ZIZEEA. 359 



723. Zizera gaika, Trimen (Lycama), Trans. Ent. Soc. (3) i, 1862, 



p. 403; de N. Butt. Ind. lii, 1890, p. 118. 



Lycaena pygmea, Snellen, Tijd. voor Ent. xix, 1876, p. 163, pi. 7, 

 fig. 3 ; Moore (Zizera), Lep. Ceyl. i, 1881, p. 79, pi. 25, figs. 5, 

 o, rf. 



c? . Upperside : dull violet-blue, which changes to a brighter 

 tint of violet in certain lights. Fore wing : the costa very narrowly, 

 the termen much more broadly dull brown ; this edging to the 

 termen in most specimens decreases in width from apex to tornus, 

 and is outwardly followed by an anticiliary darker brown line. 

 Cilia brownish anteriorly, posteriorly brownish at the base with the 

 apical portions white. Hind wing : the ground-colour brighter 

 than on the fore wing, the costal and terminal margins much more 

 narrowly edged with brown, which edging is merged in the anti- 

 ciliary dark brown line. Cilia : brown along their basal halves, 

 white apically. Underside : grey. Fore wing : a dusky brown 

 lunular line on the discocellulars ; two subcostal spots above the 

 cell, one on either side of the discocellular lunule ; a very strongly 

 curved discal series of five spots, of which the posterior three are 

 somewhat lunular in shape and placed obliquely en echelon, the 

 next above these hook-shaped, the anterior spot round ; both the 

 subcostal spots and the spots of the discal series are black, each 

 narrowly encircled with white ; beyond these are inner and outer 

 subterminal dusky lines, which anteriorly are continuous, pos- 

 teriorly somewhat broken and macular, followed by a very con- 

 spicuous jet-black auticiliary slender line. Cilia greyish white, 

 traversed by a medial transverse blackish-brown line. Hind wing: 

 with the following small white-encircled black spots : a subbasal 

 transverse series of three, followed by a highly curved series of 

 eight spots, that curve across the disc of the wing to the costa 

 and along the latter towards the base ; discocellulars with a dusky 

 short lunular line as on the fore wing; terminal markings and 

 cilia similar, but the outer and broader subterminal line more 

 broken and macular than on the fore wing. Antenna} black, the 

 shafts ringed with white; head, thorax and abdomen dark brown, 

 with a little violet pubescence on the head and thorax ; beneath : 

 palpi, thorax and abdomen greyish white. $ . Upperside : glossy 

 brown, without any violet tint whatever; the anticiliary darker 

 brown lines on both fore and hind wings well marked. Underside : 

 very similar to that of the d 1 , the ground-colour a shade darker, 

 the markings slightly larger and more prominent. Antennae, head, 

 thorax and abdomen as in the d 1 , but the latter three without a 

 trace of violet or blue on the upperside. 



Exp. jj 5 20-23 mm. (0'8-0'95"). 



Hob. Within our limits spread through Peninsular India ; 

 Ceylon ; Assam ; Burma ; Tenasserim ; the Andamans ; extending 

 in the Ethiopian Eegion to Aden, and South Africa, and in the 

 Malayan Subregion. to Sumatra and Java. 



