region, dry and stony, was certainly not suitable for Lepidoptera.
From the valleys of Monte Tambura I had seen Monte Sumbra, whose softly undulating slopes contrasted with the other pointed and arid summits of the Alpi Apuane. This induced me to go to Careggine, where I remained collecting till the end of July.
My wife and daughter ought to have gone to collect on the mountains of Calabria and ought to have left at the end of April, but from various causes their departure could not take place till the 12th of May. After short halts at Rome and Naples they arrived at Cosenza on the 16th of the same month, and went to Rogliano situated on the mountains of the Sila. A long excursion in the neighbourhood of the village showed my family that the locality was too intensively cultivated to be suitable for their purpose. In the railway journey from Paola to Cosenza they had remarked some uncultivated localities, so they returned to San Fili where they found lodgings. .
San Fili is about 2400ft. on the coast range of Calabria, and from it my family could ascend by a path to the summit of the mountain
12 : THE ENTOMOLOGISY’S RECORD.
chain among beech woods with wide clearings full of high ferns. The locality was judged excellent ; the people of San Fili were hospitable and respectful, and used gentle pressure on my family to remain. Every time that my wife and daughter went up the high mountain they were accompanied by two Forest guards.
During the first days, from the 18th to 26th of May, the weather was fine and the collection of Lepidoptera promising enough, although the season was too advanced for the ‘ precocious”’ species to fly and only damaged specimens were found. As many as 48 species of Rhopalocera were present, but nearly all in small numbers. The more abundant species were C. semiarqus, P. amandns, M. cinaxia, B. enphrosyne that 1s those generally scarcer, whilst of the species generally commoner; P. icarus, N. ilicis, P. rapae, M. brassicae, C. pamphilus, M. didyma, P. cardui, one saw very few individuals flying. At the distance of 500 miles the phenomenon was identical with what I had observed at Florence.
One of the principal objects of our journey in Calabria was the collection of P. apollo, race pumilus, Stich., P. mnemosyne, race calabrica, Trti., and Melanargia arge, race turatti, Rostagno (=cocuz- zana, Staud.). These species were searched for carefully and the locality seemed excellent for their development, but the apollo was never met with and of the mnemosyne and the arge only a few individuals were collected. With regard to the P. apollo it must be noted that it scarcely emerged at all this year in Italy. On the Alps of South Tyrol, where apollo is always most abundant, Dr. Verity only took a very few specimens; Dr. Romei did not find it at all on the Monti Sibillini, where it is also abundant, and on the Caronie, in Sicily, Signor Ragusa only succeeded in collecting 7. I myself, on the Alpi Apuane, in spite of continued researches during two months and in the most favourable season, only saw two specimens.
On May 27th, 1920, the collecting in Calabria was interrupted by vain. The first of June was fine and the Zygaenae appeared abundantly, but the bad weather returned and continued almost uninterruptedly till June 17th, preventing any collecting.
On June 4th, taking advantage of a brief cessation of the rain, my wife and daughter went on to the mountain and made an important capture: the Syntomis ragazzit, Turati. They had little knowledge of the fine discovery made by Count Turati; they only knew that besides the Syntomis marjana, Staud., a new Syntomis had been found in Southern Italy, and they at once conjectured that the specimens found must belong to this new species, which they had never seen before.
On June 17th the weather became fine again; all the spring Lepidoptera had disappeared and were replaced by the summer ones. From June 17th to 27th there emerged the second broods of R. phlaeas, L. dorilis, A. thersites, P. icarus, A. medon, C. croceus (edusa), L. sinapis, P. rapae, M. brassicae, C. pamphilus, P. megera, and the emergence of the summer species began: P. liyurica, P. argus, S. fagi (hermione), S. circe, S. cordula, S. semele, M.athalia, A. niobe, A. cydippe, but just as everything seemed turning for the best, on June 28th, all emergence of insects ceased.
Vegetation was luxuriant, weather splendid, but collecting no longer offered any interest. One could walk for hours without collecting anything.
LEPIDOPTERA IN PENINSULAR ITALY DURING THE YEAR 1920. 13
The hope of finding P. apollo and the females of S. cordula, A. niobe, and S. rayazzti detained iny family at San Fili till the first days of July, but the females did not emerge, so that on July 5th, after a long and fruitless mountain excursion, my wife and my daughter decided to leave Calabria and to come to me in the Garfagnana. It was absolutely not worth while to wait for the end of the ‘‘summrr PAUSE, which appeared to be very protracted, and to remain so far away in these turbulent times in which all communications might be cut off. After four days’ journey my family were re-united at Careggine on July 10th.
In the subjoined list I note all the species collected in Calabria from May 19th to July 5th, 1920.
Zygaena purpuralis, Brinn., race not identified, June Ist-17th. Z. scabiosae, Schev., race romeo, Dup., June 1st-20th. 2. stoechadis, Bkh., race calabra, Vrty., May 19th-June 20th. Z%. lonicerae, Schev., race stlana, Burg. (=herthae, Staud.), June 1st-20th. Z. meliloti, Hsp., race charon, Hb., June 1Ist-20th. 7%. owytropis, B., race not identified, May 19th-June 7th. 2%. carniolica, Scop., race florentina, Vrty., June 7th-20th.
Procris statices, L., race not identified, May 20th-June Ist. P. tenuicornis, Z., race not identified, May 24th-June 4th. P. coynata, Rbr., race not identified, May 20th-June 4th.
Syntomis ragazzui, Trti., race ragazzti, Trti., June 4th-20th.
Krynnis alceae, Kisp., race australis, Vrty., June 17th. LH. altheae, Hb., race australiformis, Vrty., June 17th.
Hesperia armoricanus, Obth., race fulvoinspersa, Vrty., May 19th- 26th. H. carthani, Hb., race not identified, May 19th-20th. HA. malvoides, Klw. and Hdw., race pseudomalvae, Vrty., May 19th-26th.
Powellia sao, Hb., race not identified, May 19th-26th.
Adopaea lineola, Ochs., race clara, Tutt, June 1st-17th. A. flava, Brunn. (=thauwmas, Hufn.), race iberica, Tutt, June 1st-17th.
Thymelicus acteon, Rott., race ragusat, Vrty., June 1st-27th.
Augiades sylvanus, Ksp., race sylvanus, May 19th-26th.
Fiumicia phlaeas, L., race nigrioreleus, Vrty., I. gen. phlaeas, May 19-24th. R. phlaeas, L., race nigrioreleus, Vrty., I. gen. niyrioreleus, June 20th-27th.
Loweta alciphron, Rott., race romanorum, Fruhst., May 24th-June 17th. L. dorilis, Hufn., race italorum, Yrty., I. gen. italorum, May 24th. L. dorilis, Hutn., race italorum, Vrty., II. gen. italorum, June 17th-27th.
Glaucopsyche cyllarus, Rott., race pauper, Vrty., May 19th-24th.
Scolitantides baton, Bgstr., race obscurata, Vrty., June 20th-23rd.
Agriades thersites (Gerh.), Chapman, race not identified, II. gen., June 20th-27th.
Polyommatus tcarus, Rott., race not identified, I. gen., May 19th- 24th. P. icarus, Rott., race not identified, II. gen., June 17th-27th.. P. amandus, Schn., race not identified, May 19th-26th.
Cyaniris semiaryus, Rott., race not identified, May 19th-June 4th.
Aricia medon, Huin., race subcalida, Vrty., I. gen. suwbornata, Vrty., May 21st-30th. A. medon, Hufn., race subcalida, Vrty., Il. gen., subcalida, June 17th-27th. A. ewmedon, Kisp., race not identified, May 24th-June 4th.
Plebeius argus, L., race calabrica, Trti., June 1st-27th. BP. ligurica, Obthr., race not identified, June 17th-23rd.
14 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
Lycaenopsis (Celastrina) argiolus, L., race calidogenita, Vrty., June 20th.
Qupido minimus, Fuessl., race minimus, May 22nd.
Lampides boeticus, Li., race boeticus, June 20th.
Callophrys rubi, L., race virgatus, Vrty., May 19th-26th.
Nordmannia ilicis, Esp., race inornata, Vrty., May 19th-22nd.
Colias croceus (edusa), Foure., race croceus, Il. gen. croceus, June 23rd.
Leptosia sinapis, Li., race bivittata, Vrty., I. gen. lathyri, Hb., May 19th-21st. L. sinapis, L., race bivittata, Vrty., II. gen. bivittata, June 17th-27th.
Anthocharis (EHuchloé) cardamines, L., race meridionalis, YVrty., May 19th-26th.
Pontia daplidice, ., race daplidice, II. gen. daplidice, June 23rd.
Pieris napi, L., race meridionalis, Ruhl, I. gen. vulgaris, Vrty., May 19th-2lst. P. napi, L., race meridionalis, Ruhl, Wi. gen. meridionalis, June 21st-27th. P. rapae, L., race rapae, L., I. gen. metra, Steph., May 19th-21st. P. rapae, L., race rapae, L., II. gen. aestiva, Z., June 20th-27th.
Mancipium (Pieris) brassicae, L., race catoleuca, Rob., Il. gen. catoleuca, May 19th-26th.
Aporia crataeyi, Li., race not identified, May 19th-June 20th.
Parnassius innemosyne, L., race calabra, Trti., May 19th-26th.
Papilio machaon, L., race aestivus, Z., II. gen. aestivus, June 17th. P. podalirius, L., race interjecta, Vrty., I. gen. interjecta, May 19th-22nd.
Coenonympha pamphilus, L., race australis, Vrty., 1. gen. australis, May 19th-26th. C. pamphilus, L., race australis, Vrty., Il. gen. emilyllus, Vrty., June 24th-July 5th. C. arcania, L., race not © identified, I. gen., May 24th-June 20th.
Epinephele jurtina, L., race not identified, May 19th-June 20th.
Melanargia galathea, L., race not identified, June 1st-July 5th. M. arge, Sulz., race turatii, Rostagno (=cocuzzana, Staud.), May 19th- June 1st.
Pararge megera, L., race megera, I. gen. megera, May 19th-26th. P. megera, Li., race megera, Il. gen. megera, June 20th-July 3rd. P. maera, L., race erdonia, Fruhst., I. gen. erdonia(=polsensis, Staud.), May 19th-26th. P. aegeria, L., race not identified, II. gen., June 17th.
Satyrus fagi, Scop. (=hermione, L.), race alcyoneformis, Vriy., June 17th-27th. 8S. circe, F., race itala, Vrty., June 17th-27th. 8S. cordula, F’., race calabra, Costa (=acteina, Obthr.), June 17th-27th. S. semele, L., race not identified, June 23rd.
Limenitis rivularis, Scop. (=camilla, auct.), race rivularis, 1. gen. vivularis, June 23rd.
Melitaea didyma, Esp., race neeraeformis, Vrty., I. gen. neeraeformis, May 19th-June 27th. WM. trivia, Schiff., race not identified, I. gen., May 19th. M. phoebe, Knoch, race tusca, Vrty., I. gen. tusca, May 19th-26th. M. cinaia, L., race australis, Vrty., May 19th-26th. M. athalia, Rott., race obscura, Vrty., May 19th-July 5th.
Brenthis daphne, Schiff., race nikator, Fruhst, June 1st-20th. B. euphrosyne, Li, race apennina, Stgr., May 19th-26th.
Issoria lathonia, L., race not identified, I. gen. lathonia (not possible to identify the race not having collected the other broods), May 19th-June Ist.
NEW SPECIES OF MYRMECOPHILOUS HYMENOPTERA——PROCTOTRYPOIDEA. 15
Argynnis cydippe, L., race clarens, Vrty., June 21st-27th. A. aglaia, L., race appenninicola, Vrty., May 24th-June 20th. A. niobe, L., race not identified, June 1st-July 5th.
Pyrameis cardut, Li., race universa, Vrty., I. gen. universa, May 24th- June 4th. P. atalanta L., race atalanta, May 24th.
Aglais urticae, L., race turcica, Stgr., May 24th.
Polygonia egea, Cr.. race egea, I. gen. egea, May 24th. P. c-album, L., race c-album, II. gen. hutchinsoni, Robson, June 17th.
Dr. Verity will publish an account of the races not yet identified. The number of species collected in the brief period of residence in Calabria is remarkable, but the number of individuals is very small ; of many species only one or two specimens were collected. The aberrations found in Calabria are also very few :—
A female of Z. meliloti wanting the dark pigment on body and wings.
A male of the same species in which the dark band of the hind- wings is so much extended as to leave only a small red point in the centre.
A male of Z. scabiosae with a red ring on the abdomen.
A male of 4%. ragazzii with the white spaces much reduced in number and dimensions and the hindwings quite dark.
A male of P. argus with extensive fulvous marks on the upperside of the hindwings.
A female of A. crataegi with the transparent space at the end of the cell of the forewings extremely broad.
A male of M. athalia very dark.
(To be continued.)
New Species of Myrmecophilous Hymenoptera—Proctotrypoidea. By L. A. BOX, F.Z.S., F.E.S.
The types of the species here described are in Mr. Donisthorpe’s collection of myrmecophiles and were taken by him in the nests of the ants mentioned. ”
CERAPHRONID. Lagynodes niger, Kief., aterior, var. n.
Male. Length 1°2mm. Alar expanse 2°7mm. Resembles niger in the colour being entirely black, the tegument being smooth and shining, the detail of the head and antenne, the shape and detail of the abdomen, the dividing sutures of the scutellum reaching at their junction in the centre to the posterior edge of the mesonotum, and the radius being distant from the extremity of the wing by two- thirds of its length. It differs in having the wings distinctly blackish or smoky, “the scape red only at the base, the rest dark brown, the femora black or fuscous -except at the knees, the tibie fuscous in the centre and the abdomen without trace of reddish colour.
From nest of L. fuliginosus at Woking on September 27th, 1920.
Ceraphron fuliginosi, sp. n.
Female. Length 1mm. Alar expanse 18mm. Entirely black. Wings ‘normal, forewings fuscous except at the base and having a somewhat clearer area below the radius, hindwings slightly fuscous. Marginal nervure straight, not ‘thickened so as to form a stigma, the radius half as long again as the marginal nervure. Abdomen not compressed, ovoid and acuminate at the tip, very smooth
‘and shining, devoid of striation at the base. Head and thorax smooth and shining Wout finely acupunctate and clothed with short fine whitish hairs. Antenne entirely black, except the scape at the apex and the second joint piceous, with ten
16 THE KNTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
joints, scape nearly a third of the total length, swollen at the base, the second joint nearly twice as long as thick, obconical, funicle gradually thickened from the third joint to the last which is conical, third joint slightly longer than thick, fourth to ninth joints distinctly transverse, tenth joint twice as long as thick. Legs dark brown except the coxe, the tibie at the base and the tarsi, which are reddish. There is a dense fringe of long white hairs on each side of the metapleuree pointing backwards and covering the sides of the base of theabdomen. Propodeon narrowly margined and having a few deep striations especially obliquely on each side from the base to the inner side of the lateral acuminations, and forming a trapezoidal area in the base of which is the small spiracle.
From the same nest of L. fuliyinosus at Woking on August 14th, 1920.
DiaPrRup#.
Lovotropa fuliginosi, sp. n.
Female. Length 1*7mm. Antenna l‘lmm. Black, smooth and shining, with a mass of long whitish pubescence on the lateral corners of the pronotum, on the dorsal surface of the petiole and on the metapleure. Legs entirely bright orange-red. Antenne reddish-brown except the club which is black. Antenne with the scape stout and cylindrical, as long as the five following joints, together, second joint obeonical, twice as long as thick, third joint longer than thick, gradually thickened from base to apex which is as wide as the second joint, fourth to ninth joints transverse, moniliform, tenth to twelfth joints more than twice as thick as the rest, forming a club which is as long as the scape, tenth and eleventh joints globular, the eleventh distinctly transverse, the twelfth joint tapering to a rounded point, longer than thick. Wings atrophied, reaching just beyond the petiole, the forewing with a pale yellow marginal vein ending in a dark brown knob or stigma and extending to three-fourths the total length of the wing, the part beyond the stigma and immediately below it very pubescent, the rest hyaline and glabrous. Hindwing linear, almost threadlike but slightly wider at the tip and about as long as the forewing. Head wider than the thorax and about as wide as the abdomen, subsquare, wider in front. Mesonotum semicircular but as long as wide at the base. Scutellum with a deep depression in front next to and running into the mesonotum. Propodeon with a raised emargination all round ending in a prolonged blunt point or horn on each side, with a raised ridge in the centre from front to back which is widened basally and raised there to a knob-like point in the centre of the widened boss. The apical margin with a single tooth in the centre. Abdomen more than twice as long as wide, flat above, almost parallel- sided and somewhat truncate at the apex, petiole a little longer than wide, second segment covering at least three-fourths the total length excluding the petiole. All the tibize very slender at the base and gradually thickened to the apex.
From the same nest of L. fuliyinosus at Woking, May 380th, 1920.
PLATYGASTERID.
Synopeas fuscicola, sp. n.
Female. Length l‘lmm. Alar expanse 2°lmm. Dull black, with white hairs at the base of the mesonotum on each side in a fringe, on each side of the scutellum thinly, on the lateral edges of the propodeon densely, on the metapleure all over densely, and on the base of the abdomen above on each side and ventrally densely. Legs and antennee (except the club which is piceous) bright yellow. Wings, except at the base below the short marginal vein, covered with short dark hairs, almost hyaline. Tegule prominent and fuscons. Head transverse, finely and shallowly alveolate, ocelli in a slight curve, wide apart, the outer ocelli very near to the eyes. Pronotum broadly visible from above from one tegula to the other for about the same depth all round. Mesonotum convex, finely rugose, with two parallel striz from front to back frequently interrupted—like dotted lines— roughly dividing the surface into three equal parts and with a slightly raised knob or pimple rather shining in the centre immediately in front of the scutellum and another similar knob on each side between this and the tegula but nearer the latter and with a row of short strize between each. The awl-shaped prominence of the seutellum is smooth and shining and viewed sideways it will be seen that the tip
NOTES ON COLLECTING. 17
is a sharply pointed horn, pale in colour, below which before reaching the impressed metanotum there is a second but obtuse tooth. The propodeon is divided longi- tudinally by a broad raised ridge which is smooth and shining and projects behind as a blunt tooth. So much of the rest of the propodeon as is visible is smooth and shining. The large segment of the abdomen which covers more than three-fourths of the whole is smooth and shining, the surface being almost imper- ceptibly alveolate. The antenne haye the scape long and slender, more than half the length of the funicle, slightly thickened from the base upwards and curved outwardly, having outwardly just before the apex a curved excavation from before the commencement of which springs a long curved hair or bristle reaching to just beyond the end of the joint which is truncate, the second joint obconical and almost as thick as the scape, twice as long as thick, the third joint only half as wide, ovoid and longer than thick, the fourth joint as long as the last, twice as long as thick, cylindrical, the fifth joint the same width, globular, the sixth joint trans- verse and truncate at the apex, the seventh to tenth joints forming a club slightly thicker than the scape, the seventh subtriangular, longer than thick at the apex, the eighth and ninth cup-shaped, transverse, the tenth joint longer than thick and bluntly rounded at the tip. The hind and mid tibiz are long and slender, thickened towards the apex, the femora strongly thickened in the middle.
In a nest of F’. fusca at Barmouth on June 23rd, 1906. See Hnt. Rec., 1906, p. 319.
FA OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc.
Nores rrom Kent, Mippitesex anp Surrey.—My first hunt this year was in Richmond Park on April 21st. Here I found Pammene argyrana in abundance settled on oak trunks; most trees sheltered three or four and some especially favoured carried nearly a dozen moths. Among the number were two cream coloured specimens as Wilkinson calls them, while Barrett alludes to them as “ dirty: White.” There were a few intermediate between these and the type, and two P. splendidulana were also noticed. Two days later I found Ancylis tnornatana quite plentiful in its old haunt among Salia fusca on Barnes Common. Later Lithocolletis quinqueguttella also occurred here. At Hindhead on May 18th, several cocoons of Stiymella (Nepticula) septembrella were found in leaves of Hypericum. I was surprised to see Flesperia (Syrichthus) malvae at Richmond on May 22nd, as I had never previously seen it there. On the birches I found larve of Salebria (Phycis) betulae. The larva spins a slight but quite tough cocoon, to one end of which the pupa is firmly anchored by strong cremastral hooks. The moth on emergence carries a portion of the pupal head case with it, by means of which it forces a hole through the cocoon, and after emergence this part of the pupal shell is found outside the cocoon. It is a trefoil shaped piece which is apparently the top of the head, but as this pupa is of macrotype and breaks up irregularly I was-unable to fit the pieces on to any of the pupz to ascertain their exact position.
