TlIK KAMll.V I.YCAENIDAE. 771 



from all other ImttorHioM, luid it will l)i' seen that the lower stagct* oftlicHO 

 two jjreat "groups ot'tiiiialler hutterHios have ([uite as many ami as im|iortant 

 characters in common, it' not. imleeil. tar more in ninnher and value, than 

 can he t'onnil in any other fjronii of siiht'amilies amonjx ImtferHies. It is 

 quite true that our knowle(l<;e ot" the early stages of the Lenioniinae, of 

 whicli we shall jrivo a summary further on, is ridiculously small, hut inae- 

 nuieh as those of whose transfornnitions we are aware in no way contravene 

 the !<tatements made ahove, we judfre that the two groups should he rightly 

 Ct>n.'<idered as intimately associated, until the contrary l>e provi'd hy future 

 observations. 



In the [)erfect stage, we also find important I'haraeters common to these 

 two groups and distinguishing them from the rest of the hutterHy world. 

 Their small size and delicate structure would at once be remarked ; the 

 front of the head between the eyes is much narrower than high, which is 

 not true of any other group ; the eyes are not in the least prominent, 

 and they are notched on the inner margin above to give room for the 

 antenna! sockets, which the narrowness of the head between the eyes here 

 renders necessary. As all these are characters which concern the funda- 

 mental structure of the head and arc not found elsewhere, they must he 

 regartled as of considerable taxonoinic weight. The antennae, including 

 the club, are invariably straight, w ith none of the curves so common else- 

 where, and especially in the lower groups. Both of the subfamilies 

 agree with the Xymphalidae in the sligiit separation of the nicso- and meta- 

 thomx. The ncuration of the wings is extremely simple. The struct- 

 ure of the front legs has been so often insisted upon that it is not 

 necessary to more than mention it, but it should be borne in mind that 

 the ditference between the two subfamilies is comparatively slisjlit, while 

 they both differ from all other buttei-flics in the broad fact that the front 

 legs of the male are, and those of the female are not, aborted ; in no other 

 group, excepting in the single aberrant subfamily Libytheinae (on that 

 account placed hereby Bates), are the legs sexually heteromorphons, 

 while here it is universal, though varying in degree. The difference 

 between the two subfamilies is that of degree ; the difference between 

 the family and other families is one of independent character. Add to 

 this the unique character of the abdominal appendages of the male shared 

 by both the subfamilies and we liave a totality of characters drawn from 

 all stages, held by these two groups in common and in distinction from 

 others, which cannot be exceeded by any other combination of eubtamilies 

 in a homogeneous whole. 



Table of subfamilies of Lycaenidae, based on the egg. 



Convrrglng septae cxtondlng from the walls of the rclJs toward tlicir cent re... Lemonlliiue. 

 Xo con verging septoo thrown off from walla of cells Lycaeninae. 



