NACADUBA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 291 



P. baeticus L. (= boetica Horsf., pisorum Fourc, coluteae Rossi) (77 h). (^ above rather uniformly baeticus. 

 violet blue, in the anal area of the hindwing two round black spots at each side of the point of origin of 

 the tail. $ dark iron-grey, with a vivid sky-blue gloss on the disc of both wings. Underside brown-grey, 

 with numerous white lines, which form before the outer margin a pale irregular band; in the anal area 

 black spots edged with metallic scales and placed on a brownish red ground. In Europe from the Baltic 

 provinces to the Mediterranean and from England and Portugal to the eastern boundary of the Eegion; 

 North Africa from the Canaries to the Eed Sea; throughout Central and South Asia, also in a large part 

 of Australia and Ethiopic' Africa; in the South of the are<f common throughout the year, in Central and 

 North Europe only an accidental visitor and very sporadical. Sometimes the species appears in certain 

 localities unexpectedly and after 1 — 2 years disappears again for decades. The species evidently wanders 

 nothwards temporarily, but cannot maintain itself there for any length of time. — armeniensis is the nrmeniensis. 

 name given by Gerhard to Asiatic $$ which have a paler grey ground-colour, less blue dusting and a 

 double instead of simple row of small pale spots before the outer margin of the hindwing. The $ from 

 China figured 77 h belongs to this form, which is not worth a name. — According to the blue scaling being 

 more glossy or duller, we have a grey form — ab. grisescens Tiitt — or a very bright one, which is grisescens. 

 nearly as glossy as bellargus — ab. coerulea Tuit. In ab. clara Tuit the very glossy blue scaling has a coej-«!fa. 

 greenish tint, while the blue scaling is entirely absent from ab. fusca Tutt. According to the position of fysca. 

 the more strongly metallic scaling a number of further aberrations have been named, ab. fuscu-marginata, 

 clara-fasciata, etc. Also some exotic specimens have received names, e. g. a small Australian specimen 

 with the tails broken off was named damoetas F., etc. — Larva green or brownish, with brown head and 

 a broad red-brown dorsal line accompanied by white oblique side-stripes; on the anal ring papilli from 

 which can be thrust but small, conical organs bearing thin hairs; in the pods of Leguminosae, in South 

 Europe usually in the pods of Colutea arborescens. Pupa rounded everywhere, yellowish brown, with 

 darker punctures, paler on the back. According to Bromilow on the stalks of plants, according to Rf hl in 

 the interior of the pod of which the contents have been eaten by the caterpillar. The butterflies are 

 extremely agile fliers, which sometimes congregate in swarms and wander long distances. The (J^ are 

 usually observed pendulating very quickly in front of shrubs, especially in plantations of Leguminosae. The 

 specimens caught in localities north of 50" Lat. are accidental accessions, the spring-brood (February to 

 June) always sending single wanderers northwards, where they may establish a colony, which soon dis- 

 appears again as a rule. In South Algeria I found the species still plentiful south of Biskra, when the vege- 

 tation had already completely disappeared in consequence of the advanced arid summer. 



P. webbianus Bndle {— fortunata Stgr.) [11 k). Both sexes quite dark brown above with dull blue webbianus. 

 gloss. At once recognized by the variegated underside; disc of forewing beneath yellowish brown, with white spots 

 before the apex; the hindwing dark grey-brown with light striation and an irregular white band; fringes 

 spotted. — Only on the Canary Islands. Larva said to feed on the flowers of Cytisus canariensis and 

 C. nubigenus. The butterflies fly at a considerable altitude on the Pic of Teneriffe, locally very plentiful, 

 but also in the plains, where they are met with more singly. Simony still found them high up in a 

 locality without vegetation where they were sitting on the blocks of lava. They are apparently on the 

 wing throughout the year, being especially common in August, flying about the branches of Tamarisk and 

 visiting the flowers of Adenocarpus viscosus. I obtained a specimen at Orotava in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of the old dragon-tree, which was then still standing. 



27. Genus: Ifacadllba Moore. 



This genus of Blues contains species which, nearly as much as the Lampides, belong to the character- 

 istic forms of their countries. In may be difficult in the warmer districts of Asia to find a place or 

 season where and when Nacaduba is not daily met with. Their sombre upperside with but a very dull 

 blue-violet gloss renders them quite inconspicuous; but they have the habit of settling on the tips of 

 branches hanging over the roads, so that they are as much in evidence to the passer-by as any other 

 butterfhes. They are of a more delicate build than the Folyommatus, have a slenderer body and their 

 hindwing is smaller as compared with the forewing. In colour and pattern they are very similar to 

 Lampides; but there are also Nacaduba Avhich are tailless and curiously enough also species in which one 

 of the broods is without tail. Very characteristic of all the species is a large round black spot in the 

 anal area of the hindwing beneath. There exists still some uncertainty about the relationship between 

 two forms of the Palearctic species. 



N. ardates Moore. (? = nora Fldr., caudata Moore). Above almost like a small P. baeticus, the $ ardatcs. 

 with a very strong metaUic gloss on the inner portion of the forewing. (J above uniformly dark violet- 

 blue. Underside quite different from that of P. baeticus, dirty brown-grey, with darker bands and rows of 

 darker spots. Besides a tailless form there occurs a tailed one which is already for a long time suspected 

 to be the same species as ardates. This is presumably Feldeb's noreia (77 i). However, it has often been noreia. 

 denied that the two insects belong to one species, as they occur at the same place and time and are said 



