276 CL'KETIS. By Dr. A. Skitz. 



In contrast to the Haiistreaks the majority of Coppers occur in the Old World, where they aie 

 among the most characteristic huttei-flies. The caterpillars, as far as they are known, have no ^land for 

 ants, but often bear on the 12"' ring two stylet-like cones from which processes covered \Tith hairs can be 

 protruded in defense. The buttertlies often rest with the wings half open, so that the reddish golden upper 

 surface glitters when the sun shines upon it. 



17. Genus: Curetis Ubn. 



Medium-sized to moderately small butterflies, recognizable by the underside being uniformh' silver- 

 white without markings. The d'a' are all golden red above, either the whole surface being of this colour 

 except for a black margin, which is about as narrow as in Chrysophanus oirgaureae, or only the disc is golden 

 red, the margin and apex being broadly black. The ?? of some forms (particularly Palaearctic ones) have 

 the disc whitish instead of red. 



Head small, with broad low frons. Eyes hairy. Palpi rather long, straight porrect, scaled silvery 

 white like the whole body and the underside of the wings. Antennae thick, hardly half the length of the 

 forewing, quite gradually incrassate to the apex, without a distinctly marked club. Thorax very thick, at 

 the widest point about double the width of the head. Legs thick but very short. Abdomen slender in both 

 sexes, in the d" hardly one-third the width of the heavy thorax. Wings very diverse in shape, either 

 normal in outline, or angulate and dentate, sometimes considerably variable within a species. The larvae 

 differ strongly from those of the other Lycaenids. They are less flat ; although segment 5 is the 

 thickest, as in other Lycaenids, rings 6 to 1 1 resemble each other rather closelv. On the 12*'' segment 

 there are 2 fleshy cones from which the insect is able to thrust out processes bearing belts of hair at the 

 apex. When alarmed these tentacles are shaken extremely fast and violently, the hairs standing at the 

 tip being spread out. Pupa -'resembling a small lump of jelly" (he Xickville); the underside broad, flat 

 and smooth, being closely applied to the support, the convex dorsal side minutely punctured and therefore 

 rough , the segments indistincth' separated from each other. The butterflies are very lively and agile. 

 During the fast flight the golden red upper- and the silver}- white underside become alternately visible, 

 wliich has a ver^' peculiar efl'ect. and 1 do not remember ever having seen anything similar in otlier 

 butterflies. The cfcf come down to the roads, where they can easily jje caught, as they are not shy. 

 The ?? are far less often seen. The genus is Indo -Australian, only in the east of the Palaearctic Region 

 occur some forms. FRCHSTORFEn , who has latel}' monographed the genus, reduces the numerous forms to 

 subspecies and seasonal varieties of but o species. 



C. acuta. Forewing with the pointed apex strongly projecting, the outer margin convex and the 

 anal angle almost exactly right-angled. The anal angle of the hindwing pointed and produced. Lpperside 

 black with a bronce-brown gloss, there being reddish golden spots on the disc of the both wings. L'nder- 

 acuta. side silvery white, as in all Curetis. — The darkest form, acuta Moore (? ^ truncata Moore)*) occurs in 

 japonica. China; the black border is so much enlai-ged that the discal spots are (juite small. — In japonica Fnihuf. 

 tsiishimana. (75 c) the red discal spots are larger than in Chinese specimens. — tsushimana Friihst., from Tsushima, 

 has smaller but brighter red discal spots in the cf , the ? being quite black above except for traces of bluish 

 white scaling on the disc. — A fourth form, from 1-chang, which has above a ])road black border and very 

 light yellowish red discal spots, the hindwing being strongly angulate, is considered liy Leech to be a form 

 of angulata Moore, while Fbohstorfer treats it together with angulata as a form of bulis Doubl. & Hew. But 

 as I have found in Japan as well as China at the same place and hour specimens with sharply angulated 

 outer margin to tlie hindwing and individuals with the hindwing completely rounded, the distinctions in the 

 shape of the wings appear to me to be of doubtful value. The specimens fro)n I-chang differ in bearing 

 a light orange-red horseshoe-shaped halfband replacing the diffuse red patch in the outei- area of the hind- 

 wing above. — The larva of the very closely allied (and perhaps not specifically distinct) Cur. malayka is 

 velvety green with a brown head and a dark red obhque lateral stripe on the 3. and 4. segments, posteriorly 

 with a }ellow dorsal stripe and on the 9. segment a white quadrangular spot. The projections of the 

 J. 2th segment yellowish green, the reversible tentacles reddish yellow- with black and white hairs at the apex, 

 the tentacles being moved very fast and at once retracted. The head of the larva is always kept retracted, 

 being hardly visible even when the larva is feeding. Un Pongamia glabra. Pupa semiglobular. transparent 

 greenish, with a vellowish ovate spot on the anterior portion. The butterflies occur in the autumn 

 (2 broods?). The cfcf suck at dung on roads, the ?? being so much rarer that I caught one morning 

 16 cfcf and only 1 ?. 



*) As Plate 7.5 was already piiiitfd before Fruhstorfer's iiionnajrajih came out . the tig-ure in row e is still 

 named acuta. 