At Otford, on the 29th, I found two small pupe in a head of Carlina vulgaris. They had the look of dipterous pups, as they were quite without segmental movement, but the lens showed them to be lepidopterous, and at the end of June one of them disclosed a nice specimen of Parasia carlinella. On the 31st, I saw four imagines of Chrysoclysta linneella on lime trunks in Chiswick, this is the earliest date I have on record. At Orpington, June 19th, Aphelosetia argentella was in multitudes for about half a mile along a road side. It would be an exaggeration to say that the grass was white with them, but
18 THE ENTOMOLOGIST ’S RECORD.
there must have been one to every few square inches. When on the wing at dusk they must have presented a picture of fairyland. Onan old oak in contrast sat one solitary specimen of Tinea parasttella. About this time Paedisca bilunana was common on birch stems at Chiswick, Laverna hellerella on hawthorn and Pardia tripunctana on rose. On June 30th, at Richmond, I saw a few Penthina corticana, Hb., among birch, and found a nearly full-grown larva of Letocampa dictaeoides. I took twelve spun up Coleophorid cases for examination of the pupa, but every one of them contained parasites. here werea few Butalis grandipennis on Barnes Common, July 7th, they were first noticed there about seventy years ago as recorded in the Zoologist of that time. The common must have been a fine hunt- ing ground in those days. (Gelechia pinguinella was yery numerous on the poplar trunks and in fine condition. I also took this. species in Chiswick where I had not seen it before. At Wimbledon, mines of Stiymella salicis were very common in sallow leaves and Argyresthia goedartella was quite in its usual abundance. On July 24th I joined the South London Society’s excursion to Byfleet, and took a fine specimen of Abebaea (Cerostoma) lucella, which I had long wanted, four larvee of Aphelosetia cerusella in one mine on Phragmites: communis, all of them produced moths, which emerged after 5 p.m. (G.T.). This seems odd as Mr. P. A. Buxton records that A. poae, which feeds on Glyceria aquatica in similar situations, emerged between 8 and 9 a.m. The two species, however, belong to different sections of the genus (Hnt. Rec., xxviii., p. 88). I was also pleased to get larvee of Buceulatria frangulella off the Rhamnus bushes, they were mostly in their cocoonets changing their skins. The skin does not shrivel up like that of many larve, but remains outstretched in the cocoonet just. as it was before the larva crept out of it. On the 29th I walked down one of the last yet unmade-up roads in Chiswick and found Hemimene (Dicrorampha) simpliciana common and in fine condition, Artemisia vulgaris grows 1n abundance, and it is here that 1 have taken the larvee of Gracilaria omissella in their bladdery mines. In early August we: tried sugar, but it only produced a few of the very common Noctue. A few specimens of the once rare Conchylis smeathmaniiana occurred in our: meadow about this time. At Kingsbury on August 28th I found young larvee of Coleophora solitariella in their first cases, and also several empty egg shells. The eggs are laid on the upper surface of the leaf towards the base, close to or in the sulcus that runs down the middle of the leaf. The upright egg is cone-shaped, ribbed with a rather deep depression at the summit. The larva mines through the base of the eggshell into the leat. In making its first case the larva cuts out elongated pieces of the upper and lower cuticle, avoiding the serrated edge of the leaf. It fastens the newly made case to the under- side of the leaf, and later adds a portion to the tail end of pure white silk. In another place the young larve of C. albitarsella were also in their first cases, cut out from the leaves of Glechoma. In early September Peronca reticulata (contaminana) was abundant at Kings- bury in all its forms except vmicron, which I did not see at all. There was one specimen of the Y-form, with white ground colour, similar to a specimen taken at Bath and I think Mr. Turner also has a white one. There is a good deal of dogwood in the hedges about Kingsbury, but I was surprised to see many mines of Antispila treitschkiella in the leaves, ag | had never noticed these mines previously. In August,.
CURRENT NOTES. 19°
Cerostoma vitella was quite common in Regent’s Park on the elm trunks and I boxed a Vortria pronubana off a window of a house at the foot of Primrose Hill and saw a second one in September. This species still inhabits our garden in Chiswick, where it was quite com- mon this year.—Aurrep Sicu, Chiswick. December, 1920.
G;URRENT NOTES AND SHORT NOTICES.
The name of Alexander Borisovitch Shelkovnikov, who has done so: much to elucidate the fauna and flora of the 'Transcaucasian steppes, supplied specialists all over Europe with abundant material of all kinds, and lavished the most genial hospitality to men of science of all countries in his beautiful home at Geok Tapa, about half-way between Tiflis and Baku, is well known to readers of our pages. As the most prominent landowner in the district, and the only Christian and educated one, he was elected by his Tatar neighbours, with whom he stood in the most friendly and cordial relationship, to be representative of the district on the Constitutional Assembly for regenerate Russia, which assembly, alas, was stillborn. Inspired by the propaganda of the Bolsheviks and by the pan-Islamic fervour of Enver and his satellites, the local Tatars one day fell upon Shelkovnikov’s place in a mass and utterly destroyed it. His splendid vineyards were hacked to pieces, the contents of his cellars, containing three vintages, poured forth to waste, his house and buildings burnt to the ground, and the beautiful park, which he had cultivated so lovingly for twenty years, hacked down. Shelkovnikov succeeded, with considerable difficulty, in escaping alive, together with his wife and family. They dared not go to Tiflis, as Christians were being massacred in the train in that direction, but reached Baku safely. They left that hotbed of terror before it was too late and succeeded eventually in reaching Tiflis, where the host of savants is eking out his existence a completely ruined man.—M.B.
A lady, who recently escaped from Petrograd, has brought the sad news, not absolutely certain, but practically hopelessly so, that Andrei Petrovich Semenoy-Tian-Shansky was done to death about two years ago or more by the peasants on his estate in the Riazan Government. The most that British entomologists dare hope is that it is one of his brothers who succumbed.
Andre Petrovich, Hon. F.E.8., was one of the best representatives of Russian Intelligentsia. The son of a gifted and very distinguished father, who was the first to survey the Tian-Shan mountains, in recognition of which the T'sar Alexander IT. allowed him to add the title Tian-Shansky for his surname, Andre Petrovich inherited the old Senator’s love of natural science and became one of Russia’s most distinguished entomologists. He is best known in Britain for his work on Russian Coleoptera, Chrysids and Dermaptera. He was also: a first-rate all-round naturalist and a very keen sportsman. No mean poet he translated Horace into delightful Russian verse and had read widely several foreign literatures. Always a stout friend of Great Britain, he was enthusiastic over the war, and expressed the hope that the end would not come until the whole world had declared war on Germany, so that posterity might see plainly that Germany was an outlaw among peoples. He contributed considerably to the press in the British interest and took an active, if somewhat academic, part in _
20 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
the movement for the amelioration of social conditions in his beloved Russia. With true Russian hospitality, he kept open house for thoughtful men of the varied interests. He was Vice-President of the Russian Entomological Society, which means acting chairman, for the. post of president was reserved for one of the Grand Dukes, and he was president of the Zoological Section of the Imperial Russian Geo- graphical Society, an organisation which led a separate existence independently of the mother-body. His death is a very great loss to Palearctic Entomology.
When at Salonika, I used to receive a cheerful postcard from him every fortnight, till suddenly they ceased, and as I began to miss the characteristic handwriting, I felt that I had lost one of my very best friends.
The same lady reports that A. Kuznetsov, the great authority on Russian Lepidoptera, has succeeded in escaping to Finland.—M.B.
The Officers and Council of the Entomological Society, London, for the Session 1921-22, are President: The Rt. Honble. Lord Roths- child, M.A., F.R.S., ete. Treasurer: W. G. Sheldon, F.Z.8. Secre- taries: The Rev. George Wheeler, M.A., F.Z.S., and S. A. Neave, M.A., D.Se., F.Z.8S. Librarian: H. J. Turner. Council: Robert Adkin; H. EK. Andrews; G. T. Bethune-Baker, F.L.S., F.Z.8.; G.C. Champion, A.L.8., F.Z.8.; J. Hartley Durrant; A. D. Imms, M.A., D.Se., F.L.8.; James J. Joicey; G. A. K. Marshall, D.Se., F.Z.S.; Capt. Norman D. Riley; H. Rowland-Brown, M.A.; Comm. James J. Walker, M.A., R.N., F.U.8.; Capt. the Rev. J. Waterston, IBID), IB aIS\or
The Officers and Council of the South London Entomological Society for the Session 1921-22 are, President: K. G. Blair, B.Sc., F.E.S.; Vice-Presidents: EK. J. Bunnett, M.A., F.E.S.; S. Edwards, F.L.8., F.Z.8., etc.; Treasurer: A. K. Tonge, F.H.S.; Librarian: A. W. Dods; Curator: 8. R. Ashby, F.E.S.; Assist. Curator: T. L. Barnett ; Mditor of Proceedings: Hy. J. Turner, F.E.8.; Secretaries : Stanley Edwards, F.L.S., F.Z.S., etc. (Corresponding) ; and Hy. J. Turner, F.E.S.; Recorder of Attendances: B.S. Williams ; Lanternist: AW. Dennis) (Council: Ry Adkin, HBS. : eda Barnett il Bowman; L. HK. Dunstar; Lachlan Gibb, F.H.S.; H. A. Leeds; Capt. N. D. Riley, F.E.S.; Dr. G. 8. Robertson; E. Step, F.L.S.
It is fully anticipated that the Entomological Society will be in- stalled in its new premises, 41, Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, by March 25th next at the latest. The Imperial Bureau of Entomology, who will occupy the surplus rooms not at present required by the Society, have already moved in. The further decoration, repairs and alterations (few), which have to be made, are rapidly nearing com- pletion. The removal and re-arrangement of the Society’s Library is a matter requiring more time. Already the bookcases and shelving have been transferred and are being refitted and enlarged, much of the new material, bookcases and shelves, having been generously donated to the Society by Dame Alice Godman. Of course during the period of transition it is impossible for Fellows to use the Library, and all books borrowed have been called in. We understand that the large meeting room will be available for scientific meetings at times when it ig not required by the Society. It is situated on the first floor, and when fully fitted will seat at least a 100 persons, with ample cloak- room and lavatory accommodation.
Subscriptions for Vol. XXXII. (tOshillings) shouid pe sent to» Me. Herbert E. Page, ‘‘ Bertrose,”’ Gellatly Road, New Gross, S.£.14 (This subscription includes all numbers published from January 15th to December 15th, 1921.]
Non-receipt or errors in the sending of Subscribers’ magazines should be notified to My. Herbert E. Page, “‘Bertrose,” Gellatly Road, New Cross, §.H. 14
ADVERTISEMENTS Of Books and Insects for Sale, or Books wanted will be inserted at a mini:um charge of 2s. 6d. (for four lines), Longer Advertisemontsin proportion. A reduction made for a series. Particulars of Mr. Herbert HE. Page, ‘‘ Bertrose,’’ Gellatly Road, New Cross, 9.15. 14
Stbseribers who change their addresses inust report the same to Mr. H. WW. Paau * Bertrose,” Gellatly toad, New Cross, London, 8. Te 5 otherwise then: magazines will probably be 4 da slaved:
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Duplicates. —Vi wileyata and other varieties of Grossulariata. Desiderata.—Good varieties and local forms. Spilosoma urticts, Advenaria, and other ordinary species to renew old series. Good Tortrices and Tineae.—Geo. T. Porritt, Hln Lea, Dalton,
Huddersfield.
Desiderata.—Crategata, Sambucaria, conditionimmateria.. Duplicates —Dominula, mendica, and numerous common species.—H. A. Cockayne, 65, Westbourne Lerrace, W.2.
Desiderata.—Foreign examples, local races, vars. and abs. from all paris of the world of any butterflies included in the British list. Setting immaterial; exact data indispensable. Liberal return made.—IV. G. Pether, ‘‘Thelma,’’ 4, Willow Bridge Tioad, London, N. 1.
Duplicates.—Aithiope, Selene, T. rubi, Phileas, Hectus, Perla, Chi, Nictitans, Boreata, Cambrica, Immanata, Olivata, Tristata, Dotata, Pedaria, Satyrata, Adequata, Mercurella, Angustea, Dubitalis, Ambigualis, Decrepitalis, Kuehniella, Fusca, Margari- tellus, Phryganella, Solandrinana, Sponsona, Rivulana, Urticana, Aurana, Dubitana, Herbosana, Myllerana, Octomaculana, Vaccinana, and Perlepidana. 'Desiderata.— Numerous, especially Tortricina.—A. A. Daiglish, 7, Keir Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow.
Duplicates.—Aglaia, Adippe, *Io, I. quercus, Coridon vars., *Fuliginosa (Reading), *B. quercus ¢, Tiliw, Menthastri, *Linariata, Aurantiaria, Leucophearia vars. Paniscus. Desiderata. —Pupe of Dictwoides; Imagines of typhon, palpina, camelina (dark), Curtula, Pyra, and numerous others; Ova of Hispidaria.—Harold B. JVilliams, 112a, Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
Cuance or Appress.—/tev. G. Wheeler, M.dA., ¥.H.S., 28, Gordon Squere, W.1.
Mr. Donisthorpe will still be glad to receive ants and Myrmecophiles from all parts of the British Isles, and to name any such for anyone who is kind enough to send them to him. He would however suggest that ants from any other parts of the worid be sent to his colleague, Mr. W. C. Crawley, 29, Holland Park Road, W.14. Myr. Crawley is specialising on the ants of the world, and it is a matter for congratulation that we should
possess an Hntomologist in this country whose whole attention should be concentrated on this branch of Entomology.
MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES.
Entomological Society of London.—11, Chandos Street, Cavendish Square, W., 8p.m. 1921, January 19th; Annual Meeting.
The South London Entomological and Natural Histery Society, Hibernia Chambers, London Bridge. Second and Fourth Thursdays in the month, at 7 p.m.— Hon. Sec., Stanley Edwards, 15, St. German’s Place, Blackheath, S.BE. 3.
The London Natural History Society (the amalgamation of the City of London Entomological and Natural History Society and the North London Natural History Society) now meets in Hall 40, Winchester House, Old Broad Street, H.C. 2, first and third Tuesdays in the month, at 6.30 p.m. (No Meetings in July or August.) Visitors welcomed. Hon. Sec., W. Eh. Guraa, 44, Belfast Road, ne 16.
All MS. and editorial matter should be sent and all proofs returned to Hy. J. ‘Turner, 98, Drakefell Road, New Cross, Loudon, 8.1.14
We must earnestly request our correspondents nor to send ws communications IDUNLICAL with those they are sending to other magazines.
Lists of Dourricarms “and DesipErata should be sent direct to Mr. H. HK. Page. Bertrose, Gellatly Road, New Cross, S.H. 14
OVA, LARVAE, AND PUPA:.
he Largest Breeder of Lepidoptera in the British Isles is
H. W. HEAD, @iutonolonist, BURNISTON, Nr. SCARBOROUGH.
Full List of Ova, Larvae, and Pupae, also Lepidoptera, Apparatus, Cabinets etc., sent on application. Many Rare British Species and Good Varieties for Sale.
IMPORTANT TO ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETIES and MUSEUMS.
BAGK VOLUMES OF 5 The Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation.
(Vols. I-XXXII.) CONTENTS OF Vol. I. (Most important only mentioned.)
Gents Acronycta and its allies.—Variation of Smerinthus tiliae, 3 coloured plates— Differentiation of Melitaea athalia, parthenic, and auwrelia—The Doubleday collection— Parthenogenesis— Paper on ‘aenivcampidae—Phylloxera—Practical Hints (many)— Parallel Variation in Coleoptera—Origin of Argynnis paphia var. valesina—Work for the Winter—Temperature and Variation—Synonymic notes—Retrospect of a Lepidopterist for 1890—Lifehistories of Agrotis pyrophila, Epunda lichenea, Heliophobus hispidus— Captures at light—Aberdeenchire notes, etc., ete., 360 pp.
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LARGEST STOCK OF
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We offer ist Quality, set, exact localities. Price in Shillings. (p.= pair).
Colias werdani g 1/6, ? 2/-; C. tatarica (cotypes), 5—10; C. christophi, 18—36 ; C. staudingeri, 3—6; C. pamira, 4—9; C. sulitelma, 1—2; C. sagartia, 6—12; C. wiskotti, 2436; Parnassius ap. uralensis, 2/6—5; P. nomius, 6—14; P. davidis, 8—16; P. honrathi, 14; P. rueckbeili, 14—32; P. simo-verus, 18—36; P. delph-cardinalis, 15 ; P. nordmanni, 16—32; P. imperator-musageta (the most beautiful Parn.), 45—35, p-=70; Ornithoptera brookiana, 8; O. hephaestus, p.=5; O. hecuba, p.=4; Papilio ascanius, p.=8; P. bitias-therapes ? 25; P. dixoni, 8; P. blumei, 5; P. inopinatus, p-=20; Morpho cypris, 15; M. anaxibia, 6; M. didius, 6; M. godarti, 5; Actias isis, 16; Agrias lugina, 8; Colias cocandica, 2—5; M. nestira, 6.
Lepidoptera Catalog (58) of all Faunas contains 28,000 Lepi- doptera (350 different PARNASSIUS, 200 COLIAS, etc.). Price five shillings, will be compensated in orders of butterflies.
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SAI A Se at Spiel ates ; Subscriptions for Vol. XXXII. are now due. ee XXXII /3,¥24 No. 2.
Che Entomologist’s Record Journal of Var iation
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CONTENTS.
PAGK,
Myrmecophilous Notes for 1920, H. Donisthorpe, F.Z.S., F.E.S. ae we ee ps 21 Lepidoptera in Peninsular Italy during the year 1920, Orazio Querci (cont.) ey xe 25 Butterflies of Gilan, N.W. Persia, P. A. Buxton, M.A., F.H.S. Bs ae Ss ts 29
Screnriric Notes :—Ovum and first ease of Coleophora ibipennella, Stt., 4. Sich, F.H S. 33
Cotnectinc Norns :—Larva found in a Barrel of Canadian Apples, W. Daws; Records, R. Long ; M. athalia and P. moneta in Somerset, J. F. Bird; Notes on Coccinellidae bleep in 1920, G. B. C. Leman, F.H.S.; Reappearance of A. britanus (Col.) in Surrey,
Id. ; A new Aberration of Splidosoma plumaria, Hy. J. Turner, F.H.S. a A 34
| Current Norres anp SHort NoTicrs = =f oe < ne “a WA a 37
Societies :—The South London Entomological Society. . Ps ee aS us oe 38 CORRECTION.
PEBRUARY Losth, 1921. Price ONE SHILLING (nur),
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Communications have been received or have been promised from Rev. G. Wheeler, Messrs. R. S. Bagnall, Hy. J. Turner, H. Donisthorpe, A. Sich, Dr. Verity, C. W. Colthrup, Rev. C. R. N. Burrows, Dr. T. A. Chapman, Capt. Burr, G. T. Bethune-Baker, E. B. Ashby, J. H. Durrant, Major P. P. Graves, Orazio Querci, B. C. S. Warren, Alfred O. Hedges, Comm. G. C. Woodward, C. Dover, J. F. Bird, W. Daws, with Reports of Societies and Reviews. ys
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SILVER PINS for collectors of Micro-Lepidoptera, etc., as well as minute insects of all other families and for all insects Hable to become greasy.
We stock various sizes and lengths of these Silver Pins which have certain advantages over ordinary entomological pins (whether enamelled black or silver or gilt).
NESTING BOXES of various patterns which should be fixed in gardens or shrub- beries by lovers of birds before the breeding season..
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Bexley | L. We. NEWMAN [Kent
Has for sale a superb stock of 1920 specimens in fine condition, including Varleyata ; Bicuspis; Pendularia var. Subroseata ; Melanie forms Lariciata, Consortaria, Conson- aria, Abietaria; Irish forms Aurinia and Napi, fine vars. Tiliae, Yellow Dominula, etc., etc. Quotations and Insects sent on approval with pleasure.
Also a huge stock of fine PUPAE and OVA. Write for Jatest price lists.
Relaxing Tins are now 4/- small and G/= large, post fre. Re-fills, 2/3 small, 3/3 large, post free.
pray eck camel
MYRMECOPHILOUS NoTES FOR 1920. 91
Myrmecophilous Notes for 1920. By HORACE DONISTHORPE, F.Z.S., F.E.S., etc
In 1920 more time was devoted to Coleoptera than to Ants, never- theless a certain number of observations and discoveries were made, which are recorded here.
