134 LYCAENIDZ. TALICADA. 
paler shade of purple on the upperside ; the female is suffused with blue towards the base of 
both wings on the upperside, which coloration WV. cyméza entirely lacks in that sex, 
I call the fourth division which I have made in the Indian Zycentde the Polyommatus 
group. It contains nine Indian genera, and completes the assemblage of the ‘‘ Blues.” All 
these genera are tailed except some species, or forms, or individuals of the genus Wacaduba, 
Moore, which are aberrant in this respect, having no tail to the hindwing ; just as the genus 
Megisba, Moore, in the third group, possesses aberrant examples, which depart from the 
normal structure of the tailless blues in possessing a tail to the hindwing. None of these 
genera possess secondary sexual characters in the male. 
The first subgroup contains three genera, all of which have the first subcostal nervule 
of the forewing completely anastomosed for a short distance with the costal nervure. As 
far as the structure of the veins goes, these three genera are practically the same, but they 
can be distinguished by their varied faczes, The first genus, Zalicada, Moore, contains 
but a single species, and might perhaps with advantage be sunk under the next genus, which 
also is a very small one, and has some species which agree with the solitary Zudicada in 
possessing not a single speckle of blue on the wings. On the upperside of both sexes of 
Talicada nyseus, Guérin, the wings are black, the posterior half of the hindwing rich orange— 
a most extraordinary type of coloration fur a butterfly of the family of the ‘‘ Blues.” Itisa 
grass-loving, low-flying creature, with a restricted range, occurring only in Assam, Upper 
Burma. Orissa, the Western Ghats, South India, and Ceylon. The next genus, Zveves, Hiibner, 
contains but few species, but one of them has an immense range, occurring all round the 
northern hemisphere. They vary most extraordinarily in size, are weak-flying, and inhabit the 
grass. The widely-spread species, 2. avgzades, Pallas, has the male blue on the upperside, 
the other two known Indian species have no blue whatever above. The last genus, 
Nacaduba, Moore, contains the greatest number of species of the three, and is found through- 
out the Indo-Malayan region ; one species has been recorded from Australia. It has a well 
marked facées, the males are always deep purple-blue on the upperside, both sexes with catenulated 
bands on the underside. It shares with JAZegzsba, Moore, the peculiarity of containing tailed 
and tailless species ; one species, indeed, appears to be dimorphic with regard to this 
character. As far as I am aware, all the species of the genus affect trees and bushes avoiding 
the ground, though the males are very fond of sucking up the moisture from damp spots. 
Genus 116.—TALICADA, Moore, (PLATE XXVI). 
Talicada, Moore, Lep. Cey., vol. i, p 96 (1881). 
‘© FOREWING, costa arched at the base, ouler margin obliquely convex, [ézmer margin 
sinuous ]; first subcostal nervule emitted at one-half before the end of the discoidal cell, 
ascending to and anastomosing with the costal nervure to near its end; second subcostal at 
one-fifth, and ¢hird subcostal at one-sixth before the endof of the cell, fou? subcostal at 
beyond half from third and terminating at the apex ; fifth subcostal [zpfer dzscoida/] from the end 
of the cell ; mzddle and /ower disco-cellular nervules slightly recurved, radial [/ower discozdal] ner- 
vule from their middle ; diszoidal cel/ more than half the length of the wing, broad to near the 
base ; second median nervule at one-sixth before the end of the cell, ”vs¢ median at one-half 
before theend ; swbmedian nervure nearly straight. HINDWING, broadly oval, furnished with 
a single slender éai/ from the end of the first median nervule ; costal nervure mucharched from 
the base ; first subcostal nervule at one-third before the end of the cell ; disco-cellular nervules 
prominent; the basal interspaces, irregular streaks from abdominal margin, and lunules to exterior spots 
pale brown.”” (Moore, |. c.) . ; Le . 
Mr, Distant has figured the male of this species with the two ciliated tails to the hindwing which are 
characteristic of the genus Lycenesthes. If this be correct—though I much doubt it—then ¢esse/ata should be 
placed in that genus, as Mr. Distant says. He figures the female, however, without tails, and seeing that the 
general facies of both sexes on both surfaces of WV. cymbia and N. tessed/ata are almost precisely similar, I 
cannot believe that the Penang species possesses tails while the Sikkim one lacks them entirely. Mr, Distant 
remarks that “‘ the peculiarity of L. [=N.] tessed/ata isin its Ethiopian appearance, its most closely allied 
species being found in the West African NV, darydas, Cramer.” 1 think that L. cyzdza will be found to be 
_eyen more closely allied. 
