GENUS LYC^NA 229 



five varietal forms of that type are found here, as Lucia, Violacea, 

 Piasus, Echo, etc., the stem or type Argiolus being absent. Lucia 

 is said to fly in Alaska and in British Cohimbia, but I have never 

 seen it on the wing. Tlie fringe is interrupted, so that the edges 

 of all wings appear to be toothed, something like Sagittigera ; and 

 there is a dark patch in the middle of hind wings on the under side. 



389. Lycaena Violacea. 



No figure. 

 Violacea, like the preceding, Lucia, is chiefly an Eastern form 

 of the same type, Argiolus, and is noted in the books as flying in 

 limited numbers in Alaska, and the Provinces of Canada, and 

 along the Rocky Mountains southward to Colorado. It is a little 

 larger than Lucia, and resembles Piasus somewhat, but is of a 

 lighter and more delicate violet color on upper side ; and it is not 

 so prominently toothed on the edges of the wings, from the in- 

 terruptions of the fringes. 



390. Lycaena Piasus. 



Plate XXX ; Figures 390, b, c, d. 



Fig. 390, Male, Juneau, Alaska, June, 1891 ; Author. 



b, Female, San Bernardino, CaL, Jan. 31, 1901 ; 



Author. 



c, Female, underside, San Bernardino, CaL, Feb. 28, 



1888; Author. 



d, Bi-sexual, San Bernardino, CaL, Jan. 24, 1901 ; 



Author. 



Piasus is the earliest spring butterfly. It flies all over the West 

 Coast, from Mexico to St. Michaels, and likely to the Arctic Ocean. 

 The northern examples that I have taken in Alaska show no differ- 

 ence from those taken in the south. The spots on underside are all 

 of them elongated, and are placed angularly on the wing, the 

 spots are not black, simply dusky. The fourth figure, d, is a bi- 

 sexual individual, the right-hand wings being female, and the left- 

 hand ones male. This is the only bi-sexual butterfly that I have 

 ever taken. Other examples have been figured in other works, so 

 that other instances are not unknown, but they are very rare 

 indeed. 