Formtcmae,
Myrmecina yraminicola, Liatr.—The colony of this species which I obtained on May Ist, 1910 (see British Ants, p. 81, etc.) is still under observation, and in a flourishing condition. For the first time for four years no winged females have been reared, though 3 3 have been plentiful as usual. A little fighting again took place in March ; but did not last long. J have not recorded before that in August, 1919, very serious fighting occurred in this nest, indiscriminately between 3% anddel. ? @. One 8% might be attacked by two others, or by two 2 @,or bya ¥ and 9, or by one 8 alone, or one 2 ; and the same with one ?. This lasted for nearly two months, and I was much afraid I should lose the whole colony, as over 70, and perhaps 100, ants were killed off in this way. I cannot explain it, as the colony had plenty of food, and a large brood to attend to. I put a stop to it in the end by punishing any ant or ants who were fighting. They were knocked off their legs with a paint brush, pushed about, rolled over, and shaken up until they appeared to be thoroughly cowed ! It is possible that this fighting may have been the cause why no females were reared in 1920, and it will be of interest to see if such ? ? will be produced this year (1921), as no fighting to speak of, no ants being killed, occurred last year.
Acanthomyops (Vontsthorpea) niger, L.—On March 4th, workers in some numbers from a colony of this ant, nesting at the foot of a gate- post at Putney, were running about in the sun carrying bits of earth, ete.
On July 7th, at Mother Ivy’s Bay, N. Cornwall, a fine colony of A. (D.) niger, situated under a large flat stone near a stream running from a marsh into the sea, was found to contain very many mermithogynes. These short winged females from this nest (which also contained numerous normal winged @ @ and many @ and ¥% cocoons, but no 3S 3S) are peculiar in themselves, in the fact that nearly every one of them possesses a large oval hole in the mesonotum, about ‘7mm long and -25mm. broad, the object of which I am quite unable to explain. The gasters of such specimens as were dissected were found to con- tain one, or two, worms in each. Most of the ants and brood of this colony were taken, and as I knew my colleague Mr. Crawley was working on a paper on mermithogynes, I handed them over to him for investigation and experiment. The only other myrmecophiles present in the nest were Platyarthrus hoffmanseygi, Brndt., and Cypho- deirus (= Beckia) albinos, Nic.
On August 28th marriage flights of niger (and also of A. (C.) flavus and Myrmica ruginodis) took place in the afternoon and evening all over Putney.
Acanthomyops (Chthonolasius) mixtus, Nyl.—On August 11th very many deilated 9 2 were seen al! over fhe heath at Weybridge ; and one winged individual was rescued from the clutches of a F’. san- guinea %. One example was observed entering a hole in the sand
Fesruary, 1921.
29. THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD.
which sheltered a colony of A. (D.) alienus. On digging into this nest, six deiilated miatus @ 2 were found to have already established themselves in it.
The colony founding of all the British species of Acanthomyops is now well known, and thoroughly established (see British Ants, pp. 185, 196-99, 208-10, 215-16, 221-22, 230-388, 239-40). It would therefore seem unnecessary to keep on recording instances in support of facts already well-known; but a recent publication by Mons. R. Stumper— Zur Kolonie-grindung von Lasius fuliyinosus”’ [Arch. Natury. 85 189 (1920)|, however, proves that it is still advisable to do so. He found in-the summer of 1917 two isolated fuliginosus 2 Q in cells, but with no brood, and a third in a cell under a stone which covered a nest of A. (C.) mixtus, but not communicating with it. He therefore considers that further investigation is necessary. He mentions the discovery of de Lannoy, and what Hmery, Forel, and Wasmann had to say about it, but totally ignores the extensive and conclusive experiments carried out by Crawley and myself, besides the various other records published since our earlier papers, and my book ! I propose to republish the whole of the facts on the colony-founding of this ant in a future paper; and possibly in some continental publication.
Formica rufa, L.—This ant was very forward in the south in 1920; on February 18th the colonies at Weybridge were in full activity, building up their nests, going from one to another, carrying their fellows, and massing in numbers on the nests in thesun; deidlated ? @ occur in fair numbers with the % 8 outside the nests.
On March 21st at Oxshott [ found a winged rufa 2 out at some distance from her nest; this is the earliest date on record for either of the winged sexes of this species: April 17th being the earliest former record {see brit. Ants p. 255).
Prenolepis (Nylanderia) longicornis, Latr.—On October 12th this cosmopolitan species was found to be abundant in one of the hot- houses at the Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park. The 8% $ were running about on all the plants and pots, both in and around a large pond in the hot-house. This is the first record for the species in these gardens.
CoLEopTERa.
Atemeles emarginatus var. nigricollis, Kr.— A specimen of this variety was found in a nest of Formica fusca at Box Hill under a stone on May 4th. As far as I am aware this is only the second time that it has been taken in Britain.
Myrmedonia funesta, Gr.—A specimen was taken running on the ground near an old ash tree at Long Ashton in Somerset, around which a number of A. (D.) fuliginosus % 8 were crawling. This is I believe only the third record for Somersetshire, of this insect.
Claviyer testaceus, Preys.—This species occurred in abundance in nests of A. (U.) flavus under stones at Box Hill on May 4th, many specimens being im cop; and also with the same ant at Mother Ivy’s Bay, N. Cornwall, on July 7th. My friend Mr. Keys tells me he has always found Claviger to be very rare in Cornwall.
Hymenoprnra—ProcorotRyYPIDAR.
Lagynodes niger var. aterior, Box, Ceraphron fuliginosi, Box, Loao-
MYRMECOPHILOUS NOTES FoR 1920. 23
tropa fuliginosi, Box.—These three insects, which are new to science, were all taken in a nest of A. (D.) fuliyinosus at Woking on September 27th, August 14th, and May 30th respectively. Iam indebted to my friend Mr. L. A. Box for the descriptions of the same (see antea, pp. 15-16), who at the same time described a species of Synopeas taken by me at Barmouth on June 28rd, 1906, ina nest F. fusca, under the name Synopeas fuscicola.
BRACcONIDAE.
Aspilota nervosa, Hal.—A specimen of this Braconid was taken in the same fuliyinosus nest as the above mentioned Proctotrypids on September 27th. This is the second time I have taken this species with fuliginosus, 1t having occurred with the ant in question at Darenth Wood in June 1909 | Hnt. Rec. 22 15 (1910)].
CHALCIDIDAE.
Spalangia erythromera, Forst., was taken in the Woking fuliyinosus nest on September 27th, and also bred on December 10th from some carton and other refuse taken from the nest on the former date, and placed in a small plaster nest. As far as I know there were no ant larvee present, but plenty of a fat, broad Dipterous larva, which all pupated later. This however proves nothing, as the Spalangia larva may leave its host before pupating, and have been present as a pupa in the débris. This conspicuous jet black species is, in any case, most certainly a regular guest of fuliginosus. 1 first took it in Britain with this ant at Wellington College in April, 1906, and bred it in large numbers the same year from a nest of the ant. It has subsequently been taken by me at Darenth Wood, Oxshott, Weybridge and Woking, and always with the same ant, which it will be remembered is also of a jet-black colour.
Dretera.
Pseudacteon formicarum, Verrall.—This little fly was captured hovering over % 8 of F. sanguinea at Woking on August 14th. I had dug up a sanguinea nest and thrown the earth, etc., on a large white cloth. There were no ants on the cloth, or to be seen, except the sanguinea % 8%, and several of the little flies were observed hovering over these ants. It is rather important to emphasise this, as Wasmann in a recent and very valuable paper on this fly [Biol. Zentralb. 38 317-29 (1918)| considers it to be only associated with d. (D.) niger, as he thinks the ovipositor would not be long enough to reach between the segments of the gasters of larger ants. I have no doubt he is | correct in thinking that niger is its principal host; but there can be no possible doubt that on this occasion the flies were endeavouring to parasitise the sanquinea % ¥, and their behaviour was just the same as I have always noticed, when they have been hovering over niger, and other small % ants.
HetTEROPTERA.
Pilophorus cinnamopterus, Kirsc.—Larve in numbers and some imagos occurred on fir trees over rufa nests at Weybridge on July 16th and August 11th, and Megacoelwm beckeri, Fieb., larvee on the former occasion. I had hoped to find out something of the life-history of these two species, and the reason for their assoc¢iation with ants, and for
t
24 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
this purpose I had prepared a very large tray covered with sand with a broad moat of water all round. On it were young oak, birch, and fir trees growing 1p pots and I had established a nice colony of For- mica rufa upon it, whose hillock was built up in one corner of the tray. Unfortunately the experiment proved to be a failure; as the bugs and their larve, of which I brought home numbers, and put on the young trees, always got into the water, and were drowned.
Alydus calearatus, L.—Larve were seen running in company with F. rufa % % at Weybridge on August 11th.
Nabis lativentris, Boh.—At Portheothan Bay, N. Cornwall, on July 9th, one larva of this bug was swept up in company with 8 % of F. fusca var. glebaria and A. (D.) niger, and another was taken running over a niver nest. It is not generally known that the younger forms of this bug possess spines on the pro- and meso-thorax, and also on the front femora ; these spines are entirely lost in the adult stage, and those on the femora are replaced by fine hairs. It is the only one in the genus possessing these peculiarities, which are no doubt connected with its ant-like form. My friend Mr. Ernest Green sent two of the spiny form to the Museum in June, which created quite a flutter at the time. When they were shown to me, I expressed a view that they were larve of Nabis lativentris, but was told that one could not expect any young form with spines to lose them entirely when adult, ete., ete. I produced similar forms from my cabinet taken with ants, but it was suggested they were a new species to Britain. The larval form ficured by Dr. Sharp [Cambridge Nat. Hist. 6 556 (1899)| who first called attention to the resemblance to ants, is older and does not possess the spines. Other specimens in my collection are also without them. However, ‘blessed is he that expecteth little,” especially when dealing with ants and myrmecophiles, and the various specimens being submitted to Mr. E. A. Butler, he identified them all as early stages of N. lativentris. I swept up a form without spines, and with yellow, instead of white, margins to the abdomen, in company with Myrmica © scabrinodis % 8 and dealated @ 2 by the side of a marsh near Chi- chester on August 17th. Other specimens swept up in the marsh itself, had bright red abdominal borders.
CoccIDAr.
Ripersia europea, New.—Numerous specimens of a Coccid which I felt sure was a species I had not taken before, were found in a nest of A. (D.) niger at Stepper Point, N. Cornwall on July 8th, in company with the Aphis 7rama radicis, Kalt.
Professor Newstead, who kindly named them for me, told me that they were old adult @ ? fullof embryos. He says it is closely related to Ripersia tomlini, but is distinguished from old adults of the latter by its smaller size, the large number of gland pores, and the presence of a chitinous scoop-shaped structure of the anal ring. As far as lam aware the insect has only been captured once before in Britain— at Swanage.
ARANEINA.
Tetrilus diversus, Camb.—EKige cases of this spider occurred on the carton itself of the Woking fuliginosus nest, and very young, recently hatched spiders were running about on the carton on September 27th
LEPIDOPTERA IN PENINSULAR ITALY DURING THE yEAR 1920. 25
‘and November 4th. Whether this species is the same as 7’. arietinus,
Thor., or not, it is undoubtedly a regular myrmecophile ; as is also the latter. I have taken it with this ant in various months (January, April, August, September, November, and December), at Oxshott, Wellington College, Weybridge and Woking; @ 2 occurring deep in the nest itself. The ? evidently lays her eggs on the carton of the nest and I have found egg-cases similarly situated at Weybridge and Oxshott.
It is also probable that the records of Uryphoeca recisa, Camb., with ants, really apply to 7. diversus, as Mr. Hull tells me the true V. recisa, Camb., is a synonym of Tetrilus impudicus, Simeon, which is non- myrmecophilus.
ACARINA.
Laelaps (Laelaspis) humeratus, Berl., and Trachyuwropoda (Leonardi- ella) canestriniana, Berl.—These two mites, which are recorded here for the first time in Britain, were taken by me in a nest of Vetramorium caespitum at St. George’s Well, N. Cornwall, on July 11th. It is recorded from Italy in ants’ nests, and probably with the same host species, aS a var. taken in Russia and another in Corsica, were both taken with Tetramorium caespitum.
Laelaps (Laelaspis) equitans, Mich.—I have already recorded this species from Porthcothan Bay, and commented on its habits [see Hnt. Rec. 32 183 (1920)].
Trachyuropoda (Janetiella) trogulotdes, Can. and Fanz. (=laminosa, Berl.), and Laelaps (Hypoaspis) myrmecophilus, Berl.—These were taken in ants’ nests at Porthcothan Bay on July 8th. The former with A. (D.) niger, and the latter with FH’. fusca var. glebaria.
Lepidoptera in Peninsular Italy during the year 1920. By O. QUERCTI. © (Continued from page 15.)
While my family collected Lepidoptera in Calabria I was collecting ‘in the mountains of the Garfagnana. I lived in a small peasant’s house isolated on the slopes of Monte Sumbra at about an hour’s walk from the village of Careggine. The locality seemed very favourable, having large waste lands close to the beech zone (3000-5000ft.). However, I noticed at once that the trees had not produced nuts and that the grass had suffered enough on account of the drought and from the hail-storms which had visited the region during spring.
From June 18th to the 26th, notwithstanding the unfavourable season and frequent showers, I collected the following species :—
Zyyaena purpuralis, Brunn., race fiorti, Costantini. 7%. achilleae, Esp., race triptolemus, Hb. 24. stoechadis, Bkh., race stoechadis, Bkh. Z. lonicerae, Schev., race vivax, Vrty. Z. SHOEI DO. Hsp., race of transition from sorrentina, Ster., to altitudinaria, Trti. 7%. oxytropis, B. (only two specimens). 2. carniolica, Scop. (only two specimens). Procris statices, L., race not. identified. P. tenuicornis, Z., race not identified. Heodes virgaureae, L., race apennina, Calb. Rumicta phiaeas, L., race nigrioreleus, Vrty. Loweia alciphron, Rott., race romanorum, Fruhst. Lycaena arion, L., race not identified. Agriades thetis, Rott., race apenniniyena, Vrty. A. hylas, Ksp., race correpta,
26 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
Vrty. A. escherit, Hb., race altivolans, Vrty. Polyommatus icarus, Rott., race zellert, Vrty., I. gen. zelleri. P. amandus, Schneid., race not identified. Celastrina semiarqus, Rott., race porrecta, Vrty. Aricia medon, Hufn., race pallidefulva, Vrty., I gen. subornata, Vrty. Plebetius argus, L., race apenninicola, Vrty. Cupido minimus, Fuessl., race minimus, Fuessl. Callophrys rubt, ., race virgatus, Vrty.. Nordmannia ilicis, Esp., race inornata, Vrty. N. acaciae, F., race italica, Vrty. Gonepteryx rhamni, L., race transiens, Vrty., IL gen. secunda, Vrty. Colias hyale, L., race calida, Vrty., Il gen. calida. C. croceus, Foure. (edusa, F.), race croceus, IL gen. croceus, Leptosia sinapis, L., race binittata, Vrty., II gen. bivittata. Pieris napi, L., race vulgaris, Vrty., I gen. vulgaris. ~P. rapae, li, race rapae, Il gen napae, Tu: Aporia crataegi, Li. (only two specimens). Coenonympha pamphilus, L., race australis, Vrty., | gen. australis. C. arcanius, L., race tenuelimbo, Vrty., I gen. tenuelimbo. H'pinephele jurtina, L., race not identified. Erebia epiphron, Knoch.. a new race. FE. stygne, O., race etruriae, Vrty. (=costantinii, Trti.). EH. medusa, F., race hyperapennina, Trt. FE. aethions, Esp. (only two specimens). Melanargia galathea, Li. (only two specimens). Pararge megera, Li., race meyera, 1 gen. meyera. P. maera, Li., race apennina, Vrty., | gen. apennina. Melitaea didyma, Hsp. (only one specimen). M. athalia, Rott., race tenuicola, Vrty. Brenthis euphrosyne, L., race apennina, Stgr. Argynnis aglaia, L., race apenninicola, Vrty. A. niobe, Li, race apenninica, Vrty. A. cydippe, L., race clarens, Vrty. A. wrticae, L., race turcica, Stgr.
These are certainly not all the species which can emerge on the Apuane Alps in the first period, that is in the period preceding the summer pause. Many had certainly missed on account of the excessive drought, and this I deduce from the fact that I only collected a very few individuals of species which are generally common and abundant such as 4%. carniolica, C. hyale, P. rapae, A. crataegi, HK. jurtina, M. galathea, M. didyma.
Amongst the Lepidoptera of Monte Sumbra I only found of note the two specimens of A. thetis, ab. polonus, Z., mentioned by Dr. Verity in the Hint. Rec., 1920, p. 140. ;
The emergence of Lepidoptera ceased on June 26th and I continued for some days my useless excursions up the top of Monte Sumbra in search especially of P. apollo, but 1 only saw spoilt specimens of the other species before named, not worth capture.
On July 8th I went to Lucca to meet my wife and daughter on their return from Calabria, and on the 10th of the same month we went to live in the little house on Monte Sumbra waiting for the summer species to emerge at the end of the pause.
From July 10th to 14th we found a few individuals of A. coridon, Poda, race apuanica, Vrty.; P. icarus, Rott., race zelleri, Vrty., II gen. aestivalis, Vutt; A. medon, Hutn., race pallidefulva, Vrty., II gen. pallidefulva; P. napi, race vulyaris, Vrty., Il gen. napaeae, Esp.; S. fayi, Scop. (hermione, auct.), race not identified ; H. semele, Li. (only one male).
After July 14th began the great emergence of A. coridon. All the meadows were full of restless coridon. At sunset they assembled in groups on the dried stems, and all around us we saw hundreds of white banners which took flight only on being disturbed by our nets. We could easily choose perfect specimens without useless slaughter
LEPIDOPTERA IN PENINSULAR ITALY DURING THE YEAR 1920. 27
and our catch was of more than 2,500 pertect individuals, but we had certainly examined more than 10,000, among which we only found one male and one female of the aberration corydonis, Brestr., as it is figured by Tutt in Brit. Butt., vol. iv. (1910), plate II., fig. 14.
On July 22nd the emergence of A. coridon ceased and we saw thousands of spoilt individuals together with a few individuals of the other species, also gpoilt. We had to leave Garfagnana owing to the want of Lepidoptera, and it was lucky for us because the house we inhabited was destroyed by the earthquake of September 7th, and we should certainly have remained till that date if there had been material to collect.
On July 20th Dr. Romei, my son-in-law, came to visit us and he assured us that in the environs of Florence no insect flew and that he had seen none in his long journey from Florence to Caregeine. It was evident that the want of insects must depend upon the excessive drought, so my wife and daughter proposed to go to the Bagni di Lucca to collect in the valley of the Camaione river, which descends from the Monte Pratofiorito and falls into the Lima near Ponte-a-Serragho. They had collected in that locality in August, 1915, and they remem- bered that in the valley of Camaione the sun only appeared for a few hours during the day and this made them hope that the Lepidoptera had been able to save themselves from destruction.
I went to the valley of the Camaione and perceived that something was flying there. I found lodgings at Bagni di Lucca and returned to Careggine to take my family.
Before leaving Monte Sumbra my wife and I madea last excursion to it, feeling certain that in so suitable a locality the P. apollo could not be wanting. On our return from the Sumora (5000 ft.) we saw P. apollo flying in a valley below, which was rather moist, and we descended to it and were able to capture several specimens very much spoilt and one male only in good condition.
As there was no more hope of collecting even P. apollo we left the Garfagnana to go to Bagni di Lucca, whilst my son-in-law left for the Monti Sibillini in the Marche.
During the month of August in the valley of the Camaione (800ft.) we found all the species which we had collected there in 1915.
Nisoniades tages, L., race clarus, Carad., II. gen. clarus. Erynnis alceae, Esp., race australis, Z., II. gen. australis. KH. altheae, Hb., race australiformis, Vrty., II. gen. australiformis. Hesperia armoricanus, Obth., race fulvoinspersa, Vrty., LI. gen. fulvoinspersa. H. onopordi, Ramb., race fulvotincta, Vrty., Il. gen. fulvotincta. H. malvoides, Elw. and Kdw., race pseudomalvae, Vrty., Il. gen. malvoides. Powellia sao, Hb., race gracilis, Vrty., Il. gen. gracilis. Urbicola comma, L., race apennina, Rost. Augiades sylvanus, Ksp., race sylvanus, IL. gen. minuta, Vrty. R. phlaeas, L., race nigrioreleus, Vrty., Il. gen. nigrioreleus. L. dorilis, Hutn., race italorwn, Vrty., II. gen. ttalorum. L. arion, Li, race not identified. Scolitantides baton, Bgstr., race baton, Il. gen. obscura, Vrty. A. coridon, Poda, race superapennina, Vrty. A. thetis, Rott., race etrusca, Vrty., Il. gen. etrusca. P. meleager, Ksp., race macra, Vrty. P. icarus, Rott., race zelleri, Vrty., Il. gen. aestivalis, Tutt. A. medon, Hutn., race pallidefulva, Vrty., Il. gen. pallidefulva. P. argus, L., race apenninicola, Vrty. P. idas, Li. (=argyrognomon, Bgstr.), race apenninophyla, Vrty. Hveres alcetas, Hoff. (=coretas, O.), race alcetas.
