Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 2. (Budapest 1952)

Issekutz, L.: Parnassius apollo (L.) in the Carpathians

The Járavize apollos differ from transsylvanicus in two characters : the ground colour is tinged with yellow as in carpathicus and the shape of wings converges also with carpathicus ; being not so long, its apex blunt, margins more rounded and finally, the black suffusion of the females lighter than in transsylvanicus, - indeed, this irroration being so thin that it represents a lighter form. There are, though, darker females too, but not so marked as not to differ from transsylvanicus at first sight ; their infuscation being not stronger than that of a typical carpathicus female. In all other characters it is in strict conformity with transsylvanicus especially in the heavy frames of the eyespots on the hindwings, which are the more prominent as the pattern rests on a light ground, and, the males as well as the females have, a broad hyaline margin on the forewings. On the hindwing of the females, however, the hyaline margin fails to appear or can be seen only in traces. The type-specimens of Kertész ornament the Collection of the Museum of Natural History in Budapest. In other ranges of the Carpathians and especially in the southern Carpathians, apollo was sought for in vain. Albeit the late Daniel Czeke.Tius, famous entomologist of Nagyszeben, did everything he could to gain this end. Therefore we have to maintain again that, till otherwise demonstrated, besides of above discussed territories, apollo does not occur in other parts of the Carpathians. Summing up the former statements, we see that the apollos of the Carpathians have their kin in the apollos of the Checho-Moravian Basin (ssp. interversus Bryk —- ssp. albus R e b. & R о g h f.) in the west, while subsp. transsylvanicus (S с h w e i t z e r) is in close relation with the Bucovinian ssp. rosenius (Frühst.) in the east. Besides of these there must be, or must have been, a northern link, too. Otherwise there would be no explanation for the fact that the Carpathian apollo going from west to east, becomes gradually more tinged with yellow, this colour dominating in ssp. carpathicus ; ere reaching however the territory of ssp. carpathicus, this yellow gradation breaks off, and from north (Magas Tátra) to south (Gömör), variations with a white ground colour enter (ssp. Candidus and ssp. rosnaviensis), especially the northern Candidus, having a remarkably white ground. We have to infer from this change of colour the fact of a northern invasion. Bryk enumerates susbp. sicinius (Frühst.) from the northern Galician slopes (around Teschen), and subsp. vistulicus (O. Bang-Haas) from the valley of the Visztula. He emphasizes the close relafion with subsp. albus of both variations, that is», the white ground colour and, in subsp. vistulicus, the elongated apex. The localités of these races however fall far away from the Magas Tátra, yet we have to presume that the source of the northern invasion must be sought in these relation. Any direct contact is'absent in the present, which does not mean that it could not have been extant in the past. In the same way, there is no connection between carpathicus and jdraensis, though the characters of both variations necessarily refer to the sometime existence of such a link in the past, even in spite of the great distances. The lack of these territorial connections states a further conclusion, i. e. that apollo in the Carpathians at least, is a species in slow regression or, let us say, in slow extermination, having becomç already extinct in as many localities, causing the lack of connections among variations still to be found in the Carpathians. Explanation of Plates. Plate VI. The distribution of P. apollo L. in the Carpathians. 1. interversus Bryk (White- Carpathians, Galgóczi Range) 2. liptauensis Peschke & Eisner (Nyzné Tatry — Alacsony Tátra) 3. nitriensis I s s e к u t z (Mts. Nitra), nova subspecies 4. rosnaviensis I s s e к u t z (Mts. of Szepes Gömör), nova subspecies 5. Candidus Veri t y (Magas Tátra, Limestone Mts. of Lipócz) 6. carpathicus R e b. & R о g h. (Eperjes-Tokaji Range, Mts. Cergov, Mt. Mincol) 7. ruthenicus 1 s s e к u t z (Mts. of Máramaros), nova subspecies 8. transsylvanicus Schweitzer (Radnai-, Gyergyói Alps) 9. rosenius Frühst. (Bucovina) 10. jdraensis Kertész (Gyalui Alps) 11. cominius Frühst. (Bükk-Mts.) 139