258 RAPALA. By Dv. A. Seitz. 



Many species rusli away witli the velocity of the Mind when puisued, as fur instance Lrniqiii/cx boetica, 

 others, conscious of their own slowness, try to conceal thenisehes un tiie ground or in thorny ])ushes, as 

 does Laiiiji. theophradiis. 



Many Lycaenids of all gi'oups have wlien resting the peculiar habit of moving the hindwing forward 

 and backward as if rubbing it against the forewing. This movement has been likened to stridulation, pro- 

 ducing a sound which our ear does not perceive. However, as many species in the place where the fore- 

 and hindwing touch each other bear tufts of hairs and other structures simitar to the scent-organs of otlier 

 buttertlies (Colias), one may safely assume that the rubbing of the wings stands in connection with the 

 production of scent. Among other buttertlies 1 remember to liave observed the some movement in 

 Chara.res jasiiis. 



Nearly all tlie Lycaenids are \ery fond of \isiting tloweis, and generally also dnnk water \ ery greedily. 

 They do not care for the exuding sap of trees and are to my knowledge also not attracted by bait. On 

 the other band tiiey suck at overripe or wounded fruit, and many at Aphids, as already mentioned above. 



Tribe Theclini, Hair-streaks. 



Always tailed: the body very stout; the wings entii'e, the forewing very broad, with tiie costal 

 margin rounded, the hindwing with one, two or three tails, the anal angle being sometimes produced into 

 a lobe, which is recurved in the live specimen. Upperside mostly unicolorous, brown, green or yellow, 

 more rarely, and often in one sex only, spotted with yellow or blue or margined with black. Unclerside 

 usually with cur\ed lines whicli are parallel to the outer margin, and short semicircles at or below the apex 

 of the cell. The larvae very flat, strongly onisciform, dull in colour, often with a gland (for ants), feeding 

 mostly on deciduous trees. 



This tribe has furtlier been split up by some autliors into several sections, for instance by Tutt into 

 Thestoridi, Callophnjidi, Strymmiidi and Kundldi. These divisions appear to us unnecessary for our purpose. 



^lost species of the Thecliui are found in America, particularly in tropical Brazil, where they attain 

 to a great size and magnificence. One of the Brazilian species, Th. marsijas, has such a wonderful light 

 blue sheen when flying about that at some distance one might mistake it for a Morpho, the very considerable 

 ditference in size only becoming apparent on closer approach. 



The butterflies have an irregularly flapping, but sometimes. very fast flight, and settle on the leaves 

 of the undergrowth, on projecting twigs of bushes or branches of trees, kee])ing the wings tightly closed. 

 They occur all over the globe, but the finest and the greater number of forms of the genus Th<rla are 

 American; the group is comparatively but poorly represented in Europe. 



1. (jenus: Rapala Moore. 



Tliis genus, in which various authors include different numbers of species, contains small, graceful 

 and swift Initterflies, which partly have \ery conspicuous and bright colours on the upperside. Head large, 

 the frons broad, only becoming narrower above and being conspicuously pale. Antennae minutely ringed with 

 whitish, the strong club black with a russet-red tip, the underside of the antennae bright wliitish \ellow distally. 

 Palpi short, with the end-segment small and iiointed. Tliorax very stout, In-oader than the abdomen, the 

 latter very short in both sexes, slender and pointed in the d'. Forewing rather broad, the apex pointed, 

 particularly in the a", the distal margin from the upper median to the hind angle straight in the d", convex 

 in the ?. The forewing of the o^ bears beneath in the middle of the hindmargin a tuft of hairs on a silky 

 ground, the hindwing above having in the centre of the costal margin a corresponding ovate spot which 

 has a greyish yellow sheen. Hindwing with the distal margin almost straight; at the anal angle a rounded 

 lobe with strongly enlarged fringes, above it a thin tail. The larvae at first greenish, later often yellow 

 or brown, with dark markings and short hair-tufts placed on seriated warts. They feed on various shrubs 

 (Schmiedelia, Antidesma, etc.) and are protected by ants of the genus Grematogaster. They are difficult to 

 see, being very inconspicuous, but are easily obtained by beating. The butterflies occur singly, but are not 

 rare; they rest with closed wings on the tops of bushes, which they leave occasionally, only to return to 

 them soon or to a branch close by. The anal lobes are recurved when the specimen rests, while the thin tails 

 flutter in the air. 



R. nissa Kull. (= subpurpurea Leech) (72a). Above black, with a blue or slightly violet sheen, in 

 the cf only the apical area of the forewing and in the ? also the distal margin of both wings being without 

 the gloss. The underside paler or darker brown, with a darker shadowy band before the outer margin. 

 About midway between cell and distal margin both wings are traversed by a dark band which is proximally 

 edged with yellowish brown and distally with whitish ; at the apex of the cell a short double band. Widely 



