Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 7. (Budapest 1956)

Kovács, L.: Some data concerning the subspecific distribution of Colias chrysotheme Esp. (Lepidoptera)

C. chrysotheme around Magyaróvár and the northern shores of Lake Fertő. West of the Balaton, we were fortunate to find chrysotheme, within the borders of the country, near the border at Magyaróvár. Though I am not cognizant of the habitats in this area of the species, it is an indubitable fact that the oscillation of temperature is less extreme in this territory of the country than in the Western Transdanubium or on the Great Plains. The chrysotheme from Magyaróvár also differs from the form of the Western Transdanubium, yet in another direction than does the one from the Great Plains. The one from Magyaróvár is the smallest of the chrysotheme forms in Hungary that ever went through my hands. The alar expanse of the male of the first generation is 34—45 mm, the sole female measures 36 mm. The five males belonging to the second brood measure 35—40 mm, the four females 39—43 mm. I have not met with autumnal specimens. One of the characteristical features of the Magyaróvár form is the strong development of the red color. The red color is deep, and on some specimens it is absolutely identical with the color of somewhat pale Colias myrmidone Esp. specimens. Besides, the red color on the fore wings drives the yellow along the costa and the black margin also into the background. The color of the wing surface is not so shiny as on the Central Hungarian specimens, indeed, it is sometimes rather faint especially on the females. The underside of the fore wings of the males is a chrome yellow (rather lemon in the central parts of the country), whilst it is vigorously greenish on the females. The breadth of the black margin of the males agrees to that on the ones from Central Hungary. It is narrower in the females, and so the yellow spots, which have also a deeper tone, do not sit in the middle of the band but on its internal part. The yellow marginal spots are rather small. The discal spot of the hind wings is fiery red, especially in the females, it is not a vivid orange and is big. The C. chrysotheme around Magyaróvár is not a local occurrence of the species but a member of the population-group living near our northwestern borders. Some 10 kilometres from Magyaróvár, on the shores of Lake Fertő, the species had been found around Nezsider (Neusiedl am See, Burgenland). There are four males and four females in the collection of the Museum from this area. Two of the males are red, and two have a darker orange tint. The yellow element is in the background on all four specimens. The four females are of a uniform pale deep red, their color agrees with that of the females of Magyaróvár. The breadth of the black margin, the discal spot of the hind wings and the green suffusion on the underside are the same as in the case of the Magyaróvár specimens. The question may arise whether the difference of the chrysotheme groups in Central Hungary and that living near our western borders is founded on the effects of oecological factors or represents a different line of phylogenesis. Though, as has been mentioned above, the climatical effects are well observable in the color of the several generations on the Eastern Transdanubium, we meet, in the present case, with such among the differring features which are the exclusive characters of one or the other group, so it may be assumed that they have hereditarily descended to the offsprings. There is another circumstance worthy of consideration which had but slightly been touched upon yet. Our orange-colored Colias species belong to the agile lepidoptera species, capable of enduring flight. Of C. croceus Fourc, we know since long that it flies not only sustainedly but is an animal of vagile