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VII. On the early stages of Latiorina (Lycaena) orbitulus, 
an amyrmecophilous Plebeiid “ Blue” butterfly. By 
T. A. CHAPMAN, M.D., F.Z.S. 
[Read November 16th, 1910.] 
PLATES XI—XXVII. 
NOTHING seems to bave been recorded about the earlier 
stages of this species, except Rogenhofer’s record in the 
Verw. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien in 1875, until accident afforded 
me the opportunity of making some observations in 1908. 
Rogenhofer appears to have met with the larvae on the 
Stelvio Pass, under stones, when preparing to pupate, and 
gives us a very good description of. it, though, as it 
happens, without any reference to the one point that gives 
this larva its greatest interest, viz. the entire absence of a 
honey-gland on the seventh abdominal segment and of the 
correlated fans on the eighth. 
In the summer of 1908 I found Z. orbitulus ovipositing 
on Androsace vitaliana; my experiences are noted in the 
Entomologist, Vol. xl (1909), p. 105. Failure in a sup- 
ply of the food-plant prevented my getting the larvae 
into the 2nd instar. In the following year I followed the 
matter up at Arolla, and found that the food-plant there 
was Soldanella alpina. I recorded the Arolla observation 
in the Entomologist, Vol. xli, p. 221 (1909). The 
young larvae I obtained furnished me with one specimen 
in the third (hibernating) instar, but this did not survive 
the winter, I found, however, that it was without the 
ant-attracting honey-gland (and fans) characteristic of the 
Blues, and this determined me, if possible, to carry my 
observations further. The honey-gland is present in this 
stage in all the species that possess it that I have ex- 
amined. The question was, did it appear later in orbitulus, 
or was it entirely absent ? 
Taking into account the habits of growth of Androsace 
vitaliana and of Soldanella, I thought that to search for the 
larvae in spring on the latter plant was not very hopeful, 
whilst the tufted growth of the Axdrosace made the latter 
plant one on which the larvae could probably be searched 
for with success. The result was that I found myself at 
Binn on June 20, 1910. I knew approximately the places 
TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1911.—PART I. (MAY) 
