﻿MELANARGIA .lAPYGIA SUBSP. SUWAROVIUS. 



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was carried out in 1911, and eggs were obtained all glued to the 

 gauze, or the wires supporting the gauze, or the grass. On 

 June 10th this year some females were placed on different 

 species of grass plants potted up, each with a gauze-covering 

 supported with wires. The butterflies at once began depositing, 

 they lived for three weeks in captivity, the last one surviving 

 until July 5th ; they all deposited a number of eggs. All the 

 eggs were laid either on the grass blades, gauze-coverings, or 

 the wires, but by far the greater number were laid on the gauze, 

 often in rows or clusters between any folds they could find for 

 the purpose, or between the* wire and gauze when the eggs were 

 usually deposited on the wire. A large number of eggs were 

 laid while the females were under observation, so that the exact 

 method of depositing could be accurately recorded. Unlike 

 M. galathea which deposits its eggs at random, letting them fall 

 among the grass, without laying them on any object, suwarovius 

 always attaches its egg in a manner similar to that of other 

 Satyridse. 



The egg is ^^ in. high, of an ovate-spheroid shape, broadest 

 below the middle; the micropyle is finely pitted, the entire 

 surface finely granular ; the apical third and basal third irregu- 

 larly and roughly reticulated, forming ridges and coarse granu- 

 lations which develop into short striations longitudinally, the 

 central third is strongly and boldly fluted with from ten to 

 thirteen longitudinal keels— of ten eggs counted. Two had ten, 

 two twelve, one thirteen, and five eleven. The concave inter- 

 vening spaces are finely ribbed transversely, and at each end of 

 the concavities are very short ribs between the main keels. 



The colour when first laid is greenish white, which gradually 

 becomes whiter, and finally it is white with pale citrine-yellow 

 shadows, giving the egg a very pale lemon-yellow tinge. From 

 the density of the shell it remains unchanged in colour until 

 hatched, when the empty shell is pure white. 



The egg state lasts about twenty-three days. The eggs 

 deposited in 1911 started hatching during the first week of July. 



The young larva eats away the whole of the crown of the 

 egg, emerges, and rests close to the empty shell, remaining 

 motionless without feeding throughout the autumn and early 

 winter. All those in our possession during 1911-1912 died 

 during hibernation; the last one survived until the middle of 

 March, 1912, living eight months without moving after it first 

 emerged from the egg. The continued damp weather of last 

 winter obviously was the cause of failure, as all were attacked by 

 mould. 



The larva directly after emergence measures ^^ in. long, the 

 head is large creamy-ochreous in colour, the surface roughly 

 granular, and beset with white hairs rising from tubular bases ; 

 eye spots and mouth parts brown ; the body tapers to the anal 



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