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XVI. On Zizeeria (Chapmaoi), Zizera (Moore), a yroup of 
Lycaenid Butterjiies. By T. A, Chapman, M.D. 
[Read March 2nd, 1910.] 
Plates LI—LX. 
Moore instituted the genus Zizera for a group of butter¬ 
flies, of which he placed three, that occur in Ceylon, viz. 
I'.arsandra, imlica and gaika, in it. His diagnosis of the 
genus accords with liarsandra (Igsimon) as the type.* He 
appends to the diagnosis, however, the words “ Type, 
Z. alms” Alstis, however, belongs to a totally different 
group of “ blues,” and does not conform to Moore’s diagnosis 
of Zizera. One can only suppose that Moore, without 
really examining alsns, thought to make his work more 
acceptable to British readers by placing a British species 
as type. To appeal to an unintelligent public in this way 
is clearly to be regretted in a matter of science, whatever 
it may be in other fields of human activity. 
The question arises. Does Zizera belong as a generic 
name to alms or to karsandra ? 
It may be noted that both de Niceville and Bingham, 
in dealing with the genus, cite alsus as the type; and 
Butler, in his very useful list of the species (Proc. Zool. 
Soc., 1900, p. 104), includes alsns, and adds the alter ego 
of alsiis, lorquinii. The rule apparently governing the 
point is clearly expressed thus: ‘'When, in'the original 
publication of a genus, one of the species is definitely 
designated as type, this species shall be accepted as type 
regardless of any other consideration.” 
At first view this seems to make alsus unquestionably 
the type. But one may view the matter thus: alsus is 
not a species of the genus, and so cannot by any one (even 
Moore) be made the type. It is further clear that Moore 
made the genus for and on karsandra, and having done 
that, the law of priority, valid now and here for him, if 
for no one else before publication, it was impossible to 
assert anything outside it as type. The case is certainly a 
puzzling and unusual one. Another consideration also 
* “Lepidoptera of Ceylon,” vol. i, p. 78, 1880. 
TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1910.— PART IV. (DEC.) 
