LYCAINID/E, LYCANA. 67 
Linnzus used the names Péebeii, Nymphales, &c., in a divisional sense, I agree with Mr. 
Scudder (Historical Sketch of the Generic Names proposed for Butterflies, in the Proc. Am. 
Acad. of Arts and Sciences, vol. x, p. 93), that those names cannot be used in a generic sense. 
I also prefer to retain the well-known name Zyca@na for this group of butterflies, which is the 
reason why I do not adopt Schrank’s name Cxpido for it, though the latter has six years’ priority 
over the former. Cwfido is used by Mr. Butler for the species here placed in Lycena in his 
later writings, while at the present day many German writers adopt Plebeius in the sense pro- 
posed by Mr, Kirby. 
The genus Zycena, as formerly established, is one of the largest in the family, and indeed 
amongst butterflies. When Professor Westwood dealt with it in 1852 he enumerated 199 species 
(of which about 40 were recorded from Indian limits), and included many which have since 
been placed in separate genera by subsequent authors. Mr. Kirby in his genus Plebeius, equis 
valent to Westwood’s Lycena, enumerated 420 species in 1877. As lately as 1887 Mr. R. 
Trimen also in his ‘ South African Butterflies ” placed in the genus Zycena many species 
which I have separated from it, as he finds that, if structural characters are alone considered and 
used in a generic sense, it separates species which in their coloration, pattern of markings, 
and general appearance are allied superficially ; thus, ifa tail to the hindwing is taken as a 
generic character, this places in juxtaposition most dissimilarly-marked species, and, similarly, 
if the presence or absence of a third subcostal nervule, the anastomosis of the first subcostal 
nervule with the costal nervure, or the complete separation of these veins, naked or hairy eyes, 
or variations in the structure of the legs, be adopted as a basis for classifying these insects, the 
result is found to be equally unnatural and unsatisfactory : in fact he had to fall back upon an 
arrangement based upon the coloration and pattern of the wings. Although I have not followed 
this course exactly, I have endeavoured to form a really natural group by restricting Lycena 
to species with smooth eyes, no tail to the hindwing, and a certain well-marked general appear- 
ance. Of course other genera also have smooth eyes and a tailless hindwing, but their type of 
coloration and markings is different ; and the genus as adopted in this work contains a very 
distinct series of “ blues” naturally and closely allied. 
As restricted by me, the genus Zycexa occurs within our limits almost exclusively in the 
Western Himalayas and the countries to the north and west, and contains ‘about twenty-four 
species. Lycene@ of the same facies as the Indian species occur throughout the Palzearctic region, 
and are particularly abundant in the European Alps. If the genus is considered in its 
unrestricted sense, 7.¢., as including species which I place in the genera Megisba, Meolycena, 
Chilades, Cyaniris, Zizera, Azanus, Orthomiella, Talicada, Everes, Nacaduba, Famides, Lam- 
pides, Catochrysops, Tarucas, Castalius, Polyommatus, and others, it may be said to occur 
throughout the world, and in 1877, the date of the Supplement to Kirby’s “Synonymic 
Catalogue,” contained over four hundred species, to which many have been since added. With 
the one exception of Z. medon, Hufnagel, all the Indian species of Zycena are more or less 
blue on the upperside in the male, though the coloration of Z. jaloka, Moore, L. edlisi, 
Marshall, and Z, /ee/a, mihi, is rather green than blue. The females are usually black or 
smoky brown on the upperside, some species have more or less blue towards the base of the wings. 
The colour of the ground on the underside of both sexes is usually pale brown, grey, or white, 
but in one small group the underside of the hindwing and the apex of the forewing is 
a beautiful metallic green, very similar to Chrysophanus kasyapa, Moore ; and it is remarkable 
that these groups of the two genera appear to be confined to India and the adjoining 
countries to the north-west. The late Mr. H. Pryer, in his ‘‘ Rhopalocera Nihonica,” has 
described and figured a ‘‘ blue” which may be distantly related to this group, with the under- 
side of the hindwing shining green, but this colour does not extend to the apex of the forewing, 
as it often does in Z. galathea, Blanchard, and allies. He called it Lycena (?) ogasawaraensis. 
It occurs in the Ogasawara islands, off the coast of Japan, It has very long antenne, 
considerably longer than half the length of the costa of the forewing. All the species of the 
genus have a spot closing the cell and a discal series of spots to both wings, and many species 
