318 LYCAENA. By Dr. Seitz. 



aciis. L. actis H.-Schdff. (= athys Gerh.) (82 a). The smallest form of the whole group, but rather vari- 



able in size. The upperside so abundantly and densely dusted with very shiny blue on a deep black 

 ground that it has a wonderful deep blue glitter. The $ is dark brown with white fringes and on the 

 forewing a black discocellular spot. Beneath both sexes have very large ocelli on the forewing, the 

 hindwing bearing very small ocelli and a white mesial streak. lu Asia Minor, Armenia, Persia and Kur- 

 aihis. distan, also already in the Caucasus. — In the form athis Frr. (S'2 a) the margin of the forewing and the 

 whole outer half of the hindwing are devoid of blue scaling, being deep black. In Asia Minor: Konia, 

 Tokat. — The butterflies occur on poor soil, here and there together with forms of clamonc (Staudingee). 

 and are not rare where they fly. 



poseidon. L. poseidon Led. (= damone Gerh.) (82 a). As large as a large icarus, being also similar in colour 



above, but yet of a more delicate, paler, violet-blue, the black border being very feebly marked on the 

 forewing and very thin on the hindwing, the fringes being long and white. $ above similar to admetus, 

 sooty black-brown with black discocellular spot and black veins. On the underside the hindwing bears 

 minute ocelli, which are visible only under a lens in some specimens, and a white mesial streak. Asia 



relulgens. Minor. — ab. refulgens Gr.-Grsh. are $$ from the Pamir which form a kind of transition to caendea. 



caerulea. their upperside being feebly dusted with blue. — In the form caerulea Stgr. (82 b), from Southern Armenia 



and Northern Persia, the ^ has a heavier black border to the forewing and the $ a , blue-scaled upper- 



iiolumica ^^^^' — mesopotamica Stgr. (82 b) is above similar to true poseidon, but the ground-colour of the ^ is 

 different, being more sky-blue than violet-blue, and the white mesial streak on the underside of the 

 hindwing is either absent or obsolescent, hardly recognizable, as are also the ocelli. Asia Minor, western 

 posei- Kurdistan. — poseidonides Stgr. has beneath the ground-colour darker, the markings stronger and before 

 the outer margin red spots; the $$ bear also above on both wings a band of red submarginal spots. 

 Pamir, on the whole rare, but Grum-Grshdiailo obtained it once in abundance on a meadow at 4000 ft. 

 The butterflies, as far as it is known, resemble in habits the previous species, flying in June and July 

 on pastures in the mountains and on steppes. 

 dama. L. dama Stgr. Larger than all the preceding forms, in size like a large damon, the q above of a 



magnificent brillant sky-blue which has a somewhat metallic gloss. $ similar to the $ of hopfferi, above 

 sooty black-brown, the hindwing bearing some reddish yellow submarginal spots. The underside of the 

 hindwing without a trace of the mesial streak, otherwise similar to that of poseidon. — At ^lalatia. the 

 end of July. 



gUjantea. L. gigatitea Gr.-Grsh. (= iphicles Stgr.). As large as iolas or ^ven larger; the o above not violet- 



blue, but bright sky-blue. $ above quite black, not blue like the $ of iolas. The underside similar to 

 that of iolas, without white mesial streak, but the small ocellus present in iolas in the centre of the cell 

 is absent. — Ferghana and Saraf-shan, in May and June, in stony locahties and on detritus, the butterflies 

 being found at a yellow Papilionacea. 

 iolas. L. iolas 0. (82 b, c). c? above a magnificent violet- blue, with narrow black border and white fringes. 



$ with broad black margin to the forewing and large black distal marginal dots to the hindwing. Under- 

 side dust-grey, with feeble blue dusting at the base of the hindwing; besides the discal row of ocelli only 

 the discocellular bar and two basal ocelli to the hindwing are distinct. The ocelli of the discal row are 

 sometimes more strongly developed (ab. opulenta Schidtz), sometimes more weakly (ab. debilitata Sclmlfz). 

 — In the South and South East, from Vienna and Hungary southwards to North Africa and eastwards to 

 Persia and Turkestan; also in Spain. Larva in the pods of Colutea arborescens, according to the colour 

 of the pod green, reddish or coffee-brown, with dark dorsal line accompanied on each side by pale-bordered 

 blackish oblique smears; until June and again in the autumn, often in the jjods together with earwigs 

 and ants (Aignee). Pupa grej'-brown, with dark dots on the sides, in a sparse web cm the ground, 

 sometimes lying over into the nert year. The butterflies in May and again in July and August, in two 

 (irregular?) broods; they fh- usuallj- singly, in localities where the food-plant occurs. 



hjcormas. L. lycormas Btlr. (= scylla Oherth.) (82 c). ^ above bright cyaneous blue, not violet-blue like iolas, 



both wings with a broad black margin; the underside with the ocelli as in iolas, but the ground not 

 brownish but pale silver-grey. $ above black-brown, also beneath with a darker ground-colour than 

 the cj, being more brown-green. In facies this species recalls a strongly enlargetl cijllarus, but the latter 

 has only very short fringes, not the long white ones of lijcormas. — East Asia: Amurland, North China 

 and Japan. The continental specimens, which have been named scylla, are a httle deeper blue, while 

 Japanese (J^J are sometimes very black (Pkyer). Common in many places, e. g. at Hokkaido. 

 codesiina. L. coelestina Ev. (82 c). (J reddish violet-blue (not so deep blue as in our figure), similar in colour 



to athis. with black border and black discocellular spot; hindwing with black marginal dots. $ black- 

 brown, with obsolescent reddish yellow submarginal spots. The underside is very characteristical, the 

 hindwing beneath being dusted with bright metallic pale blue from the base close to the margin. In the 

 alticola. South Eussian steppes, at Sarepta, Orenburg, etc . in the Caucasus. — alticola Christ, is a smaller form 

 from Armenic- with the ocelli of the hindwing beneath obsolescent, the verdigris-dusting occupying nearly 

 the whole hindwing, and with broader border to the upperside of the forewing. In June. 



