302 LYCAENA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



aegidion. blue ground-colour. — aegidion Meisn., which Staudingeb-Rebel erroneously place under this species, has 

 nothing to do with argyrognomon; the small butterfly', which has a broad black margin and a distinct 

 discocellular spot on the forewing above, is an alpine form of the preceding species, argics L. — Larva 

 bright green, with red dorsal and lateral stripe, between which there are light oblique smears, which have 

 occasionally dark shadowy borders; in May and in the southern districts again late in the summer on 

 Lotus corniculatus and other Papilionaceae, and on heather. One finds it often surrounded by ants or 

 guarded by one ant, which rides on its back. The ants belong to Lasius niger and Formica cinerea, in 

 whose nests the pupa sometimes lodges. Pupa at first green, then dark brown, eyes and segmental inci- 

 sions red-brown. The butterflies are on the wing in June and July, in the South (e. g. in Tuscany) 

 again late in the season, especially on clearings in woods and on sandy places where heather grows. They 

 are plentiful and everywhere, but occur rarely in such numbers together as some forms of the preceding 

 species. 



barine. L. barine Leech (78 f). A large form, which can hardly be included in argyrognome, differing from 



it in the presence of several discal spots on the forewing beneath and in the absence of metallic scales 

 from the anal area of the hindwing beneath. — Japan, on the main island, from the Assama-yama (Fryer). 



tancrei. L. tancrei (Iraes. (78 f). q very pale blue, so that the veins are quite distinct, especially at the 



margin. The margin of the forewing very dull black with a feeble reddish tint, which is too strong in 

 our figure. The hindwing with distinct marginal dots, which are quite isolated; $ with a strong yollowish 

 red macular band before the margin; ground-colour of the underside very light. — From Amur'and, 

 Nicolajewsk, on mountain-meadows. 



cleobis. L. cleobis Brem. (= aegonides Brern.) (78 f). Much darker than the previous species and especiall}' 



than tancrei. In the ^ the black margin occupies the whole outer third, and the blue colour of the upper- 

 side, with the exception of the base, is shaded with black; the $ with vestiges only of the red-_yellow 

 marginal band before the anal area of the hindwing. Beneath the ocelli as well as the red-yellow distal 

 band are very strongly developed, and the anal spots, especially in the 9. have often metallic scaling. 

 Throughout East Asia with the exception of the non-Palearctic South, locally' common. The specimens 

 from Corea are similar to those from Amurland but larger; Japanese specimens are likewise larger, and 

 ida. are, moreover, also lighter blue above and darker beneath. — ■ The form Ida Gr.-Grsh. (= kenteana Stgr.) (78 g) has 

 broad bright white fringes, is somewhat smaller and the entire upperside of the (J is darkened, being 

 almost without any blue, while the $ is nearly without any red-yellow; also the underside is essentially 

 darker than in true cleobis. In the Dshachar Mts. — Larva until July on Papilionaceae; the butterflies 

 in July and August. 



eversmanni. L. eversmanni Stgr. (78 g). Above dark, with narrow black margin and white fringes; in the ^ the 



basal half dusted with blue, the forewing with black discocellular spot; the $ with bright red-yellow spots 

 in the anal area of the hindwing. Underside similar to that of ida, with numerous and very distinct 

 ocelli; anal spots of the hindwing with metallic scaling. The ocelli of the hindwing beneath appear to be 

 more often enlarged longitudinally in eversmanni than in any other species of Lycaena (= ab. ampli- 

 gnimi. ficafa Scliultz). Pamir, Turkestan. — grumi Stgr. (78 g), if at all belonging here, differs especially in the 

 underside, the base of the hindwing beneath being dusted with green and the ocelli smaller; but also 

 the upperside is distinguished by the blue scahng being brighter and on the hindwing of the (J arranged 

 in rays and forming blue rings around the distal marginal dots. From the Transalai (Maurer). 



lucifera. L. lucifera Stgr. {= biton Brem.) (78 g). Above both sexes blackish, the ^ with the scaling on 



the disc quite dark blue-green with vivid gloss ; the $ before the margin of the hindwing with pale ocelli 



whose centres are formed by the marginal dots. Beneath very uniformly deep dark grey, the ocelli with 



themis. pale borders, the anal ones with metallic scales. Siberia (Altai), Mongolia and Tibet. — themis Gr.-Grsh. 



is similar to eversmanni, with smaller and paler ocelli on the underside; from the Sinin ilts. 



eurypilus. L. eurypilus Frr. (= carmon Gerh.) (78 g, h). Much smaller than the preceding forms, very similar 



to argus, but ^ not blue above but dark brown like the $, bearing often also like this sex red-yellow 

 marginal spots in the anal area of the hindwing . — Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Turkestan and North 

 Persia, on rocky slopes, from May till July. Larva probably on Astragalus echinus, as the butterfly is 

 especially plentiful where this plant grows. 



"pylaon. L. pylaon Fisch.-Waldh. (= zephyrus H.-Sch., cyane Ev.) (78 h). The c? of this small Blue recalls 



by the peculiar violet sheen of the upperside the form pla7iorum of argyrognomon. Beneath snowy white, 

 the hindwing with a strong sky-blue sheen and the distal band composed of vivid golden red, strongly 

 glossy spots. — From the Ural, South Eussia and the Kirghiz steppes, in Ma}', not rare. 



sephyrus. L. sephyrus Friv. (78 h). Very close to the preceding, but almost twice the size, the underside 



dull grey, the red anal spots not so bright golden-red, but duller red like red lead. From the Balkan Peninsula, Asia 



