LYCAKNroAE: THECLIDI. 1827 



This group comprises the largest of our Theclidi and reaches its high- 

 est development in the American tropics. Six or eight species are found 

 in Mexico and Central America and some of them, as well as others, in the 

 northern part of South America. A single one of them, described below, 

 extends its range into the southern United States. 



Their transformations are unknown except for the rude illustrations 

 of our own species given by Boisduval and LeConte. 



ATLIDSS HALESUS. 



Fapilio halestis Cram. Fay.,exot.,ii:S-i,\)]. AtUdeshahsus Butl., Cat. Fabr. Lep., 197 



98, figs. B, C (1779). (1869). 



Thecla halesus Boisd.-LeC, L^p. Amfir. Atlides dolichos Hiibn., Zutr. exot. 



sept., 83-85, pi. 25, figs. 1-5 (1833) ;— French, sehmett., ii: 9, figs. 219-220 (1823). 



Butt. east. U.S. , 255-256 (1886) ;— Godm.-Salv., Thecla jiianita Scudd., Proc. Bost. soe. nat. 



Biol, centr. am., Lep. rhop., ii: 18-19 (1887). hist., xi: 435-436 (1868). 



Imago. Head black; a circular pearly white spot between the antennae, another 

 just behind the summit of the eyes, a long and slender one in front of , and another 

 behind the eyes ; base and centre of the palpi white. Antennae black, the tip of the 

 club brown ; a transverse plume of mingled black and white hairs on the vertex, 

 behind which is a collar of shorter white hairs. Thorax and abdomen well sprinkled 

 above with bright blue scales on a brownish ground ; thorax beneath black ; a white 

 dot on the sides at the base of either wing ; legs black with occasional white scales. 

 Abdomen beneath orange. 



Wings above blackish brown ; fore imnys profusely sufl'used with bright blue (steel 

 blue by reflected light) on the basal half, especially along the middle of the wing, but 

 not between the divarications of the median nervure; fringe black, tipped with gray. 

 Hind xHngs somewhat suffused with bright blue, especially along the area occupied by 

 the median nervure and its divarications; there are two long tails: the upper is the 

 extension of the middle median nervule, the lower, which is twice as long as the other, 

 is the continuation of the lower median nervule; the internal area is slightly excised 

 near the extremity and the portion beyond curved sharply over and beneath, at fully a 

 right angle to the general plane of the wing; on the lower half of the outer margin 

 of the wing are three spots, made of yellowish-brassy, greenish-brassy and bluish- 

 brassy scales ; that in the internal area is longitudinally oval, that between the median 

 and submedian nervures transversely oval, and that between the tails transversely 

 linear and least varialDle in coloration ; the middle spot is also surmounted by a num- 

 ber of inconspicuous deep tawny scales ; on the internal area there is another similar 

 but irregularly shaped spot within but close to the outer one ; internal area with long 

 bluish gray hairs ; fringe, as far as the longer tail, black, tipped with gray; beyond, 

 white at extreme base ; the outer parts black ; wholly black beyond the spot on the 

 anal angle. 



Beneath, glossy grayish brown, lightest in tint toward the apices of the wings ; ex- 

 treme base of the /ore wings velvety black with a longitudinally oblong-ovate, bright, 

 very deep orange red spot at the base of the costal area, but scarcely reaching the 

 edge of the wing. Extreme base of the hind icings velvety black with two bright, very 

 deep orange-red spots : one circular, similarly situated to that on the fore wings, the 

 other longitudinally oval, in the internal area; there is a transverse curving submar- 

 ginal row of very briglit, brassy-green, transversely ovate spots bordered with black, 

 extending from the middle median nervule to the internal border; there is a row of 

 marginal spots generally similar to those of the upper surface; the deep, tawny 

 spots are, however, found in all the interspaces, are more conspicuous and between 

 them and the submarginal row mentioned, is a row of transversely linear spots simi- 

 lar to the marginal spots. Expanse of wings, 51 mm. ; length of lower tail, 18 mm. 