98 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
S. telicanus, Lang., race telicanus. LL. boeticus, L., race boeticus. H. lucina, Li., race lucina. C. croceus, Foure., race croceus, IL. gen. croceus. L. sinapis, L., race bivittata, Vrty., IL. gen. bivittata. Pontia daplidice, L., race daplidice, I. gen. daplidice. P.napi, L., race vulgaris, Vrty., II. gen. napaeae, Esp. P. rapae, L., race rapae, Il. gen. rapae (= aestivus, Vrty., and aestiva, Stauder). P. brassicae, L., race catoleuca, Rob., IL. gen. catolenca. Iphiclides podalirius, L., race zanclaeus, Z., II. gen. zanelaeus. C. pamphilus, L., race australis, Vrty., I. gen. emilyllus, Vrty. OC. arcanius, lu., zace tenuelimbo, Vrty., Il. gen. gracilis, Vrty. Pyronia tithonus, L., race etrusca, Vrty. Pararge megera, L., race megera, Ll. gen. filipluma, Ball. P. maera, L., race apennina, Vrty., I. gen. apennina. P. aeyeria, Li, race italica, Vrty., JI. gen. not identified. Mnodia dryas, Scop., race jultanus, Stauder. S. statilinus, Hufn., race intermedia, Vrvy. Limenitis rivularis, Scop. (=camilla, auct.), race rivularis, IL. gen. rivularis. M. didyma, Esp., race protea, Vrty., Il. gen. caldaria, Vrty. M. phoebe, Knoch, race emipauper, Vrty., I. gen. emipauper. M. athalia, Rott., race tenuis, Vrty. 3B. dia, L., race laetior, Vrty.. Il. gen. flavens, Vrty. Issoria lathonia, L., race emiflorens, Vrty., II. gen. emiflorens. A. cydippe, L., race clarens, Vrty. Dryas paphia, L., race maynifica, Vrty. P. cardia, L., race wniversa, Vrty. P. atalanta, L., race atalanta. A. rticae, L., race turcica, Ster., I]. gen. turcica. P.c-album, L., race hutchinson, Robson, I. gen. hutehinsoni. P. egea, Cr., race eyea, I. gen, egea.
The species which had most felt the adverse season were those ot the Lycaenidi tribe: S. baton, A. thetis, P. icarus, A. medon, P. argus, P. idas, EB. alcetas, R. telicanus, L. boeticus emerged in very small numbers, and the individuals were very small, some baving a wing expansion of only a quarter of the normal size.
We only took one spoilt specimen of A. coridon which had no doubt come from the overhanging summit of Pratofiorito where the species is common. The A. coridon is never found in peninsular Italy below 2000ft.; only A. arrayonensis is found in the plain, but in the Pratofiorito mountain, as also in the Apuane Alps, the A. arragonensis has never been found, nor has A. thersites.
In the H. armoricanus and H. onopordi the colouring of the under- side is intensely fulvous; these are amongst the most characteristic of the fulvoinspersa and fulvotincta of Verity.
At the end of August all the emergences ceased in the valley of Camaione. In the neighbouring valleys, too much exposed to the solar rays, there was absolutely nething. It was notable that in 1915 the valley of the Fegana stream was found full of A. coridon, race superapennina, and of individuals of a beautiful race of P. idas, whilst this year I went to it three times and covered about 90 miles on a bicycle without seeing any Lepidoptera either in the valley of the Fegana, or in the whole journey on the roads covered with dust which smothered all vegetation.
Besides the Rhopalocera several tardy specimens of 4%. stoechadis were found in the valley of Camaione,.
On August 27th I returned to Florence to see if the summer pause had come to an end in the Pian di Mugnone, but no insect was flying in the country burnt up by the heat and drought. My family preferred, therefore, to remain at Bagni di Lucca.
In the second half of the month of July, my friend, Lieutenant
BUTTERFLIES OF GILAN, N.W. PERSIA. 29)
Mario Marchi, collected butterflies for me on the Monte Giovi above Fiesole. There he found abundantly A. coridon, race apennina, Z., and in the first days of August also some individuals of the like species A. arragonensis (Gerh.), Vrty., race florentina, Vrty., II gen. altera, Vrty. Of other species he only saw S. fagi, Scop. (= hermione, auct.), C. croceus (edusa) and L. rivularis (camilla).
From July 24th till the end of October, my friend, Lelio Misirocchi, who was spending his holidays in the island of Elba, made some entomological researches. At first he found many spoilt individuals of S. statilinus, H. neomiris, H. semele, race aristaeus, D. pandora ; afterwards, at the beginning of August, when the second brood ought to emerge of C. corinna, race elbana, P. manni and Charawxes jasius, every insect disappeared entirely.
(To be concluded.)
Butterflies of Gilan, N.W. Persia. By P. A. BUXTON, M.A., F.E.S.
The southern end of the Caspian Sea is fringed by forest, which stretches without any break from near Lenkoran, in the Trans- caucasian republic of Azerbaijan, to Asterabad, in N.E. Persia. The greater part of the forest lies in Persia, in the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran. ‘The forest grows between the Caspian Sea and the Eiburz mountains, and stretches from sea level (that is to say, from some 80 feet below mean sea level) to about 5,000-6,000 feet on the northern slopes of the Elburz; the width of the forest, from the sea shore to tree-line, is between thirty and sixty miles; it is provided with a heavy rainfall distributed through every month of the year.
Apart from this forest, Persia consists of a high, semi-desert table- land crossed by many ranges of rocky mountains, and the contrast between the fauna and flora of forest and plateau is extremely clearly marked.
_1 do not feel competent to deal with the fauna of the plateau, and will only say that it consists of genera and species well known, most of them, as characteristic of the great desert belt, which extends from Morocco, through Keypt and Syria, to Persia, Turkestan and the Gobi. My object in publishing this very incomplete list of the butterflies of the great forest 1s to show how entirely the fauna of this reeion differs from that of the stony plateau; even my few captures are of con- siderable interest, for much less is known of the fauna of Gilan than of that of most parts of Persia.
J was stationed in Resht and in Einzeli, both of them on the level of the Caspian Sea, from January to July, 1919.
During the winter we were free to move in any direction, but the advent of spring (and of insects) coincided with the outbreak of a minute, but troublesome war with some forest tribes, and from March onwards our movements were limited. At the end of June I went by sea to Astara, on the frontier between Persia and Azarbaijan, and returned, mostly by road, along the coast till I reached Enzeli.
Furtunately for me, Le Cerf (1913) has recently published a resumé of our present knowledge of the Persian butterflies. He has added considexably to the list, and under each species records its status in Persia, so far as it is known at present. His paper and bibliography are invaluable.
30 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
Specimens of several of the more interesting species have been deposited in the British Museum.
Pieris (Ganoris) brassicae, L.—February 25th, Resht; May 28th, June 6th, Enzeli, single specimens. I made a point of trying to catch every ‘‘ white ’’ I saw, and believe this species was uncommon. It is probably confined to the forest region, so far as Persia is concerned ; all records to date suggest this.
Pieris napi, li—One female, June 30th, HEnzeli. ‘This also appeared to be rare. The underside is entirely unveined, the dark tip of the forewing (upperside) is continued down the termen, and is united to the upper spot by black lines passing alone two nervures ; black scaling along the marginal termination of the nervures of the upperside, hindwing, is well marked.
Pieris rapae, Li. var. crucivora, Btlr.—June 6th-30th. <A long series of both sexes, Enzeli. This is by far my most interesting capture ; the specimens cannot be distinguished from crucivora from China and Japan, a race which has been recorded from localities in Western China, but never, I think, further west than that. <“ P. rapae”’ was recorded by Ménétries (1882) from Lenkoran, which is close to, but not in, the great forest, but I think the species has not yet been recorded in any form from the afforested provinces Gilan and Mazandaran. The specimens vary considerably, but the dusky scaling along the basal half of the costa is always considerable in both sexes ; in the females it may be so extended as to involve the whole basal third, or half, of the wing, and to appear as a faint cloud uniting the apical mark to the two post-discal spots. In females the dark tip is often so suffused with white scales as to be broadly grey all along its costal side.
The males vary in expanse, 52mm.-62mm.; the females, 60mm.- 64mm. It is remarkable that this species was never taken till June 6th; I do not think an earlier brood can have been overlooked. The insects were Commoner in the woods than in eardens, and flew low over the ground in open places where flowers grow. They were more easy to catch than the ordinary form of rapae generally is. Dr. F. A. Dixey has been good enough to examine my specimens: he agrees that they cannot be separated from crucivora from the Far East.
Anthocharis gruneri, H. var. armeniaca, Christ.—March 27th, Menjil, 3,000ft. Males were common in a gorge above Menjil, among thick bushes and spring flowers. The country round Menjil is stony desert, and for that reason I have not included my captures in this paper. On this particular day I walked far enough to cross the extremely sharp line which separates desert and woodland, and in the woodland I obtained this species.
Le Cerf records ‘ Anthocharis cardamines, L. var. phoenissa, Kalchb. f. wnbrosa, Culot,” from Teng-rir (I am unable to locate this place), and remarks that its racial characters give it somewhat the appearance of some forms of A. grunert, H.-S. My specimen, how- ever, is, without doubt, A. gruneri var. armeniaca.
Gonepteryx rhammt, L.—February 18th-March 20th, Resht. Both sexes in worn condition. All records given by Le Cerf suggest that this is a species confined in Persia to the extreme north, except for an old record of Kollar from “$. Persia.” This is possibly due to some error.
BUTTERFLIES OF GILAN, N.W. PERSIA. 31
Colias croceus, Fourer. (edusa, Fab.).—May-June, Enzeli. Common in open spaces, and on the sandhills which fringe the sea. Var. helice was not at all uncommon in June.
Epinephele jurtina, L. (janira, Li.) var. ghilanica, Le Cerf.—June 6th-30th (males), June 21st-July 4th (females), Knzeli. This beautiful race was abundant at Enzeli, flying in the depth of the forest more often than in open glades. The males visited bramble blossom. Le Cerf’s type came from “ Sia-Khani” (alt. 6,000ft.), and he received specimens from various places, all on the northern slopes of the Elburz, between June and July.28th. My specimens, which have been compared with the original series by Le Cerf himself, show that specimens from below mean sea level differ not at all from those from 6,000ft. The race, in fact, is characteristic of the forest, at whatever altitude, and differs in numerous characters, including genitalia from the races of the stony plateau.
Vanessa io, L.—February 19th-to March 20th, Resht.
Pyrameis atalanta, .—February 19th-March 20th, Resht.
_ These two species are confined in Persia, so far as we know, to the province of Gilan (and Mazandaran probably). P. atalanta, however, occurs in Baghdad.
Pyrameis cardui, L.—This species was abundant at Enzeli throughout the spring and early summer. I have already (1920) recorded that in the spring larve were being used by sparrows to feed their young. The larve fed on many low plants, principally Gnaphalium sp. :
Argynnis paphia, L.—Karly July, Enzeli, and Tula Rud, N.W. of Enzeli, in the Persian Talish. The specimens are large (gf 78mm., ? 80mm.), and in the British Museum are two from Lenkoran (Christoph coll.), ¢ 77mm., 9 80mm. This species also appears to be confined in Persia to the Caspian littoral. It was common and freshly emerged in the Talish at sea level, both sexes visiting bramble blossom.
Everes argiades, Pall.—June 8rd 1+-¢, 3 2, Enzeli. It seems useless to attempt to refer these few specimens to any of the races which have been described; it is a pity that more were not obtained. The male measures 27mm., the females 80mm., 30°5mm., 3lmm. There are no Persian records, so far as I know, except from the Caspian provinces.
Celastrina argiolus, Li.—March 80th, 1 ¢, Menjil (in a thickly- wooded gorge). June 30th-early July, ¢ ¢, Enzeli and Tula Rud, Talish. July 9th, 2? 2, Tula Rud, Talish.
This series differs from any local race in the British Museum ; the essential characters are that in both sexes on the underside the discal spots are not abnormally conspicuous; the post-discal spots of fore- wing and hindwing are large and very dark, and the sub-terminal V-shaped marks, which are often hardly visible in European specimens, are very large, and tend to coalesce to form an irregular subterminal band on the forewing, and to a less extent on the hind- wing. ‘The underside is similar in colour to that of British specimens, except for the lack of blue scaling at the base of the wing. ‘The colour of the upperside (male) tends rather to violet than to blue; in the females the black tips are enlarged so as to include the whole costa from the base and the whole terminal third of the forewing; the black
32 THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD.
scaling of the hindwings covers everything except the disc. The fringes (gf and @) are very indistinctly chequered. The var. hypo- leuca, Kollar, described from S.W. Persia is, as one would expect, entirely different; this race appears to be widely distributed in the Middle Hast; the underside is marked by the smallness or obsoles- cence of all the spots. I always found C. argiolus among thick trees. or thick bushes. It was generally found in very shady places, so dense with trees that one could barely move, flying low and visiting the flowers of Stachys. I never saw it flying high as it does in England, or visiting holly bushes, which were common.
Polyommatus icarus, Rott.—April 20th-24th, June 8th-380th, Enzeli. These specimens resemble P. icarus, trom Britain, except in the ground colour of the underside of the males, which is very nearly white in most specimens, and in the post-discal spots of both wings, which are very large in both sexes. The upperside of the females is on the average very blue. The race generally known as “ persica, Bienert,” is that of the Persian plateau; Tutt has shown that. Bienert’s name persica can. only apply to a rare aberration, which is of no geographical significance, and it appears that the plateau race referred to as persica, Bien., by many authors from Butler to Le Cerf should be called fugitiva, Butler; a number of races have been described from Chitral, Yarkand, etc., and the synonymy will be uncertain till much more material is forthcoming from Middle Asia. lor our purpose it suffices that the race from the Caspian forests is very Close to the typical icarus, while that from the bare plateau is, at any rate, fairly similar to the races of other high-lying, barren parts of Western and Central Asia.
Augiades sylvanus, Ksp., var. hyrcanus, Christoph.—June 20th-30th, 3 @,Enzeli. In these two specimens the extent of the dark hind- margins of the wings is slightly less than in Christoph’s types (Elwes coll.) in the Britisn Museum, but they are much closer to those specimens than to any others. The ¢ typeis labelled “7.8.73, Asterabad,”’ the 92 ‘: Asterabad.” Christoph gives ‘ Lenkoran, Astrabad,’ as the typical localities. Le Cerf erroneously says “ Demavend, loc. oriy.”” So far as we know then, this well-marked race 1s peculiar to the great forest, and is found from end to end of it.
R®FERENCES.
Ménétries, EH. (18382), ‘“‘ Catalogue raisonné des objects de zoologie.”’
Christoph, H. (1893), ‘‘ Lepidoptera nova faunz Palearctice.” Tris, vi., 86-96.
Tutt, J. W. (1910-14), Nat. Hist. Bri. Butts., iv.
Le Cerf, F. (19138), ‘ Contribution a la Faune lépidoptérologique de la. Perse.” Déléyation en Perse; Annales d’ Histoire Naturelle. Tome II. Fascic.2. (Pub. Leroux, Paris.)
Buxton, P. A. (1920), “ Palatability of Vanessid larve.” Hunt. Ree., 2 GO-ANee [sj O13)
SSCIENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.
OvuM AND FIRST CASE OF COLKOPHORA IBIPENNELLA, Srr.— The species here in question is certainly Stainton’s tbipennella, a birch feeder, but I do not believe that it is the tb/pennella of Zeller, which is
SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 33
an oak feeder and is probably the same species that Scott later des- eribed as ardeaepennella. Stainton’s insect is probably the betulella of Heinemann. These white Coleophorids, whose larve make silken pistol cases, do not yet appear to be well understood. The ovum then of Stainton’s species is usually laid on the underside of a birch leaf away from the ribs, and is when newly laid deep ochreous. This colour only alters by becoming slightly greyer before the larva escapes. The upright egg is nipple shaped, widest at the base, where it measures about 0:36mm. The walls slope upwards to the somewhat flattened apex. ‘The height measures 0:-18mm. or a little more as the eggs vary in size. The micropylar area lies in a hollow at the apex; there are usually seven somewhat pear-shaped cells forming the rosette. There are fifteen to seventeen broad rather flattened ribs running up the walls of the ege almost from the base to the apex. These become’ attenuated as they pass over the rim of the micropylar basin, while a few of them even reach the cells of the rosette. In some of the eighteen ova under observation, there were some very fine dark lines encircling the walls at right angles to the ribs. These eges were laid in the latter part of July, 1920. In proportion this egg is higher than that of C. laricella, about the same height as that of viminetella, but considerably lower than those of either lineolea or gryphipennella.
The weather was not very genial and the eggs took nearly three weeks before hatching. The larva bores through the base of the egg shell into the leaf and commences to mine. In all the Coleophorids that I had previously had under observation at this stage the larva passed its first stadium in the mine, and after changing its skin it cut out its first case. With zbipennella, Stt., the procedure is quite different. After mining out a small space, the larva cuts a circular hole out of the lower cuticle of the leaf and through this it deposits its excrement in a conical heap on the surface of the leaf, taking care to keep the grains. together by means of its own silk. Mixed with this is usually some vegetable debris, probably obtained when the above-mentioned hole was cut out. In a comparatively short time this cone of excrement and_ silk becomes elongated and the larva, getting inside it, detaches it from its moor- ings, and thus its case is formed. It then walks off and commences a fresh minein theusual manner. The caseis from 1 to ‘75 mm. long and about 0.5 mm. in diameter. It has a greyish ground colour, but is very thickly covered with black dots. Two days after hatching one larva. had already made its case and on the third day there were eight cases. As soon as the larva begins a fresh mine it also begins adding white silk to the mouth end of its case. The larva continues this process, ani also enlarges the diameter of the case by adding white silk beneath, until in three or four weeks from the time of hatching (probably sooner when in the open) a miniature tbipennella case is completed. It is curved and has the anal opening not at the end but underneath. It now rests on the leaf with both ends touching the ‘surface. In this case the larva passes the winter, firmly fastened to a twig, usually just above a leaf bud. This strikingly simple and economic method of case-making is in strong contrast to the more laborious process of cutting out two cuticles of a leaf and joining them with silk. Hleven days after hatching the larve were again provided with fresh sprays of birch, and when I again saw them a week later
34. THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
the cases were all at rest on unmined parts of the leaves. I think the larve were then undergoing their first ecdysis. The larve continued to mine small spaces in the leaves, not eating the surface of the leaf as they do after hibernation. In the middle of September I set them free on a birch in the garden. I have only come across one reference to this method of case construction, 1t occurs in a paper by Dr. Ottmar Hofmann, who states that he saw the larve of C. musculella and CO. saponariella commencing their cases by forming a cone of white silk outside the mine, and he suggests C. vitisella, the species of which he is writing, has a similar habit. (Steté. Hnt. Zeit., 1869, p. 113). The first two species he mentions, as above, make silken cases, but not of the pistol shape adopted by ibipennella and its allies.— Aurrep Sicu, Chiswick.
WOTES ON COLLECTING, Etc.
Larva FouND IN A Barret or Canapian AppLes.—On November 17th a friend of mine who keeps a greenerocer’s shop, brought me a living larva of what appears to be one of the tiger-moth family. He had fouud it in a barrel of Canadian apples. It was rolled up in a rine and appeared sluggish, but when I brought it into the warm house it appeared to revive and began to walk round the zinc larva box in which I had placed it, I put in several sorts of low growing plants, but it did not seem to take any notice of them; I also put in a slice of apple on which it at once got and appeared to imbibe the juice from the fresh cut surface. The larva is about 17 inch, and much like A. caja larva in appearance, but is rather differently coloured. The first two-fifths is coloured black, including the head, the next two- fifths is chestnut coloured and the last fifth is also black, it looks a regular ‘‘ black and tan.” ‘The hair is not so long and sleek as that of A. caja. It is set on in tufts but close together, like the hair in a scrubbing brush, in fact it looks hke a caja larva that has been to the barber and had its hair cut. I expect it will hibernate, but I hope to get it through to the imago, so that the species can be determined. —Witurm Daws, 39, Wood Street, Mansfield, Notts.
