M. dictynna Esp. (= corythalia Hhn.) (67b). Above much darker than the various previous species, the black markings heavy, in the male only some small rounded spots on the forewing and a submarginal row of dots on the hindwing reddish yellow, in the female the outer half of the upperside variegated with ivory yellow and ochreous spots, the fringes being white in both sexes. Beneath marked as in the
athalia, but the bands of the hindwing more chestnut. Throughout Europe (except the extreme north and south, as well as Great Britain), also in North and Central Asia eastward to the coasts of the Pacific, being in the west abundant almost everywhere, rarer in the east and north. Particularly light resp. dark specimens are not rare and, according to Spuler, should be named ab.
corythalia and ab.
navarina respectively. — The form
erycina Stgr.[ Lederer not Staudinger now ssp. qv. (67c), from Amurland and the Altai, is above almost exactly like European specimens, the spots being somewhat paler; beneath more variegated, the brown submarginal band being paler below the costa but not interrupted; the specimens from northern Amurland a little smaller. Not plentiful anywhere (Graeser). —
erycinides Stgr.[ now ssp. qv.] (67c) is a large
erycinides race from Central Asia and certain places farther east, the upperside being spotted with dark in the male and with whitish yellow in the female, while the submarginal band of the underside is much darker brown than in European specimens, the margin of the forewing beneath being broadly shaded with dark brown. The specimens figured are from — Larva of
dictynna dark grey with yellow spines; the body with bluish dots,2 such dots on the head; on the back black longitudinal stripes. From the autumn until May on
Plantago, Veronica, Valeriana, etc. Pupa silvery grey or yellowish grey, dotted with black, dorsally on the abdomen rows of small russet- yellow warts. The butterflies from June until August in swampy meadows, especially near water-ditches and in meadows in woods. They are slow fliers, perhaps the least fast among all the Melitaeas. In the high Alps they frequent the same localities as many Erebias, with which they fly together. They occur up to 10000 ft. ==Similar species==