AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 171 



DESCEIFTIONS OF AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA.— No. 2. 



BY AUG. R. GROTE and COLEMAN T. EOBINSON. 

 [Communicated July 8, 1867.] 



Family, LYCAENIDAE. 



THECLA. Fabr. 

 Thecla lorata, n. s. 



3f(de. — Allied to Thecla falacer, Bdv. and Lee. Head, black; eyes, 

 circled narrowly with white; antennae, black, annulate with white, 

 the "club" entirely black. Body, above, black, the longer scales on 

 thorax and abdomen with a paler somewhat brassy tinge. Beneath, 

 the abdomen is whitish, the under thoracic squaniation is blackish- 

 grey ; legs mostly whitish, blackish outwardly, subannulate, the tai'si 

 touched with fuscous inwardly. 



Upper surface of wings of a uniform black or blackish, with a sub- 

 dued brassy-brown reflection which becomes prominent in certain 

 lights. An ovate sexual spot on the disc of primaries. Secondaries 

 with two very unequal tails, as in T. falacer, the lower the longer, 

 fringed with white. Base of the fringes, from anal angle to the lower 

 "tail," white, and at this place is a narrow, white, internal line in one 

 specimen. Between the " tails," the fringes, which elsewhere are dark, 

 are tipped with white. 



Under surface somewhat paler than upper, })rownish-black. An ex- 

 tra basal common streak, composed of powdery dark blue scales, runs 

 across both wings ; this is slightly irregular, and is lost iuferiorly 

 among the longer scales which clothe the internal margin of the se- 

 condaries. Two short white lines on the disc of primaries enclosing 

 an incomplete darker shaded spot or space as in allied species. Be- 

 yond, an interrupted, extra discal, semilunated white line, narrowly 

 edged within by blackish scales and preceded by dark interspaceal 

 shadings. An incomplete bluish-white, subparallel, subterminal line, 

 edged outwardly by blackish scales. Secondaries with two short par- 

 allel white lines on the disc, enclosing an analogous space to that on 

 disc of primaries. An extra discal semilunated and interrupted white 

 line as on primaries, preceded by dark interspaceal shades; these are 

 faintly edged within in one specimen by white scales, so that here the 

 white line may be said to be geminate, enclosing a dark shade; on the 

 subcostal interspace the series is interrupted, the lines being severed 

 and brought nearer to the base of the wing, a detached spot is thus 