[The species is probably Pyrrharcticus isabella, a common species in Canada and the United States. It hibernates in the larval stage under logs or loose bark, and after brief activity in spring pupates in a frail cocoon. It feeds on low bushes, blackberry, raspberry, etc.—Hy.J.T.].
Recorps.—I see that in July, 1918, Mr. Donisthorpe gives the aberrations of Coccinella 11-punctata, but gives no British locality for ab. tamaricis, Weise. On referring to my series I find two specimens which come under this head, and it might therefore be worth recording them. Both were taken at Gullane (1) on May 27th, 1915, and (2) on November 10th, 1905, the latter with large spots, and would have taken little to convert it into ab. boreolitoralis.
Pararge aegeria vace egerides is pretty generally distributed in Somerset, but I have never seen it in such great numbers as I bave seen P. megera. The specimens were notably large, one female measuring 28°25 mm. from the centre of the thorax to the tip of the wing, was taken at Weston-super-Mare on July 2nd, 1920. My
NOTES ON COLLECTING. BD
friend, Col. T. Jermyn, with whom I was collecting, tells me that he has seen other large specimens in the same wood.
Pieris napi.—On May 2nd, 1920, I took a male at Wembdon near Bridgewater with the right forewing of a different tint from the other three wings, and with the black mar kings indicated by a pale ochreous brown in strong contrast to the left forewing which is normally grey tipped.
Donacia sericea, L.—On December 26th, 1905, I took two specimens of this beetle alive at the Lead Mines, Priddy, near Wells, Somerset, surely an unusual date to dredge this summer beetle from a pond.—R. Lone, The Grove, Wembdon, IBvelelepe nagar.
Meuiraka aTHAaLIA AND Piusia MonETA IN SomeRSET.—I had the good fortune to capture two specimens of Melitaea athalia in a locality some 1,200 ft. above sea level and within 10 miles of Minehead, on June 16th, 1919. I understand that this is a new record for the county. I have also to note that I netted three specimens of Plusia moneta in my garden between June 21st and July 2nd, 1919. So far as I can learn this is the most westerly locality for this insect in Somerset.—J. F’. Brrp, Aleombe Cote, Minehead, Somerset.
Norrs on CoccingLuipaE TAKEN IN 1920.—It will be of interest. per- haps to record the following captures of interesting Coccinellidae in Surrey during the past year.
1. OC. 10-punctata, L., var. confluens, Haw.—I was fortunate enough to take a single specimen of this striking aberration while beating elders in May at Ashstead, Surrey. ‘This form has been described in vol. vi., Fowler and Donisthorpe, and is also figured at pl. 12, fig. 7 in the same volume, where a misprint occurs in the date 1807, which should be 1812. The original description by Haworth in the Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1812, vol. 1, p. 278, 1s as follows :—
“ B. confluens, thoracis maculis septem
“ confluentibus maculisque tribus centralioribus
“elytrorum, valde confluentibus in maculam
“magnam bilobatam puncto rubro relicto,
“earum medio...
This Ladybird is evidently rare, aS | can find records only of its having been taken by the Rev. T. Shrimshire, who sent his specimen to Haworth to name, and in 1909 by Mr. Horace St. John Donis- thorpe at Darenth Wood (Ent. Rec. xxi., 1909, p. 186), previous to my capture in May last. I may add that I have also taken four specimens, all exhibiting the same marking on the elytra, but lacking the confluent spots on the thorax, which appear to be the crucial test for this aberration. Ihave compared my specimen with the one in Mr. Donisthorpe’s collection and I find mine in every respect identical with his, except that mine proves to be larger, while the ‘“ red spot ”’ in the centre of the “lobed patch” is also much larger. Mr. Donis- thorpe confirms my identification.
2. C. 7-punctata, L., ab. 5-notata, Haw.—In February my brother, Mr. S. C. Leman, while sweeping furze at Oxshott took this aberra- tion, in which the 2nd spot is missing. ‘The original description is to be found in the Trans. Ent. Soc. London, 1812. vol. 1, pp. 270-1, and is as under :—
36 THK WNTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
“ B. §-notata. Omnibus priore (C. 7-punctata, L.)
“ gonvenit, nisi absentia punctorum duorum medio
‘dorsi, varietas rarissima apud Nordovicum
“capta, communicavit amicus Dom. J. Hooker.
« Hntomolocus assiduus.”’
Aberrations of C. 7-punctata, L., are admittedly very rare, and though I have examined many hundreds of this species, beyond minor variations in size and position of the normal spots, I have not succeeded in taking any other variety. Mr. Donisthorpe appears to have had the same experience with this species at Barton Mills in 1917 where he found it in great quantities on young firs (Mt. Rec., KX NOM Aebs, lr OlSras 20).
Weise describes a new aberration of his own with five spots under the name of v. externepunctata as follows :—
‘Vddip Bids 8s 40s. v. externepunctata ”’
Wisi Bal siOh palOn. but his aberration is clearly a synonym of ab. 5-notata, Haw.
Ganglbauer follows Weise.—G. B. C. Leman.
REAPPEARANCE OF ANTHONOMUS BRITANNUS, DespBR., IN SURREY.— On April 8rd, 1920, my father, Mr, G. C. Leman, made this rare capture while beating trees and furze at Bookham, over that area of the common which lies beyond the railway bridge on the upside of the railway, but he cannot state definitely from what particular tree he obtained this solitary specimen, which is in my collection.
I submitted this specimen to Mr. Horace St. John Donisthorpe, who has always inost kindly helped me in my identifications, and he at once recognised that it was an interesting find and could only be referred to this rare species, but, in view of the doubts expressed in Fowler’s Coleuptera, vol. v., pp. 319-20, on this species being indigenous in this country, he was good enough to send the specimen to his confrére, Monsieur Paul de Peyerimhoff, of Algiers, who subsequently returned it to Mr. Donisthorpe, confirming the latter’s identification, with the following note :—
“ Anth. britannus, Desbr.
“« (rostre court, mat-taille petite).”’
It may be of interest also to record that in the same month I took solitary specimens of Anth. rosinae, Des Goz., at Ashtead Manor and of Anth. chevrolati, Desbr., at Bookham, both of which have been iden- tified for me by Mr. Donisthorpe.—G. B. C. Leman.
A NEW ABERRATION OF SELIDOSOMA PLUMARIA (ERICETARIA).—On page 74 of the Ent. Record, vol. xxxi. (1919), Mr. Thomas Greer of Stewartstown, Tyrone, Ireland, describes a melanic aberration of Selidosoma plumaria (ericetaria) under the name fumosa. At the same time he announces “a form leading up to this dark type, with all the wings streaked with blackish.” Of this latter form Mr. Greer has kindly forwarded me an example. It is a male of the average size of the Irish races which, so far as I know of the species, are slightly smaller than the English and Continental races. The ground colour go far as it is seen lies in irregular patches and streaks not symmetrical on the two wings, and lighter in shade than in the ordinary males, in fact more of the ground colour of the female with a suspicion of yellow
CURRENT NOTES. 37
init. The marginal band of the wings is deeper in general coloration, certainly on the black side of brown, with somewhat lighter clouds in it, while towards the anal angle of the hindwings about half this band is practically wanting, or very ill-defined. The central, transverse, narrow band of the forewing is of the same blackish-brown, but ill- defined, irregularly and obscurely extended especially on the right fore- wing and towards the inner margin of both forewings. Across and on the dise of all the wings this black marking is scattered mainly in irregular, ill-detined streaks, those of the hindwings being fewer and wider, the left hindwing having the costal half more uniformly clouded and the inner marginal half comparatively clear of this streaking and clouding. I suggest for this recurrent form the name intermedia-fumosa.—Hy. J. Turner.
GYURRENT NOTES AND SHORT NOTICES.
The Verrall Supper took place in its old quarters, the Holborn Restaurant, on January 18th, when nearly a hundred and twenty guests sat down after a pleasant hour in the famous ‘ Entomological Salon.”’ Among those present were B. W. Adkin, R. Adkin, H. W. Andrews, E. B. Ashby, S. R. Ashby, F. Balfour-Browne, G. Bethell, G. T. Bethune-Baker, K. G. Blair, F. Bouskell, L. A. Box, H. Britten, P. A. Buxton, KE. C. Bedwell, A. Cant, F. B. Carr, Prof. J. W. Carr, G. C. Champion, Dr. HE. A. Cockayne, J. E. Collin, J. Collins, C. W. Colthrup, Col. Monckton-Copeman, Major P. M. Cottam, Capt. Crocker, B. D. Cummings, A. W. Dods, H. Donisthorpe, J. H. Durrant, F. M. Edelsten, F. W. Edwards, 8. Edwards, H. T. Elwes, G. E. Frisby, F. W. Frohawk, J. C. F. Fryer, Dr. C. J. Gahan, Lachlan Gibb, C. F. Gimmingham, EH. E. Green, T. H. L. Grosvenor, T. W. Hall, H. M. Hallett, A. H. Hamm, B. §. Harwood, P. H. Harwood, Dr. D. Hunter, Prof. Image, Dr. Imms, Dr. Harvey Jackson, P. H. Jackson, O. K. Janson, A. H. Jones, Dr. K. Jordan, T..W. Kirkpatrick, F. Laing, G. EK. B. Leman, G. C. Leman, R. W. Lloyd, W. J. Lucas, G. E. Lisle, H. Main, W. Mansbridge, A. W. Mera, Prof. Matsumira, Rev. F. D. Morice, Dr. S. A. Neave, L. W. Newman, Col. C. G. Nurse, F. A. Oldaker, H. K. Page, H. M. Peebles, J. Peed, Col. H. D. Peile, F. N. Pierce, G. T. Porritt, Prof. H. B. Poulton, R. A. R. Priske, L. B. Prout, N. D. Riley, H. Rowland-Brown, Lord Rothschild, W. Schmassmann, H. Scott, V. EH. Shaw, W. G. Sheldon, R. South, R. Stenton, E. Step, A. Sich, W. H. Tams, Rev. A. Thornley, A. EK. Tonge, H. J. Turner, C. J. Wainwright, Comm. J. J. Walker, Rev. J. Waterston, Christopher Whall, Rev. G. Wheeler, C. L. Withycombe, ete.
On February 2nd the Entomological Society, London, met for the last time in their old rooms at Chandos Street. The next meeting will be held at the new premises, 41, Queen’s Gate, 5. Kensington, opposite the Western end of the Natural History Museum and readily accessible from the Gloucester Road and §. Kensington Stations of the Metropolitan and Tube Railways.
We are pleased to hear from Major P. P. Graves that he has now _ left the hospital in Athens and hopes to recuperate in Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus, and perhaps Smyrna in the early part of the year. He suggests that some of our collectors should try Greece erelong. Hesays,
38 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
“Tt would be interesting to give Taygetus a further visit and add detail to Holtz’s mere catalogue (which contains Turania panagaea v. tayyetica, Reb., ‘a form of L. eros,’ which I take to be the greenish eros like mountain candalus of Lebanon). Thessaly is terra incoynita— so is Olympia and its region. We know little indeed of Mt. Olympus, save that Polyommatus (Agriades) thetis occurs there and nothing of the Pindus. But if anyone wishes to visit Greece I would recommend them to give Pindus and Olympus a miss for the present. There are still some armed deserters knocking about there. The rest of the country is safe enough.
SOCIETIES.
Tue Sours Lonpon Entomotocican and Naturat History Society.
November 11th, 1920.—Nerw Memper.—Mr. A. F. Hemming, F.Z.5.,. F.E.S., Treasury Chambers, 5. W. 1. was elected a member.
Inpo-Matay Leprpoprera.—Mr. Grosvenor exhibited numerous species of Limenitis, Athyma and Neptis from Thibet and the Hindo- Malay region.
Varration in P. rravicornts.—Mr. Newman, gradations from the dark Rannoch form to the very light southern form of Polyploca flavicornis.
M. tittan aBerration.—Mr. Bunnett, a Mimas tiliae with the usual transverse bar reduced to a small triangular discal spot.
R. pHumas aperration.—Mr. B. 8. Williams, a subradiata form and a caeruleopunctata form of Rumicia phlaeas from Finchley.
Races anD BRoops or H. syrincarta.—Mr. A. A. W. Buckstone, several series of Hyyrochoia syringaria bred and inbred from larvee taken at Wimbledon in 1913, 1915, and 1919, with captured speci- mens, and read notes on the pairings and broods obtained; he also showed living pupe and imagines of Pyramets atalanta, and full-fed larve of Abraxas grossulariata.
Paprr.—Dr. Dixey, F.R.S., read a paper on ‘Sexual Dimorphism ” illustrating his remarks with a large number of coloured diagrams and a series of lantern slides.
November 25th.—Annuat Exurpeition.— New Mempers.—Mr. G. D. Morison, 100, Fielding Road, W. 4: Mr. D. Watson, 12, Park Place, Gravesend; Mr. G. W. Young, F.G.S., 20, Grange Road, Barnes; Mr. W. West, 29, Crantield Road, Brockley ; Mr. F. H. and Mr. H. M. Simms, The Farlands, Stourbridge, were elected members.
Exumrrs.—A short series of Loe tomeris (Acidalia) immorata and of Ino (Rhagades) globulariae from Sussex were presented to the Society’s collection by Mr. F. G. S. Bramwell of Brighton, and were exhibited.
Lord Rothschild exhibited the series of 1277 specimens of Abrawas yrossulariata, li., from the British collection of the l'ring Museum. They consisted of the series from the Bright and Gibbs collections and those collected by himself. ‘The larger number of the more extreme varieties were bred by the Rev. Gilbert Raynor.
Mr. ©. H. Williams exhibited a drawer of varieties of the same species.
Mr, Hy. J. Turner, a large number of extra-Huropean forms of
SOCIETIES. 39
well-known species and species closely allied to those in the HKuropean area.
Mr. Leeds, long series of aberrations of British Butterflies taken in 1920, with their varietal names as far as possible from the late J. W. Tutt’s British Lepidoptera.
Mr. W. G. Sheldon, his series of about 1400 specimens of Peronea cristana, including examples of all the 72 named forms and the type forms of 89 of them. He also shewed about 250 examples of Leptogramma literana and its numerous forms.
Mr. Perey M. Bright, a long series of Hpinephele tithonus aberra- tions, including a white suffused form and a gynandromorph ; Argynnis aglaia forms, including several magnificent melanic examples, and a scaleless aberration with perfect fringes.
Mr. B. W. Adkin, a series of aberrations of Satyrus semele, among
them a male from Kent with four eyespots on the forewing. » Mr. T. H. Grosvenor, series of British species which occur in India, including Papilio machaon, Pieris brassicae, Gonepteryx rhamni, Colias hyale, Apatura tris, Pyramets cardui, Polyommatus icarus, Aricia medon, Rumicia phlaeas, ete.
Mr. Pickett, series of aberrations of Agriades coridon taken in 1918, 1919, and 1920.
Mr. L. W. Newman, aberrations shewn in the different British races of Melitaea aurinia; a hybrid of Selenia bilunaria and S. tetra- lunaria ; Colias edusa with one wing bleached; a yellow, Cheltenham form of Gonodontis bidentata; melanic examples of Zyqaena trifoltt ; extreme forms of ab. varleyata of Abraxas yrossulariata, etc., ete.
Mr. Riches, Cossus ligniperda, including a specimen with almost black hindwings.
On behalf of Mr. L. A. E. Sabine, Mr. Newman, a long series of the beautiful Irish race of Polyommatus icarus, series of the Trish forms of Kpinephele jurtina, Rumicia phlaeas including ab. alba, H. tithonus, L. stnapis, ete.
Mr. A. A. W. Buckstone, aberrations of Hipparchia semele, of many local races.
Rev. Geo. Wheeler, a series of Melitaea phoebe from Central Hurope showing a wide range of variation over a limited area.
Mr. C. W. Sperring, aberrations of British Gepidoptera including Colias edusa var. helice minus blotches in border on hindwing, Brenthis euphrosyne with striated hindwing, a dull leaden Agriades coridon, ete.
Mr. Edelsten, a yellow form of Cybosia mesomella and a black and grey Nisontades tayes from Chippenham Fen.
Mr. B. 8. Williams, a series of the new Finchley form of Dysstroma (Cidaria) truncata and crosses between it and the usual black form.
Mr. A. W. Mera, species and hybrids of the genus Oporabia, filigrammaria, O. autiwunaria, O. dilutata and its pale race christyt.
Dr. Leonard Hopper, the rare Leucania exvtranea (unipuncta) from Penryn, Cornwall, September, 1920.
Mr. A. EK. Tonge, Royston forms of Ayriades coridon and aberrations of many British species including a melanic male of Boarmta consor- taria, a confluent Zygaena trifolii, a male Ayriades thetis with extra orange lunules on the hindwings, etc.
Mr. L. E. Dunster, bleached Fipinephele jurtina, Arygynnis aglata
40 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
with white marginal spots, Aphantopus hyperantus ab. arete, an Avricia medon without orange markings, etc.
Mr. Johnston, aberrations of Dryas paphia and Limenitis sibilla from the N. Forest.
Captain Riley, the Scilly Islands race of Mpinephele jurtina much resembling the southern race hispulla.
Mr. H. E. Garrett, aberrations of British Lepidoptera, including Rumicia phlaeas with confluent spots on forewing, Huchloe cardamines with dark hind-margins to forewings, ete.
Mr. H. J. Turner, two coloured plates, folio, with figures of the larvee of Hupithecia assimilata and EH. abbreviata.
Prot. Poulton, F.R.S., a series of Butterflies captured migrating from one valley to another and back again next morning, with their mimics, in Selangor. They were captured in March, 1920, and were Delias species, the mimics being Huschema species.
On behalf of Mr. J. J. Joicey, Mr. G. Talbot, a large number of new and little known Lepidoptera from Central Ceram, Dutch New Guinea, French Guiana, Hainan Island, Peru and Brazil, with many striking and brilliant species, and a long series of aberrations of British Lepidoptera, including Pieris nupi, Colias edusa 9, with left forewing ab. helice, with asymmetrical, unicolorous, streaked and melanic aberrations of various species.
Messrs. O. R. and H. de B. Goodman, a set of series of British Butterflies showing gradation of coloration and markings, and an American Hesperiid, H. syrichtus from Surrey, also varied series of butterflies taken in July, 1920, in the Rhone Valley and around Courmayeur, Italy.
Mr. $. Edwards, mimetic species of Papilio and species of Parthenos.
Mr. Douglas H. Pearson, a large number of species and forms taken by him in the Pyrenees, including very dark 9° Melitaea didyma, the ab. cleodowa form of Argynnis cydippe, Parnassius apollo, Coenonympha oedipus, upper wing unspotted, Lampides boeticus, Hrebia lefebvret, K. manto race cecilia, Heteropterus morpheus, etc.
Mr. Robt. Adkin, the black ab. chrysanthemi form of Zygaena filipendulae bred from a Lancashire larva, and Melitaea cinvtia with intensified markings.
Mr. L. Tatchell, a photograph of a gynandromorph Amorpha populi from a Wanstead larva, larvee of Dysstroma truncata, and reported the pairing of a g Sphinw ligustrt with a 2 Smerinthus ocellatus.
Mr. K. G. Blair, on behalf of Dr. Gahan, a larva of a Nemopteron sp. from Syria, always found in dens on sand.
Mr. Jackson, a mixed gynandromorph of Cosmotriche pendularia bred from Oxford.
Mr. F. W. Edwards, a pair of the rare British gnat Orthopodomyia pulchripalpis reared from larvee from Epping Forest.
Mr. Bowman, series of the forms of Cosymbia pendularia recently reared by him, especially ab. nigro-subroseata in varied series of seven subordinate forms.
Correcrion.—Special Index, p. ix. delete ‘‘ extensa (malvoides ab.).”’ p. xv. ,, ‘‘reducta (alveus ab.).”’
Subscriptions for Vol. XXXII. (10 shillings) should be sent to Mr. Herbert E. Page, ‘“‘ Bertrose,”’ Gellatly Road, New Gross, S.E.14 [This subscription includes all numbers published from January 15th to December 15th, 1921.]
Non-receipt or errors in the sending of Subscribers’ magazines should be notified to Mr. Herbert E. Page, ‘“ Bertrose,” Gellatly Road, New Gross, §.E. 14
ADVERTISEMENTS of Books and Insects for Sale, or Books wanted will be inserted at a-minimum charge of 2s. 6d. (for four lines), Longer Advertisementsin proportion. A reduction made for a series. Particulars of Mr. Herbert E. Page, ‘‘ Bertrose,’’ Gellatly Road, New Cross, 8.E. 14
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Duplicates.—Varleyata and other varieties of Grossulariata. Desiderata.—Good varieties and local forms. Spilosoma urticts, Advenaria, and other ordinary species to renew old series. Good Tortrices and Tineae.—Geo. T. Porritt, Hlm Lea, Dalton, Huddersfield.
