ON THE IDENTITY OF A SO-CALLED RACE OF PARNASSIUS SMINTHEUS FROM MANITOBA

Extract

In a recent number of the European publication Parnassiana (Vol. 111, p. 55) I was astonished to note that under the title “A Critical Revision of the Genus Parnassius based on Material in the Eisner Collection,” Messrs. Bryk and Eisner had described a race of P. smintheus with the subspecific name manitobaensis from “End Mountains, Manitoba.”

As it appeared extremely problematic that Parnassius would turn up in Manitoba without rumours of the find reaching- Ottawa, I got in touch with several collectors in the province. From one, Mr. J. F. May of Norgate, Man. I received a reply that the specimens in question had been supplied by him but that they had been distinctly labelled “End Mountain, Alta.,” a locality I believe to be situated in the Banff region. Under these circumstances the name manitobaensis will sink into the synonymy of the typical race smintheus, as found in the Canadian Rockies.