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XIII. The full grown larva of Lycaena euphemus Hb. By 

 T. A. Chapman, M.D., F.R.S. 



[Read October 6th, 1920.] 



Plate XL 



An unfortunate illness prevented my giving any proper 

 attention to my ants' nests containing the larvae of L. 

 euphemus during last winter. I fully expected that the 

 result would be complete failure with them. 



The failure proved to be very serious, but as a modified 

 success, one larva actually reached the pupal stage, and as 

 I got drawings of the larva made by Mr. E. C. Knight, it 

 seems desirable to report the results, meagre as they are, in 

 continuation of the record in last year's Transactions 

 (p. 450). 



The first note I made at the end of January reported one 

 larva of L. euphetnus dead, and that the disappearance of 

 ant brood suggested that the larvae fed during the winter. 

 Later, in February, this was confirmed by the ant brood 

 being nearly exhausted. 



On February 14th it is noted that the larvae are usually 

 nearer the ant brood than previously, and are occasionally 

 seen to be moving. There are also notes this month of 

 advancmg disease in the larvae of L. euphemus, small black 

 patches appearing on them. In one nest the larvae are 

 reported as looking well. They did not, however, receive 

 adequate attention, and ant brood was scarce, though I 

 have to thank Mr. Donisthorpe and Captain Purefoy for 

 assistance on this point. 



In the autumn I had found nests of Myrmica scabrinodis 

 practically without brood, and up till June none of my 

 correspondents met with any. The following are my 

 notes from this time. 



June 6th. — Since last note the history has been one of 

 continuous disaster, the larvae having died off at intervals 

 from black spot disease, whatever that may be, the result, 

 I think, of their having at times been too damp — at any 

 rate, broadly to want of proper attention during my 

 illness. There is to-day one larva left in the M. laevinodis 

 nest that had originally four larvae. This larva has 

 some black marks in the honey-gland region and in the 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1920. — PARTS III, IV, V. (APR. '21) 