_ Desiderata.—Crategata, Sambucaria, condition immateria.. Duplicates.—Dominula, mendica, and numerous common species.—H. A. Cockayne, 65, Westbourne Terrace, W.2.
Desiderata.—Foreign examples, local races, vars. and abs. from all parts cf the world of any butterflies included in the British list. Setting immaterial ; exact data indispensable. Liberal return made.—W. G. Pether, ‘‘ Thelma,” 4, Willow Bridge Road, London, N. 1. ‘
Duplicates.—Aithiope, Selene, T. rubi, Phleas, Hectus, Perla, Chi, Nictitans, Boreata, Cambrica, Immanata, Olivata, Tristata, Dotata, Pedaria, Satyrata, Adeequata, Mercurella, Angustea, Dubitalis, Ambigualis, Decrepitalis, Kuehniella, Fusca, Margari- tellus, Phryganella, Solandrinana, Sponsona, Rivulana, Urticana, Aurana, Dubitana, _ Herbosana, Myllerana, Octomaculana, Vaccinana, and Perlepidana. Desiderata.— Numerous, especially Tortricina.—d. A. Dalglish, 7, Keir Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow.
Duplicates.—Aglaia, Adippe, *Io, T. quercus, Coridon vars., *Fuliginosa (Reading), *B. quercus ¢, Tiliz, Menthastri, *Linariata, Aurantiaria, Leucophearia vars. Paniscus. Desiderata.—Pupx of Dicteoides; Imagines of typhon, palpina, camelina (dark), Curtula, Pyra, and numerous others; Ova of Hispidaria.—Harold B. Williams, liza, Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
I shall be pleased to exchange Butterflies from the 5.H. area of France for British Coleoptera.—Prof. Morel, 1 Rue Bosio, Paris 16, France.
CuHance or ApprEss.—S. G. C. Russell, ‘‘ Roedean,’’ The Avenue, Andover Junction, Hants.
Mr. Donisthorpe will still be glad to receive ants and Myrmecophiles from all parts of the British Isles, and to name any such for anyone who is kind enough to send them to him. He would however suggest that ants from any other parts of the world be sent to his colleague, Mr. W. C. Crawley, 29, Holland Park Road, W.14. Mr. Crawley is specialising on the ants of the world, and it is a matter for congratulation that we should possess an Entomologist in this country whose whole attention should be concentrated on this branch of Entomology.
MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES.
Entomological Society of London.—11, Chandos Street, Cavendish Square, W.., 8p-m. 1921, March 2nd.
The South London Entomological and Natural History Society, Hibernia Chambers, London Bridge. Second and Fourth Thursdays in the month, at 7 p.m.— Hon. Sec., Stanley Edwards, 15, St. German’s Place, Blackheath, S.E. 3.
The London Natural History Society (the amalgamation of the City of London Entomological and Natural History Society and the North London Natural History Society) now meets in Hall 40, Winchester House, Old Broad Street, E.C.2, first and third Tuesdays in the month, at 6.30 p.m. (No Meetings in July or August.) Visitors welcomed. Hon. Sec., W. BK. Gurce, 44, Belfast Road, N. 16.
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Lists of Dupiicarrs and Drsiprrata should be sent direct to Mr. H. BH. Page, Bertrose, Gellatly Road, New Cross, S.H. 14
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Full last of Ova, Larvae, and Pupae, also Lepidoptera, Apparatus, Cabinets etc., sent on application. Many Rare British Species and Good Varieties for Sale.
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BACK VOLUMES OF The Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation.
(Vols. I-XXXII.} CONTENTS OF Vol. i. (Most important only mentioned.)
Genus Acronycta and its allies.—Variation of Smerinthus tiliae, 3 coloured plates— Differentiation of Melitaea athalia, parthenie, and aurelia—The Doubleday collection— Parthenogenesis— Paper on Taentocampidue—Phylloxera— Practical Hints (many)— Parallel Variation in Coleoptera—Origin of Argynnis paphia var. valesina—Work for the Winter—Temperature and Variation—Synonymic notes—-Retrospect of a Lepidopterist for 1890—Lifehistories of Agrotis pyrophila, Epunda lichenea, Heliophobus hispidus— Captures at light—Aberdeenshire notes, etc., etc., 360 pp.
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Colias werdani g 1/6, ¢ 2/-; C. tatarica (cotypes), 5—10; C. christophi, 18—36 ; ©. staudingeri, 3—6; C. pamira, 4—9; C. sulitelma, 1—2; C. sagartia, 6—12; C. wiskotti, 24—36; Parnassius ap. uralensis, 2/6—5; P. nomius, 6—14; P. davidis, 8—16; P. honrathi, 14; P. rueckbeili, 14—32; P. simo-verus, 18—36; P. delph-cardinalis, 15; P. nordmanni, 16—32; P. imperator-musageta (the most beautiful Parn.), 45—35, p-=70; Ornithoptera brookiana, 8; O. hephaestus, p.=5; O. hecuba, p.=4; Papilio ascanius, p.=8; P. bitias-therapes ? 25; P. dixoni, 8; P. blumei, 5; P. inopinatus, p.-=20; Morpho cypris, 15; M. anaxibia, 6; M. didius, 6; M. godarti, 5; Actias isis, 16; Agrias lugina, 8; Colias cocandica, 2—5; M. nestira, 6.
Lepidoptera Catalog (58) of all Faunas contains 28,000 Lepi- doptera (350 different PARNASSIUS, 200 COLIAS, etc.). Price five shillings, will be compensated in orders of butterflies.
Dr. 0. STAUDINGER & A. BANG-HAAS, Dresden-Blasewitz.
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CONTENTS.
= PAGE. _ Collecting in Asia Minor, Major P. P. Graves, F.E S. .. re ae ap eas He 41 a Notes from West Sussex: Lepidoptera in 1920, J. F. Bird- ... Be ae ate AE 48 a Screnriric Notes :—Nomenclature, R. Barnard Cruickshank . A 5G ae se ae 54
4 Cottectinc Notes :—Dytiscid larve in Burma, Cedric Dover ; A Mansfield Mixture, Wm. 4 Daws a ae ae St oe Ae br Be xe 2 Be < 55 q Current Norres anp SHort Noticns os ae ts ie Se ah oe oe a7
~ Socimrrs :—Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society ; The South London Ento- mological Society Se ot = ox Se Se. Se fs ae ai 57
4 Review :—Le Monde Social des Fourmis des Globe comparé a celui de Homme, by Dr. A. Forel.—H.D. .. re as EM ne “ st ae He S, Ei 59
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COLLECTING IN ASIA MINOR IN 1920. 41
Collecting in Asia Minor in 1920. By MAJOR P. P. GRAVES, F.E.S.
I.—Near Smyrna.
Till recently collecting near Smyrna had been undertaken by a very few German or Austro-Hungarian lepidopterists and by these prior to 1880, after which year brigandage reached dangerous propor- tions and remained dangerous until the Greek occupation. Dr. Loew, the famous dipterist and the discoverer of Plebeius loewti, visited the neighbourhood in the early forties of the last century, but the first lepidopterists, who made any long stay there, were Janes von Frivaldszky, Terren and Zach, who visited the city in 1845. They seem to have found the region. unproductive—such at least is Dr. Staudinger’s account in his study of the Lepidoptera of Asia Minor, but I suspect that they found it too disturbed to go far inland. Anyhow Terren was finally left to rear Lastocampa (Pachypasa) otus larvee to the chrysalid stage and his comrades departed to Brusa. In 1865 Lederer spent a great part of the season at Magnesia (Manissa) and in the Smyrna region. During the previous year he had done some collecting at Gineo, near Eudemish at Kizilji Auly or Aoli, the *« Reddish sheepfold,”’ an estate managed by the old collector Nogell in the Boz Dagh Range and in the Ovajik Range, and had stayed for seven weeks in the centre of the Boz Dagh Range itself, proof positive that the country was then in better order than it was in more modern times, when the Boz Dagh was a great centre of brigandage. Unhappily Lederer does not seem to have published anything as to the results of his collecting in 1865. Most of our limited information as to the insects occurring near Smyrna has been supplied 'by Dr. Krueper, whom I met at Athens early in 1915. Dr. Krueper collected at or near Smyrna from Feb. 6th to July 17th in 1863, from Feb. 18th to July 28th in 1866, from March 2nd, 1871, to July 13th, 1872 (except for the period May 2nd to June 10th, 1872, when he stayed at Nymphio), and finally from April 2nd fo April 17th in 1875. Most of his collecting was done at Burnabad (also known as Burnabat or Burnova), a very pleasant village where many of the Huropean residents of Smyrna dwell, situated at the foot of a mountainous region, some five miles-from Smyrna. He found the old Turkish cemetery the best collecting ground.” When I visited the village Greek 6 inch howitzers filled the cemetery. Near Buja, where there is some pretty country, there were large camps, and I, therefore, did little collecting there, not that the Greek soldier is nowadays indisciplined or disagreeable, but because camps always mean sentries, persons who ask you for passes, or cheerful inquisitives who want to know whether you mean to eat ’em when you catch them, or what, or worse still, the would-be-usefuls who pursue the most. battered and commonest speci- mens with excess of zeal, and bring them to you minus heads and a wing or so. My collecting was therefore practically confined to two points—the hills beyond Cordelio, a suburb on the N. side of the Gulf of Smyrna, and the hilly pass between Burnabat and Manissa, some 6 miles at my furthest point from Burnabat on the reverse (Manissa) slope of the mountain country. The weather was excellent. The country under the stern but just rule of the Greek Harmost, Mr.. Sterghiades, was as safe as Hngland. I indeed just missed seeing the
Marca, 1920.
42, THE ENLOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
public execution of the leaders of the last batch of brigands who, though Greeks, were yet hanged as high as Hamau by the orders of the hard handed Cretan who rules Smyrna to-day for Greece. They had murdered some 15 people, Greeks and Turks, in their long career, and no one sympathised with them.
The general impression I had from two afternoons’ collecting and an hour’s pottering about with a net near Buja, was that the country, where not too well cultivated, was fairly prolific in butterfiies, but that, as in Attica. which it to some extent resembled in its flora, though it was less dried up, the number of species on the lower ground was more limited than is the case in moister and later Constantinople. The season seemed to be nearly a month earlier than on the Bosphorus, Thus Aporia crataegi, which near the Bosphorus does not emerge till late in May, was well out on April 21st near Cordelio. Males of Leptosia duponcheli weve very worn fcr the most part on the Burnabat- Manissa road on April 28rd. I found them fresh at Dil Iskelessi, one of the hottest localities in the Constantinople region, on May 2nd, 1914. The “ whites” were all but over and Rumicia phlaeas likewise. Thais cerisyi gave me a disappointment. I expected to find it fresh and frequent. The only specimen I caught was worn. I saw a very few others, mostly worn from the look of them, in places where I could not catch them.
At Cordelio, or rather about 500 feet above it on a stony plateau, I found Haillia marloyi frequent on April 2ist. It is very hard to catch and easily injured in the catching. Its habits were of interest. It generally selected the tops of boulders to rest upon and was not easily seen there. Pairs of this insect, male and. female I imagine, though I could not actually prove this by capturing both at a time, flew about at a height of from 2 to 38 feet above the ground with a curious buzzing flight such as is noticed with other ‘“ skippers,’’ one individual, perhaps the male, keeping about 6 inches immediately behind his companion. ‘Then suddenly, for no apparent reason at times, at other times when disturbed, the leading insect of the pair would shoot up about ten feet in the air and turn in its flight so rapidly that one was left with the impression that it had ‘‘loopea the loop,” and the second insect would follow its course and imitate its action. both, after ‘‘ towering’ in this fashion, making off at great speed.
The pass on the well-kept carriage rozd between Burnabat and Manissa struck me as being good collecting ground as did the country about 5 miles further inland also on the line of this road. But on the occasion of my visit there was a good deal of cloud and my time was limited. Hesperia malvae, a fresh female, was an interesting capture here. I had no time to go high into the mountains near Smyrna, Tahtali Dagh, Nif Dagh, ete. These might have proved productive even so early in the year.
The following species were either captured or certainly recognised between April 19th and April 28rd.
Hallia marloyi.—Frequent above Cordelio on April 21st. Three seen, two taken, between Burnabat and Manissa, April 28rd.
Erynnis alceae.—A few worn specimens noted.
E.. orientalis.—Two fresh males, not differing from the Constanti- nople form, at Cordelio and on the Manissa Burnabat road respectively, April 21st and April 28rd.
COLLECTING IN ASIA MINOR IN 1920, 43
H. ? malvae.—A fine female apparently of this species on the Manissa-Burnabat Road on April 28rd.
Powellia orbifer.Beginning to appear above Cordelio and on the Manissa-Burnabat Road, April 21st and 23rd. Males only seen.
Rumicia phlaeas.—Usually worn and not common at all stations. The only specimen taken in good order was distinctly on the way to aestivus, having the black margin of the forewings and the black spots on these wings larger than in normal near eastern vernal specimens.
Callophrys rubi.—Two in fair order at about 900 feet on the pass | behind Burnabat on April 28rd.
Celastrina argiolus.—Seen in the Consulate and Garden at Smyrna on April 20th.
Scolitantides (Twrania) baton.—One fresh male taken with C. rubt on April 28rd.
Aricia medon.—Abundant and generally fresh near Cordelio on April 21st. Frequent at other stations. The form resembles that taken at Athens.
Polyommatus tcarus.—Generally frequent. Females not yet fuily out. The form taken here is distinctly nearer zelleri, Vrty., than that found at Constantinople and resembles the Athens form. Such females as were taken were but slightly, when at all, suffused with blue scales,
Iphiclides podalirius. —Seen here and there but not taken.
Thats cerisyt.—Not at all common, and worn.
Aporia crataegi.—Abundant above Cordelio and seen near Burnabat on April 22nd.
Pieris brassicae.—Going over. Seen in small numbers at all stations. I was doubtless too late for the main flight of the first brood.
P. rapae.—The same remarks apply to this species as tOn es brassicae.
_ _P. daplidice.—A few specimens of the vernal form of daplidice were taken.
Anthocharis crameri (belia) var. graeca.—Two specimens taken at Buja, April 20th. Others seen.
Huchloé cardamines.—A male on the pass above Burnabat, April 23rd.
Colias edusa.—Seen in small numbers.
Gonepteryx cleopatra.—A male seen near Burnabat on April 22nd. Unluckily I could not catch it so cannot say whether it belonged to the Greek form or to var. taurica of §. Asia Minor, Syria and Cyprus.
Leptosia sinapis.—Sparingly on the Burnabat-Manissa Road on April 28rd.
L. duponcheli.—Local on the same road on April 23rd but much more frequent than L. sinapts. One female taken. I noticea marked, probably racial, difference between the seven specimens I brought back and those I have of the vernal brood from Dil Iskelessi, between Ismid and Constantinople (14 specimens) on the one hand and a male Syrian specimen from Baalbek on the other.
Pyramets atalanta.—Seen April 20th, in Smyrna town.
P. cardui.—Only a few battered specimens noticed.
Melitaea phoebe, var.?—A fine specimen taken on the roadside on April 23rd and another seen. The specimen taken differs somewhat from the Athens form and very much from that which I BEN from Bithynia.
44 "© THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
Melitaea trivia.—lLarve of this species seen on Verbascum thapsus on April 28rd.
Pararye megera.—Not uncommon at Buja, Asp 20th. Seen at Cordelio and Burnabat.
P. maera.—One fresh male seen and missed above Cordelio on April 20th.
P. aegeria.—A very much damaged female taken on April 28rd.
C. pamphilus, race marginata.—Sparingly at all stations. The speci- mens I brought back much resembled those I have from Constantinople except that they are perhaps a trifle lighter on the underside of the hindwings than the latter.
Total 31 species.
II.—Panderma.
During a visit, which I paid to Panderma as the guest of the Greek fleet at the beginning of July, when the town was captured by the Hellenic forces without opposition, I was able to get two afternoons off, viz., on July 4th and July 6th at Tut Liman (Mulberry Port) about a mile to the K. of Panderma, Tut Liman is a creek behind which is a valley full of olive, mulberry and fig orchards, watered by a small perennial brook, and bordered by steep rocky slopes. Though’ facing north it is extremely hot and proved a good hunting ground.
Three Lyceenids (sensu lato) were very abundant among the trees early in the afternoons, swarms rising from the ground as one walked through the shady patches. These were Agriades thersites, Aricia medon, and Rumicia phlaeas. A. thersites was out in far greater numbers than Polyommatus icarus, of which I saw afew specimens. It has certainly appeared to me that this species, in its second brood at all events, comes out earlier than P. icarus and that the ‘ brood”’ is more concentrated, so to speak, large numbers appearing in favourable localities while P. icarus has a slow, more graduated emergence. Among the specimens of A. thersites is a ? , which while identical with local and Constantinople specimens of A. thersites as far as the colour of the upperside, and the arrangement of the underside spotting was concerned, had a tiny single basal spot on the underside of the anteriors. Iam not sure whether this is a case of accidental resem- blance to A. thersites by an aberrant P. icarus female or an aberration of A. thersites. I may note that in the Sea of Marmora region I have never yet found any approach to A. thersites among females of P. icarus as far as the arrangement of the spots near the tornus of the underside anterior wings and near the costal margin of the underside hindwings is concerned. A. medon and FR. phlacas were large and the former was very decidedly of the calida form. R. phlaeas was of different forms, eleus being the lightest and not the most frequent. Other insects noted included Satyrus syriaca, which was quite frequent among the olive trees, and Hipparchia briseis var. major, a fine large race, of which I did not bring back nearly as many as I should have done. It was very wary and the place where it was commonest—namely, the sea cliffs near the port railway station, W. of the town—proved very difficult and treacherous ground when I tried to work it for about 40 minutes in the late afternoon of July 7th. S. corce was worn. Hyponephele lupinus, of a form which seemed to me to approach intermedia, occurred very sparingly in the shadiest portions of the orchards.
COLLECTING IN ASIA MINOR IN 1920. 45
My captures here were the following :—
Evynnis alceae.—A few second brood specimens seen. Those taken were normal enough.
Powellia orbifer—One worn out female of the first brood.
Thymelicus actaeon.—One passable female. Many more seen, all utterly worn out.
Adopaea flava.—In even worse condition than the preceding.
Runicia phlaeas.—Large dark forms abundant.
Chrysophanzs thersamon.—Not uncommon and fresh; males slightly lighter than the Constantinople average.
Loweta dorilis.—One male captured, others seen.
Celastrina argiolus.—A few, worn as a rule, in the orchards.
Aricta medon g.a. calida.—Abundant and generally fresh.
Polyommatus. icarus.—Not frequent. Very normal specimens of the Mediterranean form.
P. admetus.—One very fresh male on July 6th at Tut Liman.
Agriades thersites—The most abundant “blue”’ by far. Males well out.
Iphiclides podatirius.—Not uncommon in the orchards.
Pieris brassicae.—Rare.
P. rapae.—Fairly frequent in the orchards. Of three 9 brought back two are very heavily marked with black and one has the right antenna about + the length of the left antenna.
P. napi.—Males only were taken. These had extremely little dark shading along the veins of the underside hindwing.
Pontia daplidice.—Not common.
Colias edusa.—A few.
Leptosia sinapis.—Rare. The two specimens whieh I brought back are quite normal southern second-brood specimens.
Dryas pandora.—A few on thistles.
Pyramets cardui.—Frequent.
P. atalanta.—One damaged specimen released.
Limenitis camilla. —In bad order and not frequent.
Pararge megera.—Second brood specimens ¢s only, beginning to emerge.
P. maera.—One second brood g specimen unfortunately damaged.
P. aegeria.—In shady places. The form was simply intermedia, brighter in ground colour and with yellower spotting than egerides, but nowhere near the brightness of ground colour and rich yellow spotting of specimens from Athens and Syria.
P. rowelana.—From the number of damaged females flying about in shady places this species must have been frequent a month earlier.
Satyrus circe.—Going over.
S. syriaca.—F requent and often in good condition. Of large size and deep colour.
Hipparchia briseis—Frequent. All taken are of the race major. In good order as a rule.
Hyponephele Lupinus v. intermedia.—Local and sparingly.
Epinephele jurtina.—Females only.
ay Coenonympha pamphilus.—All taken were g.a. marginata of the race lyllus.
