LYCiENIDyE. 231 



spots almost obsolete. Hind-vnng : spots altogether obsolete. Under 

 SIDE. — Fore-wing: much obscured; disc grey, the spots dusky and 

 ill-defined. 



Hah. — Cape Town. 



The absence of yellow-ochreous colouring at once serves to distinguish this 

 dingy Lycaenide from A. ProUimnus (Linn.), and tends to approximate it to 

 A. hasuta, AYalgrn. From the latter, as far as the $ is concerned, A. hrachy- 

 cera may be known by its darker colouring, larger and more pronounced spots, 

 and want of whitish on disc ; while on the under side it is considerably darker, 

 has the fore-wing spots much larger (with the marked exception of the spot 

 near base below cell), and the discal row of hind-wing much broader and more 

 regular. The $ is readily recognised by wanting the conspicuous white discal 

 markings of the $ A. hasuia on the upper side. Apart from pattern and 

 colouring, however, A. hracJnjcera exhibits a remarkable structural distinction 

 in the extreme shortness of the antennae. This is noticeable in both sexes, but 

 especially in the $ , whose antennae are only about 2^ lines in length, — shorter 

 than in Protumnus, and much shorter than in Basuta. 



The variety noted seems to be very rare. I have only met with three exam- 

 ples, all near Cape Town ; and a fourth, in the collection of the South African 

 Museum, was, I believe, captured by Mr. E. L. Layard in the same locality. It 

 is, however, such a small obscure insect, that it would very readily escape notice. 

 Two specimens I took occurred at a considerable elevation on the southern spur 

 of Table Mountain, and the third at the base of the mountain itself. 



"With the exception of these specimens of the variety, all the Brachycera I 

 have seen were taken at Knysna. Like Protumnus, they were strictly summer 

 butterflies, appearing between the end of November and beginning of February. 

 They settle on the bare ground, and I used often to find them sitting on the 

 heaped-up dust of the waggon-roads, to which they would return after being 

 roused by the passing passenger or vehicle. Their flight is Aveak and very 

 short. 



Localities of Arrugia hrachycera. 



I. South Africa. 

 B. Cape Colony. 



a. Western Districts. — Cape Town [variety]. Knysna. 



236. (3.) Arrugia Basuta, Wallengren. 

 Plate IX. figs. 8 ( c^ ), 8a ( ? ). 



$ $ Zeritis? Basuta, Wallengr., K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1857, — Lep. 



Ehop. CafFr., p. 46. 

 $ $ Zeritis Protumnus, Trim., Var. A., Khop. Afr. Aust., ii. p. 279 



(1866). 

 Zeritis Basuta, Trim., Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud., 1870, p. 377. 

 Arrugia Basuta, Wallengr., K. Sv. Vet.-Alcad. Forhandl., 1872, No. 3, 



p. 47. 

 $ $ Zeritis Zaraces, Hewits., Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud., 1874, p. 354. 



Ex2J. al., ($) I in. 5-7 lin. ; (?) i in. 6-9 lin. 



$ Bull pale fuscous tinged ivith yellotvish-ochreous ; disco-cellular 

 and discal UacJcish spots arranged as in Protumnus and Brachycera, 

 hut smaller, more sejjarate, and less distinct (especially in hind-iving). 



