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ON THE SPECIFIC DISTINCTION OF LYCMNA 



CORETAS AND L. DECOLOR AT A. 



By the Hon. N. Charles Rothschild, M.A., F.L.S., Pr.E.S. 



MoNS. Charles Oberthur* was, I believe, the first to urge 

 that Lyccena argiades and L. coretas were distinct species. This 

 is now generally admitted to be the case. 



In the Csehtelek t district of Hungary three closely allied 

 species oiLyccena occur: L. argiades, L. coretas, and L. decolorata. 

 They all inhabit the open spaces in woods and localities where 

 the forest has been cleared, but where the soil still retains its 

 wild plant life. All three species are double-brooded. 



L. coretas. L. decolorata. 



L. decolorata is generally supposed to be an aberration, or at 

 best a dimorphic form, of L. coretas. An examination of the 

 genitalia convinces one that this is not the case, and that the 

 two insects are distinct species. In coretas the two prongs of 

 the ninth sternite (sometimes called the penis support) are 

 scarcely as long as the stem, while in decolorata they are at least 

 as long as the stem. 



It is, however, in the apical portion of the pleurae of the 

 ninth segment (the harpagones) that the two insects differ most. 

 We figure these to show the difference. 



It is quite possible that the two insects have diflereut food- 

 plants, and their larvsB may also differ. 



THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BUCKS. CHILTERNS. 

 By H. Rowland-Brown, M.A., F.E.S. 



(Continued from p. 55.) 



15. Zephijrus bctulce, L. This butterfly, as a rule difficult, I 

 think, to locate, should haunt the sloe bushes which form so con- 

 spicuous a feature in many of the hill lanes. I have no personal 



- ' La Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes,' Quatrieme Serie, No. 429, p. 149, 

 ler Juillet, 1906. 



+ Cf. ' Entomologist,' vol. xlvi. pp. 87-89, 1913. 