M. galathea vace turcica.—Very worn. Had been frequent.
46 THE ENTOMOLOGIS? S RECORD.
M. larissa.—Very worn. Had evidently been common, ?s only taken.
Total, 35 species. The absence of H. semele may surprise the reader as it surprised me.
I11.—Brusa.
From September 19th to September 21st inclusive I was at Brusa. I collected daily but did not venture up the mountain, since this huge area of rock, forest and gulley is altogether too large to be patrolled by the Greek forces now holding Brusa, and it would have been unfair to ask the Hellenes for gendarmes for special protection of a casual visitor. On the 19th I went down early to the marsh known as Softa- Bughan (the Softa Swallower, so-called because a Softa or theological student once perished there) to look for Chrysophanus dispar v. rutilus. The marsh was too dried up to be in the least dangerous, and there were fewer patches of dried mud and reeds in it than there were banks and islands of firm and solid ground. Flowers were still fairly numerous, thistles, various kinds of spearmint, a sort of agrimony, etc., but butterflies were rather uncommon. The commonest although the hardest to catch was /Mveres argiades of the third brood, a very small form indeed. It differed greatly from the Hveres which I have taken at Kury Yalova, and which I suppose to be KF. alcetas. The small Brusa insect has a good show of orange spotting near the anal angle underside hindwing. The sub-marginal spots on the underside of the anteriors are of linear shape, less round than those of the Yalova species, and their alignment is slightly different in some specimens. The tails of the hindwings are more developed in the supposed argiades. On the other hand the supposed alcetas from Yalova has very faint traces of pale yellow scaling about the ocellated spot on the underside of the hindwings near the anal angle, though I do not believe that such traces of yellowish scaling, if present in an Everes, must necessarily prove that it is not alcetas. I took a short series, mostly consisting of males here, and afterwards found the insect elsewhere near Brusa always in moist localities. It was hard to catch and easily damaged in setting. Of C. rutilus I only took 2 worn and rather chipped females that day.
Next day I went out on a picnic to Kestel some 9 miles H. of Brusa. J had little time for collecting there, but saw two male CO. rutilus in an overgrown irrigation ditch and caught both. They were slightly chipped but in good condition otherwise, and one was of fair size. Very lovely they looked in flight. Lampides boeticus occurred here in fields where a sort of runner bean was cultivated, I think the Leblebé, a plant akin to Dolichos lablab of Syria. I fear I neglected L. boeticus. I have seen so much of it in Keypt and parts of Syria, and save in size it is so distressingly invariable. Anyhow I only brought back one pill-boxed specimen and it proved to, be damaged. Other things taken here were Leptosia sinapis of the third brood (rare), P. aegeria and Polyommatus icarus. On the previous day I had worked a steep slope above Chekirgeh to the W. of Brusa town, and found P. icarus abundant and with it plenty of Aricia medon in bad order, P. anteros, fresh males, and a few L. dorilis. All of the last species I could take I took, and all were fresh but with great splits and chips in their wings. The form did not differ from that of Constantinople.
COLLECTING IN ASIA MINOR IN 1920. 47
On the 21st I spent a long morning among the orchards to the N. of Brusa. Here I took four fresh C. rutilus among the ditches, three fine males and a chipped female, and also a fresh male of (. thersamon. There was a good deal of dock in the ditches which did not seem to me to be big enough to be the Great Water Dock. In most places where this dock grew one might see a male rutilus darting about, but it was a lively insect and seeing it was one thing and catching it another, especially where brambles overhung the ditches. One male has a well marked spot between the discoidal spot and the base on the upperside of the anteriors. Has this form been named ? I devoted some attention to third brood Pieris rapae and P. napt. The former resembled the Constantinople autumn race of P. rapae which has a facies of its own as compared with the first and second broods. P. napi showed in one or two cases more black scaling along the venation of the hindwings on the underside than is usual on the Bosphorus. I neglected P. brassicae rather to my regret, as | might have taken several specimens and had meant to try to find out whether the Brusa insect of the third brood was P. brassicae proper as are Constantinople autumn specimens for the most part, or approached g.a. catoleuca, Rober, which is the usual Hast Mediterranean summer form in my limited experience.
The following species were taken or recognised at Brusa.
Erynnis alceae.—F requent everywhere.
E.. orientalis—One female.
Hesperia (Hallia) malvae.—One very worn male at Kestel.
Hesperia armoricanus.—One worn male below the town.
Powellia orbifer.—A few worn-out females of the small second brood.
Chrysophanus thersamon.—One male only.
(. dispar var. rutilus.—In the orchards, etc., below the town, and at Kestel. See remarks above.
Loweia dorilis.—A tew males on the slopes above Chekirgeh.
Rumicia phlaeas.—A few.
Lampides boeticus—Common at Kestel and a few seen at Softa Boghan.
Syntarucus telicanus.—Frequent everywhere.
Everes argiades.—F airly frequent in the meadow near Softa Boghan marsh. less frequent elsewhere.
Aricia medon.—Frequent above the town but worn. Those taken were normal enough specimens of g.a. calida.
Polyommatus anteros.—Males only taken above Chekirgeh.
P. icarus.—F requent everywhere.
Celastrina argiolus.—A few males, one very fresh, in hedges and orchards. 5; ;
Papilio machaon.—A few seen ; those taken were badly worn.
Pieris brassicae.—Not uncommon.
P. rapae.—F requent.
P. napi.—Specimens both of a more or less typical form and of a napaeae-like form were taken.
Pontia daplidice.—Frequent.
Colias edusa.—Also frequent.
Gonepterya rhamni.—A fine male seen at Kestel.
Leptosia sinapis.—Rare.
48 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
Dryas pandora.—A few worn specimens still out.
Polygonia egea.—One seen near the town.
P. c-album.—One fine 2nd brood specimen witb very dark under- side, as is the rule for this brood at Constantinople.
Pyrameis cardut.—F requent.
P. atalanta.—One seen.
Pararge megera.—A few in moderate condition.
P. aegeria.—F requent and usually in good order in shady places.
E’pinephele jurtina.—Very worn females still frequent.
Coenonympha pamphilus, race lyllus-marginata.—Apparently going over. The only fresh specimens were females.
Total 83 species, a fair number for so late a date.
May I add a few geological notes. The ground on which I collected at Cordelio, near Smyrna, was alluvial on the lower levels, but limestone, Miocene or Pliocene, on the high slopes. At Buja tbe rock is Kocene or Oligocene. Between Burnabat and Manissa one passes through a belt of chalk country.
Panderma les at the junction of three geological formations— Eocene limestone at Tut Liman, Pliocene or Miocene limestone to the S.W. of the town, and along the cliffs W. of the town a belt of what seems to be a Primary formation, possibly Devonian.
The coast at Mudania and the country inland as far the marshes below Brusa is limestone, apparently Tertiary. The marshland is alluvial. The lower slopes of the mountains give the impression of limestone soil lying on metamorphic rock. The higher parts of the mountains are, largely at all events, granitic.
Notes from West Sussex: Lepidoptera in 1920 By J. F. BIRD.
Having spent from the end of March to August 24th in Sussex, I send a few notes on my entomological experiences in that county hoping that they may be found of interest. Owing to various circum- stances I regret that I was unable to do any dusking, or other night- work, therefore my observations refer, chiefly, to the local butterflies, and I may as well mention that most of my collecting was done in the district bounded by the rivers Adur and Arun. I found many of the butterflies abundant, and a feature of the season was the sudden ap- pearance of numerous Pyrameis cardui and a good number of P. atalanta in May. During my five months’ visit I met with 38 species of Rhopalocera, which I here place in the order of their appearance, with dates, and with a few notes added with reference to localities, variation, etc. During April I neglected to record the actual dates of the first appearance of the Lepidoptera observed, so I can only state that the five butterflies heading the list were all on the wing by the middle of that month.
Pieris brassicae.—Fairly common throughout the district. The second brood made its appearance on July 16th.
P. rapae.—Common. The second brood first recorded on July 13th.
Huchloe cardamines.—Plentiful in all the rural parts.
Celastrina aryiolus.—Not common, and only seen in the neighbour- hood of Worthing. The second brood was not observed.
NOTES FROM WEST SUSSEX : LEPIDOPTERA IN 1920. 49
Aglais urticae——Not common. Fresh brood on July 24th. Worth- ing, Sompting, Lancing, and Bramber.
Gonepterya rhamni.—Hybernated specimens first recorded on May 10th ; not uncommon in the vicinity of woods and heaths. I was surprised not to see any of the fresh brood later in the season.
Vanessa io.—May 14th. Scarce, only a few hybernated specimens observed near Steyning and Goring. I saw nothing of the fresh brood.
Pyrameis carduwi.icMay 14th. Immigrant specimens were ex- tremely plentiful in the spring and early summer, especially in that part of the country embracing the Downs. The fresh brood, though not quite so much in evidence, was also common, and put in an appearance on July 19th.
P. atalanta.—-May 14th. Hybernated, or immigrant, specimens fairly numerous, and met with in company with P. carduz, sunning themselves on the roads, more frequently in the lanes leading up to the Downs. The fresh brood, first noticed on July 19th, was also rather common.
Pararge megera.—First brood, May 14th; second brood, August 8rd. Common, more particularly in Down-land and on the sandy heaths north of the Downs.
Hesperia malvae.—May 14th. An abundant species in many localities.
Pieris napi.—First brood, May 20th; second brood, July 12th. Common.
Callophrys rubi.—May 20th. Sparingly met with near Clapham, Angmering, Washington, and Edburton.
Brenthis euphrosyne-—May 20th. Locally common in several of the woods both north and south of the Downs. On May 26th, in a wood near Patching, I netted a fine g aberration while it was settled and sunning itself on the ground. The forewings of this specimen are edged along the outer and inner margins with a blackish suffusion, the four basal markings coalesce and make a large, solid, black patch, while the zigzag series of spots, beyond the black marking at the end of the discal cell, are confluent, forming an irregular and broadish band across the middle of the wing; the basal markings on the hind- wings are, also, stronely marked and confluent, but clearly defined without any suffusion of black scales. :
Rumicia phlaeas.—First brood, May 21st ; second brood, July 16th. Not uncommon. I took two interesting specimens: (i.) A ?, on June Ist, near Clapham, which may be described as ab. radiata-caeruleo- punctata, as it combines both these named forms; and (11.) a 2, on August 17th, near Storrington, which has the outer part of the copper- colouring on the right forewing bleached, while the submarginal spots on both forewings are rather elongate. Ab. caeruleopunctata was not uncommon in the district.
Aricia medon.—First brood, May 21st; second brood, July 24th. Clapham, Lancing, and Edburton. Not so common as one might have expected considering the abundanee of its food plant, Helianthe- mum chamaecistus.
Coenonympha pamphilus.—May 21st. Common throughout the district.
Nisoniades tages—May 21st. Plentiful in many localities on, or
50 THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD.
near, the Downs; also by the sea near Goring, and frequenting a. common near Fittleworth.
Polyommatus icarus.—First brood, May 24th; second brood, July 14th. Abundant throughout the district, especially on the Downs. Ab. arcua was not uncommon, and I also took a very fine example of ab. melanotowa, on the Downs near Steyning, on June 5th. Another rather interesting specimen was a ¢, taken on August 7th, near Sompting, which has only five submarginal spots on the forewings, the last being absent.
Pararge aegeria.—May 24th. Very scarce in woods near Made- hurst and Angmering.
Colias edusa.—The first one I saw was on June 1st, at Clapham, flying rapidly, and, apparently, on a “‘ non-stop run”’ to the north! I saw no others until the fresh brood put in an appearance on July 31st, when I saw two flying along the side of the road near Lancing, whilst I was cycling, and although I visited several clover and lucerne fields, hoping to obtain some ‘‘ Cloudeds,” I only saw two others in Sussex, one, a fine @?, which I netted in a chalk pit near Lancing, on August 8rd, and the other near Portslade, seen from the train on August 24th, when we were leaving the county.
While mentioning this species it may be of interest to note that we came across it again in Devonshire, near Teignmouth, where we saw at least half-a-dozen, and my eldest son netted a g at Stoke-in- Teignhead on September 8rd.
Ayriades thetis.—First brood, June 2nd; second brood not observed. Local, but in a few places abundant, on the Downs. ‘The first brood was on the wing well into July, and during that time I must have: netted and examined a goodly number, but most were allowed to depart in peace as only a certain amount of variation was noticed, such as ab. puncta, not uncommon amongst the gs, and the more or less conspicuousness of the orange-coloured crescents on the outer margins. of the wings in the ¢. In fact, no very remarkable aberrations were: taken. However, I will briefly describe a few forms obtained which may be of some interest :—(i.) Four ?s, more or less powdered with blue scales, principally on the basal portion of the wings, and in one specimen the blue scales on the forewing spread below, and beyond the discal cell. (ii.) A ?, taken near Steyning on June 9th, on the under- side of which the 2nd and 38rd spots of the outer series are connected with the discoidal spot by white streaks running along the veins con- taining small black dots. (i1i.) A @ which is a more developed form of the last, and taken at the same time; the 2nd, 8rd, and 4th spots of the outer series are cuneate, the points of the wedges approaching closely the discoidal spot. (iv.) A ?, same locality and date, with no: spots between the discoidal spot and the base of the forewing, a parallel aberration to P. icarus ab. icarinus.
Cupido minimus.—First brood, June 8th; second brood, August 8rd. Locally common on the Downs between Sullington and Fulking. As a rule to be found in sheltered hollows and chalk pits, but I found one colony on the borders of a field on Kitswell Hill, late one after- noon, where IJ noticed these little butterflies in their sleeping positions. amonest the lone grass, the position generally chosen being rathér low down on the stems. I came across a few of the second brood in a chalk pit near Lancing, between August 3rd-1lth. This species does: not appear to vary much except in size.
NOTES FROM WEST SUSSEX: LEPIDOPTERA 1N 1920. 51
Augiades sylvanus.—June 9th. Common in many localities, more especially on the Downs.
Epinephele jurtina.—June 11th. Common throughout the district.
Brenthis selene—June 15th. Very local, but plentiful in two localities only—in a marshy corner of a common near Storrington, and in a heathy hollow on the Downs, near Sompting. I fancy that mem- bers of the latter colony were generally smaller than those found at Storrington.
Melanargia galathea.—June 25th. Locally abundant between Steyning and Lancing. A single example, a g, was found at rest as early as June 25th, and on going to the same locality three days later I found plenty more gs out, but not a single @ could I see. On July 2nd, however, both sexes were well out, and it was a pleasing sight to see this handsome butterfly so remarkably abundant. A visit to one of its principal haunts was made on August 11th, when I found a few still on the wing, but getting very worn. With the exception of one yellowish g, I noticed no great variation.
Argynnis cydippe.—June 29th. Met with sparingly in the wood- lands near Patching, Angmering, and Storrington.
Argynnis aglaia.—June 30th. Not very common, ‘but met with on the Downs near Sompting, Lancing, and Edburton. On June 30th, near Sompting, I netted a male with the spots inclined to be greenish, which gives to the markings a remarkably soft appearance. Sussex specimens appear to be smaller than our West Somerset race.
Aphantopus huperantus.——July 8rd. Locally common, near West Grinstead, Storrington, and Angmering.
Epinephele tithonus.—July 9th. Plentiful in most parts of the district, but, apparently, not very variable.
dAgriades cortdon.—July 9th. Locally plentiful on the Downs, but disappointing, as I obtained no striking aberrations. It may be worth recording, however, that in a chalk pit near Lancing | met with a few dwarf specimens, and also the following forms were taken:—(i.) A 3, with broad blackish borders on all the wings containing whitish ringed spots, which, on the hindwings, are clearly defined, but less distinct on the forewings. The clouding of the borders also invades the fringes and increases the black chequering, especially towards the apex of the forewings. (i1.) A 2, strongly powdered with blue scales within and below the discal cell on the forewings, and between the veins on the hindwings, forming blue streaks from the base of the wing to the edge of the submarginal spots, the latter being ringed with dull orange, also the discoidal spot on the hindwings is ringed with blue.
Limenitis sibilla.—July 12th. It was unfortunate that the weather at the end of June and the beginning of July was unfavourable for collecting. However, on July 12th, 13th, and 14th, when the sun, at intervals, made efforts to assert itself, I tried for this species in a wood near Angmering, where I found it not uncommon, but in ragged con- dition, and rather hard to capture, as it frequented the bramble blossoms which happened to be in the densest portion of the wood where it was difficult to wield one’s net.
Dryas paphia.—July 12th. Plentiful in woods near Angmering. I saw one very dark ?, perhaps ab. valezina, pursued by four or five 3s, but, unfortunately, when attempting to net her I only succeeded in bagging one of the suitors.
52 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
Bithys quercus.—July 14th. I only came across one example, aj, which I netted, in a wood near Angmering.
Adopaea’ flava.—July 12th. Remarkably abundant in a marshy part of a common near Storrington, where it was to be seen flying about in swarms and settling on the rushes (Juncus); also found, less commonly, near Angmering, and on the Downs between Lancing, Steyning, and Edburton.
Hipparchia semele-—July 16th. Locally common on the Downs near Edburton, and at Wiggonholt Common, also found sparingly on the Downs near Steyning, Lancing, and Sompting, in a chalk pit near Clapham, and on a heath near Storrington. I was interested in ob- serving this butterfly late in the afternoon on August 18th, at Wig- gonholt Common, as they flew around and settled on the sunny side of the trunks of a group of silver birches, perhaps seeking a resting place for the night. Whilst watching them several flew to inspect me, and one even settled on my arm. I noticed a considerable amount of variation in the undersides of this species, and it is rather surprising that my darkest specimen was taken on the chalk Downs, while the lightest was netted on a sandy heath. I also captured on July 31st, near Lancing, a § with a small extra spot on the upperside of the forewings, between the two usual ocelli.
Plebeius -aegon.—Locally abundant on sandy heaths near Storring- ton and Parham. I was rather too late in trying for this butterfly, so found the majority decidedly passé, but I managed to pick out a short series in fair condition. Two 9s, taken at Storrington on July 16th, may be worth describing :—(i.) With four blue spots on the hindwings just above the band of orange marks, similarly situated as in R. phlaeas ab. caeruleopunctata. (ii.) With the forewings, as well as the hind- Wings, conspicuously bordered on the outer margins with large, bright, orange marks—a very beautiful form.
I will now conclude with a few notes on some of the Heterocera recorded, noting at the same time the dates of the first appearance of the insects :—
Zygaena filipendulae—The first specimens on the wing were observed on June 10th, by the sea near Goring, where plenty of the _larvee were found at the same time, some comparatively small. This abundant Species was seen in many localities on the Downs and was noticed in the imaginal state up to about the middle of August. A large colony on the slopes of the Downs, near the Devil’s Dyke, was remarkable for the smallness of the cocoons, and from some of these I bred some very dwarf specimens during the latter half of June and the beginning of July. Many from this locality seem referable to the form hippocrepidis. Z. trifoliiitJune 2nd. I met with this species very sparingly on the Downs near Steyning and Sompting, just one or two here and there flying about, or settled on the stems of grass, etc. I also came across a small colony in a marshy part of a heath near Storrington, on June 15th, where I noticed a few empty cocoons on the stems of Juncus communis. In this locality I obtained a ? as late as July 16th. On June 7th, near Sompting, I took, at rest on grass, a very fine and bright-coloured example of ab. minotdes. Sphinw ligustri.—One larva on July 14th, half grown, on High Down Hill, feeding on privet. Sesia stellatarvm.—June 2nd. Only one seen, going to the flowering weeds growing in an arable field on the Downs
NOTES FROM WEST SUSSEX: LEPIDOPTERA IN 1920. 53
‘near Steyning. Heyralus lupulina.—June 1st, a 2 netted flying about in the sunshine on the Downs, near Clapham. Miltochrista miniata.— August 7th, a @, in fine condition, on a paling at Broadwater. Lithosia sororcula.—May 26th, a @ clinging to a grass stem, in an oak wood near Patching. Miacrisia sanio.—ZJune 17th. Several gs “walked up” on the Downs near Steyning, Lancing, and Sompting. Arctia villica.—May 31st. Odd specimens found at Steyning and Angmering, one, a 2, was netted flying along a lane in the daytime. Malacosoma neustria.—A few nests of larvee noticed in the hedges near Goring and Sompting. Macrothylacia rubi.—June 8rd. One netted and a number observed flying on the Downs near Steyning, Sompting, and Sullington, and found in the larval stage near Lancing. Cosmotriche potatoria.—On June 17th, near Lancing, I found a cocoon, high up on a grass stem in a meadow, looking very huge and con- spicuous in comparison with the smaller cocoons of 4%. filipendulae, which were abundant allaround. A g emergedon July 7th. Drepana falcataria.—May 26th, beaten out of birch near Patching. D. lacertinaria.—I found a nearly full-grown larva on birch near Storring- ton, on June 15th, from which I bred a 9 on July 11th, a rather interesting specimen as it is plain ochreous brown without any trace of the usual dark frecklings. Acronicta leporina.—A full-fed larva found on August 17th near Storrington on bireh. It changed colour and entered a piece of wood for pupation on the following day. Ayrotis ypsilon.—August 10th, at Worthing. A. strigula.—July 16th, a few disturbed from heather near Storrington. Mamestra persicariae. —June 27th, at Worthing. Leucania impura.—August 6th, one found in the daytime, resting on wild carrot blossom, while searching for Spilodes palealis. Cucullia chamomillae.—Two nearly full-grown larve on Anthemis, near Sompting. Plusia gauuma.—During the spring and the early part of the summer a great many were seen, probably immigrants from the continent. The new brood was met with from July 8rd in astonishing numbers, in fact I cannot remember having seen this species more abundant. Acontia luctwosa.—On June 17th, a dull day, I netted a fine g which I had disturbed from the herbage in a chalk pit near Lancing. A careful search on this and following days amongst the Convolvulus arvensis resulted in no more specimens. Bryo- phila perla.—July 38rd. Apparently not common in the district, a dozen or so only observed in the town at Worthing and Broadwater. Prothymnia viridaria.—First brood, June 8th; second brood, July 24th. Found sparingly on the Downs near Burpham, Steyning, Lancing, and Edburton. As usual, specimens of the second emergence were considerably the larger. Anarta myrtilliitAugust 17th, although a dull day, several were seen flying about the heather near Storrington. Euclidia mii—May 28th. Common on some rough land near the sea at Goring, and also met with in a grassy lane near Angmering, and sparingly on the Downs in a number of localities. Zancloynatha grisealis—June 17th. Lancing, Worthing, and Storrington. Venilia maculata.—May 20th. Not uncommon near Clapham. Angmering, Patching, and Bury. Bapta bimaculata.—May 24th, near Bury. Semiothisa notata.—August 13th. Two gs beaten out of bracken _growing under trees on Wiggonholt Common. _ S. liturata.—July 16th. Scarce amongst pines near Storrington. Lozogramma petraria.—May 24th. Patching and Madehurst. Strenia clathrata—June 14th to
nd
a4 THE KNTOMOLOGIST S RECORD.
