LYCANID/E. ZIZERA, 111 
arched at the base, extending to the apex ; ist subcostal nervule at one-fourth before the 
end of the cell; mupper disco-cellular nervule shorter, [outwardly] oblique, /ower disco-cellular 
erect ; discoidal nervule from their middle; a@iscoidal cell short, broad ; third and second mes 
dian nervules from the end of the cell; submedian nervure straight ; internal nervure recurved 
at base; no tail. Bopy, slender, addomen long; palpi very long, porrect, second joint 
projecting more than half its length beyond the front of the head, laxly pilose beneath, 
third joint long, slender, half the length of the second, naked; J/egs slender; antenne with 
a stout broad spatular club, Type, Z. a/sws,” Wiener Verzeichniss, the “ Bedford Blue” of 
England. (Joore, 1, c.) 
I should describe the veins of the forewing as follows: First subcostal nervule strongly. 
bowed upwards a little beyond its origin and touching the costal nervure, the latter at the point 
of junction is slightly bowed downwards, second subcostal given off midway between the bases 
of the first subcostal and upper disco-cellular, third subcostal given off at less than half the 
distance between the apex of the cell and of the wing, reaching the costa long before the 
apex of the wing, subcostal nervure terminating at the apex ; middle disco-cellular nervule 
slightly outwardly oblique, concave ; lower disco-cellular as long as the middle, concave, 
slightly inwardly oblique. 
LarVA green, onisciform, the upper portion of the body finely shagreened or covered with 
short tubercles emitting colourless hairs, no prominent markings. Pupa, pale green, of the 
usual lyczenid shape, finely hairy. 
The genus Zizera hardly differs in venation from the genera Lycena, Chilades, and Cyaniris 
which immediately precede it, but I find that in Z7zera the second median nervule of the 
hindwing is given off at instead of before the lower end of the cell, as in those genera. The 
species of the genus have, however, a very distinct facies of their own. Some of them are the 
smallest known species of butterflies. Mr. Trimen states that he has a specimen of 
his “ Zycena barbere,’ taken at Robertson in South Africa, which expands only five lines, or 
less than half an inch. In India the smallest butterfly I have seen is a specimen 
of Z. gatka, Trimen, which is only ‘6 of an inch in expanse. The genus is widely distri- 
buted, occurring almost throughout Europe, in North and South Africa, and throughout 
Asia, and probably in other regions, but its exact distribution cannot be stated, as so very 
few entomologists use this name for this group of butterflies, usually calling them Zycena. 
In India the genus occurs almost everywhere: in the Himalayas one species has been 
recorded from an altitude of 9,000 feet, but it is in the plains that it seems to flourish best, two 
out of the four species admitted by me as distinct actually swarming at times. Wherever there is 
a little low vegetation, there almost certainly will one species or another, often more than one, 
be found; even in such desert regions as the neighbourhood of Aden and Karachi they appear 
to flourish exceedingly and to be very numerous in individuals. In IndiaI can recognise but 
four species, though modern authors have recorded fully a dozen. If my readers will care- 
fully study (as I have done) the wide distribution of these species, and note how continually 
the same locality is given for the parent species and ils variety or varieties in each case, and 
also bear in mind the great effect the wet and dry-seasons have on these butterflies, I 
think that they can but arrive at the same conclusion as I have done. The largest species is 
Z. maha, Kollar, the male of whichcan at once be distinguished by its silvery blue colour on the 
upperside, with a more or less broad outer black border; the female is very variable, some 
specimens being entirely black above, others nearly as blue as the darkest-marked males. 
The other three species are all lilac-blue on the upperside of the male, the females more or 
less black, with sometimes a good deal, sometimes very little, of blue towards the base of the 
wings. 2. lysimon, Hiibner, agrees with Z. maha in the markings of the underside, having 
a spot near the middle of the discoidal cell of the forewing, which spot is absent in the other 
two species, Z. gaika, Trimen, is easily distinguished by having a spot on the costa of the fore- 
wing on the underside internal to the spot at the end of the discoidal cell which is not present 
in either of the other species; and Z, o¢is, Fabricius, agrees with Z. gaika in haying no spot 
