A Revision of the genus Tarucus. 275 



than any of its allies; the apex or distal extremity being more 

 deeply convex; there are fourteen rows of lamina with minute 

 tubercles, the eighth row being the longest, though the row on each 

 side runs it very close, the eighth, however, marks the summit of 

 the convex apex ; the proximal or basal portion of the scale is 

 asymmetrical, being more rounded on one side of the foot-stalk 

 than the other. 



I should, perhaps, explain that in this genus, as generally 

 with the Lycaeninae, the foot-stalks are quite straight, 

 arising from near the centre of the androconia, and that 

 when I refer to the proximal end or base I always mean 

 the contour of the scale itself, not the narrow foot-stalk. 



Tarucus venosus, Moore. Plates XIV, fig. 2 ; XV, fig. 2 ; 

 XVIII and XIX, fig. 20. 



T. venosus, Moore, P.Z.S. Lo]id. 1882, p. 245, pi. xii, ff. 6, 



With the exception of T. balkanica, a much smaller 

 species, this is the darkest of the genus, and it does not 

 appear to vary in size like the other species, its (^ average 

 size being about 26 mm., the $ being sKghtly larger (both 

 nara and theophrastus reach these sizes not infrequently, 

 but their average is certainly less) ; the colour of the male 

 is dull sublustrous violaceous, with a single brown spot 

 at the end of the cell, which is frequently almost absent 

 in the secondaries. Moore says it has a broad marginal 

 dusky border (the type form has the border increasing 

 from the apex very rapidly in the primaries to a quarter 

 of the inner margin), but this varies, and occasional speci- 

 mens occur with barely more than a lineal dark border. 

 The underside is more nearly related to T. theophrastus 

 than to the others; the pattern being spotted, without 

 lines, i. e. the rows of spots do not form continuous lines, 

 the postmedian and submarginal series consisting of uniform 

 and almost parallel rows of large spots in both wings. 

 The Cashmire form is spotted above as is balkanica, but 

 below it is typical. 



The genitalia are more nearly allied to balkanica, but are decidedly 

 larger and more robust. This is very noticeable in the clasps and 

 even more so in the horn-like sclerites (virgae excitatae), which are 

 as large again. The clasps are similar in shape, being broad and 

 rounded on the upper edge, but being suddenly reduced and excised 