August 16th. Occurred sparingly near Sompting, Angmering, Lancing, Clapham, and Goring. Bupalus piniaria.June 6th. Storrington. Aspilates ochrearia.—May 28th. Not common; at Goring, by the sea and on the Downs, near Clapham. Tephrosia punctularia.—May 15th. On tree trunks at Storrington, Patching, and Angmering. Boarmia consortaria—On May 26th I found a ¢g on an oak trunk in a wood near Patching. Is not this a very early date for this species ? Hemerophila abruptaria.—May 14th. One specimen only seen on a paling at Worthing. Pachycnemia hippocastanaria.—July 16th. A g disturbed from heather near Storrington. Abraxas qrossulariata.—June 6th. Very common, and I[ think inclined to be strongly marked, at Worthing about the Huonymus. One of my sons brought mea specimen of ab. nigrosparsata on June 25th. Pseudoterpna pruinata.—July 16th. Storrington. Jodis lactearia—May 26th. Patching. Hemithea stri- ygata.—May 81st. Patching and Clapham. Acidalia dimidiata.— July 14th. A number beaten out of Clematis on High Down Hill. A. virgularia.—June 22nd. Common at Worthing. Hulype hastata. —May 22nd. Not common; about birch in Woods near Angmering and Patching. Xanthorhoe rivata.—June 28th. One specimen netted in a chalk pit near Lancing. Melanthia procellata.—July 14th. Several beaten from Clematis on High Down Hill. Asthena candidata.—— First brood, May 22nd ; second brood, August 5th. Angmering, Clap- ham and West Burton. Minoa murinata.—May 11th. Seen on the wing in a wood near Arundel. Perizoma affinitata.—May 22nd. A few beaten from bushes in woods near Angmering and Patching. P. flavofasciata.—May 26th. Patching. Dysstroma (Cidaria) citrata (immanata).— July 14th. Angmering. Anaittis plagiata.—First brood, May 21st; second brood, August 5th. Clapham, Patching, and Steyning. Mesotype virgata.—July 24th. A solitary specimen of the second brood netted in a chalk pit near Lancing. Ortholitha plum- baria. June 25th. Only met with in a heathy hollow on the Downs near Sompting. I took one ? with the black central spot on the forewings obsolete. ©. bipunctaria.June 28th. Common on the chalk in many localities. O. limitata.—July 19th. On the Downs near Lancing and Edburton, and by the sea near Goring. Hupithecia abbreviata.—One specimen seen in April on a paling by some holm- oak trees at Worthing. HF. sobrinata.—August 7th. Abundant amongst juniper near Sompting. /. pumilata.—July 16th. Storring- ton. Herbula cespitalis—Observed on the slopes of the Downs. Hbulea crocealis.—July 24th. Several met with in a chalk pit near Lancing. Spilodes palealis.—A search amongst wild carrot and on the flower- ing heads of thistles near-by, in a rough meadow near the sea at Goring, produced five specimens of this insect.
SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.
NomenciaturE.—Ponyommatus Icarus.—In Hnt. Reec., vol. xxxii., p. 191, I recorded the capture in May, 1920, of the ab. figured in South’s Butterflies, plate 119, fig. 5, at the same time enquiring its correct name, to which the reply was that it is usually identified with ab. persica, Bienert, but is separated tentatively by Tutt as ab. obsoleta.
In the article in this month’s issue of Hint. Rec. (vol. xxxiii.), on
SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 55
the “ Butterflies of N.W. Persia,” by Mr. P. A. Buxton, the latter remarks under the heading Polyommatus icarus, page 32, as follows :—
“The race generally known as persica, Bienert, is that of the Persian plateau ; Tutt has shown that Bienert’s name persica can only apply to a rare aberration, which is of no geographical significance, and it appears that the plateau race referred to as persica, Bien., by many authors, from Butler to Le Cerf, should be called fuyitiva, Butler.”
To amateur entomologists,-whose spare time is not sufficient to allow them to investigate the history and system of the nomenclature of Lepidoptera, an article in an early forthcoming number of Hint. Rec., dealing broadly with the general conditions under which the existing system of the nomenclature of Lepidoptera has grown up would certainly be of great interest and assistance.
Taking, for the sake of example, the above case of Polyommatus icarus, the line of thought that presents itself to the writer as one of the aforesaid class of amateurs, is somewhat as follows :—
Presumably the name persica was first given by Bienert to that particular race* or form of tcarus which most generally occurs in Persia, seeing that the name itself implies an intention on the part of its author that it should indicate that particular geographical area, while on the other hand the name in itself most certainly does not indicate any intention on the part of that author that it should be applied to a mere aberration of no particular geographical significance.
(a) What then is the exact system or authority under which it has been decided that Bienert’s name persica was not intended by him to indicate the normal form of Polyommatus icarus as occurring in Persia, but that what he really intended to indizate was the rare aberration above referred to.
(b) If he did intend it only to apply to that ab., why did he use the name persica if the ab. occurs in other geographical areas than Persia ?
(c) How, or under what rule or theory of nomenclature, does the name of the Persian race of tcarus come to be altered to fugitiva, see- ing that the original name persica seems to be so much more appropriate ?
(d) Why has the name obsoleta been suggested for the variety or aberration when the variety is still extant and obtainable ?
(ec) Are the specimens of the before mentioned variety which are taken in this country emigrants from Persia, or are they aberrations of the English race of Polyommatus icarus ?—R. Barnard CruIcKsHANK, Alverstoke, Hants. February 22nd, 1921.
[lf Tutt’s Brit. Lep., vol. xi. (Brit. Butt., iv.) be consulted under the indices persica, fugitiva, obsoleta, there will be found a very full, complete, and to me satisfactory, discussion of this case.—Hy. J. T.]
TOTES ON COLLECTING, Etc.
Dytiscip LARV= As FooD 1n Burma.—The Deputy Commissioner of Lower Chindwin Dist., Monywa, Burma, recently sent the Indian _ Museum two large boxes containing the larve of a Dytiscid, and a
* [No: ‘‘ this is a very distinct aberration,’’ Bienert. The italics are mine. H.J.T.]
56 THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD.
number of adult beetles, collected in the lake at Twin, where they appear during the rains in exceedingly large numbers. I have identi- fied the beetles as Unectes griseus, Fab., and the larvee probably belong ‘to the same species. The interest of the donation lies in the fact that these larvee are eaten by the natives of the district, probably under the impression that they are small shrimps. I am informed that Dytiscid larve, collected from ponds, are also occasionally eaten by the natives of various districts in India.—Crpric Dover, Calcutta, India. January 18th, 1921.
A Mansrretp Mrixrurr.—My son made a special journey to Sher- wood Forest in March, 1920, on purpose to obtain melanic Phigalia pedaria for breeding purposes, but he only took one melanic female. There were plenty of types of both sexes. The melanic female de- posited a nice batch of ova, which hatched out in due course ; they fed up well on hawthorn, and I was in great hopes of rearing some melanic forms from them. The first to emerge was a rather small typical male. on December 22nd. They continued by single specimens to emerge daily, but all males, till on December 80th one typical female emerged, but on January 29th, 1921, they came out with a rush. About thirty came out, sexes about equal in number, males typical, but six of the females were melanic. These I have placed with six of the best marked males, to try my luck again in breeding melanic forms.
The larva of Halia wavaria were rather common in some gardens, and a second brood was produced. I took the first one on September 24th. They rather increased in numbers up to the end of September. I took eight specimens and took out eight of the summer brood from my series and replaced them by eight of the September brood, on the whole they are rather smaller than the summer brood. On the even- ing of September 30th one flew into the kitchen and made a most determined attempt to offer itself up as a burnt offering at the kitchen light. At last it effected its purpose, I hope to its own satisfaction ; there was just enough of its cremated remains to prove it had been Halia wavania.
Larve of Abraxas grossulariata were not so numerous as usual ; those I fed up from my own garden did not produce me any vars., but I had better luck from larve I collected from a currant bush growing wild in a fence, for one produced a nice form, the black on the wings was normal, but the wings are dusted over with most minute black atoms, which give it a very dusty look. It is one of my best vars. I think it is rarer than the form varleyata.
The gooseberry sawfly larva was a pest, it did not give the larve that fed on the gooseberry foliage, such as H. wavaria and A. grossu- lariata, a chance to feed. I found the best way to settle their account was to give the main stem of the tree on which they were feeding a good sharp blow with the handle of a spade or fork, the more sudden the blow the more effective it proved in dislodging the larve, and have ready some quick lime and throw it over them.
I think the only larva that occurred in its usual numbers in my garden was that of Plusia moneta. In 1920 I took about two dozen larve and cocoons; the larve are the easiest to get through to the imago that I ever kept, they are similar to pigs, only give them plenty of food they will thrive and hasten their own end.
OURRENT NOTES, 57
The ova are placed on the young flowering spikes of the monkshood, and in 1919 I had three small lots on the spikes, in small webs, but I found that they wandered away after the first moult if there were any Delphiniums near. In 1919 I was very puzzled by the disappearance of the larvee, I thought the birds had made a discovery, but I soon after solved the puzzle by finding both the full fed larva and the cocoons on the underside of Delphinium foliage. The Monkshood and Delphi- niums grow close together in my garden. I do not take the trouble to look for them in the first stage, but if any friend requires a few I now look for them in the advanced stages. I have never found them in the webs on Delphinium. During the last season I have not seen either a Vanessa io or Huchloe cardamines.—Witiiam Daws, 89, Wood Street, Mansfield, Notts.
G)URRENT NOTES AND SHORT NOTICES.
The Entomological Society, London, held its inaugural meeting in its new premises on March 2nd, when quite a hundred Fellows and their friends were welcomed by the President, the Rt. Honble. Lord Rothschild, M.A., F.R.S. General satisfaction was expressed at what had been done by the Housing Committee of the Society. A large number of exhibits were discussed and after the usual conversazione, tea, etc., in the spacious library, the meeting closed at a late hour. For atime the Library of the Society will be closed to borrowers during the rearrangement, although visitors may even now be able to consult the section devoted to periodical magazines, most of the volumes of which have been placed.
In the Hint. News for November last is the report of an occurrence of what we may term a case of pseudophoresy. Mr. Mann of the U.S. Bureau of Entomology, Washington, recently received ‘‘ specimens of Mallophaga, several of a small species of Gyropus, and one of Trico- dectes, which he found at Quebrada La Camelia, Colombia, attached to a dragonfly, Ischnogomphus jesset.’ Gyropus species are said to live exclusively on small terrestrial rodents, and the dragonfly has a habit of alighting on the ground and on low objects, hence we must infer that the insects became attached when the dragonfly may have settled ona dead rodent. |
In a note on Mental Attitudes towards Insects the Editor of the Ent. News gives a personal illustration: He had been trying to realise what must have been the mental attitude of many a cultured Egyptian, Greek, or Roman towards insects, when the local butcher came. The Editor continues, ‘‘ His business transacted, the butcher observed that the coming winter was likely to be cold only in the latter part— because he had been feeling the caterpillars along the road and they were hard to the touch only at their hind ends.”
In the November number of the Can. Ent. there is a very interesting account of the life-history and metamorphoses of a “ stick- insect,” Diapheromia femorata (Phasmidae), found defoliating oak, basswood and hazel in Quebec. There is an illustration of the curious manner of copulation ; full details of the oviposition and early stages
— are given at length.
SOCIETIES. LancasHirnE AND CHESHIRE H\NroMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. November 15th, 1920.—New Memsrrs.—Mr. G. H. E. Hopkins,
58 THK ENLOMOLOGIST S RECORD.
Shevington Vicarage, nr. Wigan, and Mr. A. R. Davidson, Foster Road, Formby, were elected members of the Society.
Paper.—A paper was read by Mr. 8. Gordon Smith, F.E.S., entitled ‘‘ A year’s collecting of Macro-Lepidoptera.” In this most interesting paper Mr. Smith related his experiences in pursuit of Lepidoptera from the autumn of 1919 until October of last year. Delamere Forest came in for a good deal of attention and by persistent hard work Mr. Smith has obtained some lovely sets of variable insects ; he shewed that Nyssia hisptdaria, previously considered rare in the forest, was quite a common insect, and had further established, by counting a large number of moths on the trees, that Phiyalia pedaria var. monacharia occurred in the proportion of about one to three of the type in this locality. A large part of the paper was taken up with the results of breeding; large numbers of the larve of the Vanessidae in particular passed through the cages and yielded some fine varieties. Probably the most interesting section of the paper was that dealing with the visitors to electric hight. The author had installed a 2000 C.P. lamp on the balcony of his house overlooking the River Dee, and the flat, open country beyond. Records of temperature and weather were kept and their bearing on the number of insects noted. Thamnonoma brunneata, Acronicta alni and its black aberration, Cirrhoedia aerampelina and Dicranura furcula were among the species that came to light. A discussion ensued in which Professor Newstead, the Rev. F. M. B. Carr, and Mr. Wm. Mansbridge took part. A vote of thanks was carried by acclamation.
ABERRATIONS OF British Leprpoprera.—Mr. Carr exhibited a variable series of Peridromia saucia, also of Xanthia ferruginea, Calocampa exoleta and C. vetusta, all taken in his garden at Alvanley on sugar and rotten fruit, and from Prince’s Risboro’ a series of Thera juniperata.
December 20th.—Annuat Mrrtinc.—-Appress.—The President read an address entitled “The Lepidoptera of Wicken Fen”; he also exhibited series of insects in illustration. Other exhibits of Fen _ insects were made by Messrs. Wm. Mansbridge, C. P. Rimmer, and S. Gordon Smith. '
New Memper.—Mr. J. 3. Garner-Richards, the Liverpool Collegiate School, Shaw Street, Liverpool, was elected a member of the Society.
Tae Sours Lonpon Enromouocicat Society. Pe
December 9th.tNew Mrmpers.—Mx. J. J. Joicey, F.H.S., The Hill, Witley, Mr. G. Talbot, F.H.S., The Hill Museum, Witley, Mr. A. J. Wightman, 35, Talbot Terrace, Lewes, and Mr. L. Ford, Park Hill, dexley, were elected members.
Mr. Sperring exhibited a Cassid, Aspidomorpha sp., from Central Uganda.
Mr. Main made a series of remarks on the keeping of ants in artificial formicaria.
Mr. A. A. W. Buckstone, further series of dwarf Agriades coridon from Surrey and a second brood of Huphyia picata.
Mr. Bowman, aberrations of Polyommatus icarus from Folkestone.
Mr. B. 8. Williams, Bithys querctis ab. major from Cornwall and an asymmetrical Coenonympha pamphilus.
Mr. Goodman, 2 pupa of Hyles euphorbiae from a Courmayeutr larva.
REVIEWS. 59
Mr. K. G. Blair, ab. parvipuncta of Rumicta phlaeas.
Mr. R. Adkin, a series of Ptychopoda dimidiata (scutulata) with their cocoons; and read notes on the pupation, showing the natural position to be among rubbish on or near the surface of the eround.
Mr. Hy. J. Turner, a small collection of butterflies from W. Java, notable for brilliant Pierid species.
Mr. Adkin, the Society’s Delegate to the Conference at the British Association, read a short report of the Meeting.
FEVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS.
Le Monde Social des Fourmis du Globe comparé a.celui de V Homme. By Dr. Aucuste Forel, Geneva, Librairie Kundig, Editeur. Tome Lier, 1921. Pp.i.-xiv. and 192; 2 coloured plates, 1 “black and white plate, and 30 figures in the text.
The first volume of this interesting and comprehensive work on the ants of the World has been sent to us to review. The book will be completed in five volumes, and we advise all students, not only of Hymenoptera, but of Entomology i in general, who can read the French language to obtain it as soon as possible. The price 10 francs a volume (which is very moderate especially taking into consideration the great cost of publication everywhere at the present time) should bring the work within the reach of everyone.
Volume I. deals with the genesis of ants, their anatomy, general classification and geographical distribution.
Chapter I.: Phylogeny (evolution of the species of ants of the geological epochs up to the present day).
Chapter II.: Ontogeny (evolution from the egg, and larva to the adult state). Polymorphism (the three or four kinds of individual adults). a
cae IlI.: Exterior anatomy (skin, hairs, sculpture, limbs).
Chapter IV.: Interior anatomy (digestive canal, nervous system, brain, glands, muscles, etc.).
Chapter V.: General summary of Classification.
Chapter VI.: Geographical Distribution. Migrations ancient and modern, local faunas.
Chapter VII.: Fossil Ants.
The beautiful coloured plates as well as all the other illustrations both original and reproductions are by Mons. E. W. Heinrich and deserve great praise.
The arrangement of the figures in the text is not good, and gives considerable trouble to the student. The figures are not in order but dotted about all over the book ; for example—Fig. 20 is on page 115, but Fig. 22 is on page 49; Fig. 25 on page 43, etc.! Then in the text when one is told to see Fig. ‘so and so,” one has to turn to the index and find out on which page it is, and then turn for that page, and lose one’s place, and the sequence of one’s thoughts, etc.
It is not our purpose here to discuss the whole work in detail, nor would the space at our disposal allow of it. Wecan only touch on a very few points ; but the reader may rest assured that every problem concerning ants is mentioned and expounded by the author.
In the preface the author gives a short account of his earliest experiences with ants at the village of Lonay pres de Morges, where he spent the first eight years of his life. He also records that at the age of eleven he was given Pierre Huber’s work on the habits of ants,
60 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD.
which explained many things he had already noticed himself. From that time he determined to become a Historian of ants all his life—a resolve which he has always kept. ‘
It is with regret we notice in a list of names of myrmecologists (p. xiv.) to whom the author says the science and he himself owes much, that only one Englishman is mentioned [he being a big game hunter and not a myrmecologist| ; this we trust is only an, oversight.
The author considers that the Ponerinae is the most ancient sub- family, and the other subfamilies are directly descended from it. This is the view we hold ourself, though it is not the one held by all the first myrmecologists.
Forel states the male ant only lives a few days; perhaps it is a little hypercritical to dispute this statement, as he is probably speaking generally, or in comparison with the lives of workers and females. Nevertheless male ants can be kept alive for months after the marriage flight as we have shown (British Ants, p. 27), and this can also take place in nature (/.c., p. 207).
As fecundation only once takes place in the life of a female ant, Forel calls the female a kind of secondary hermaphrodite, who fecundates