THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 657 



bases ; or whether vein 7 terminates on the costal margin, at apex or on 

 the terminal margin. The separation of Lycoenince from Theclina; by the 

 simple character of the lobe or absence thereof in the hind wing is perfectly- 

 easy. 



In accordance with this key our 72 species will be arranged in the 

 following order : — 

 Lijccenince : — 



Q:QWQr^—lSeo}ntlieco'ps, LyecenestJies, 



Spalgis, Everett, 



Meghha, Nacaduba, 



Lyccenopsis, Javiides, 



Zizera, Catochrysops, 



Azanus, Tarucus, 



Chilades, Castalius, 



Talicttda, Lampides. 



Curetines : — 



Genus — Curetis. 

 Avhopalinre : — 



Genera — Iraota, Thaduka, 



Surendra, Zeltus, 



Mahathala, Rathinda, 



Amhlypodia, Cata2)oecilma, 



Arhopala, Horaga, 



Zezius, Loxura, 



Creon, Deudorix, 



Pratapa, Cheritra, 



Tajuria, Bindahara, 



CMiaria, Virachola. 



Theclince : — 



Genus — Aphncsus. 

 The eggs of these sub-families are as follows : — 



Lyccenince. — Turban-shaped, the diameter twice the height; the surface 

 covered with reticulations which are more or less raised and fine or coarse, 

 forming a net work of little irregularly hexagonal cells. At the inter- 

 sections of the lines there are slight thickenings. The colour is generally 

 greenish with the raised lines and thickenings pure white. The top and 

 bottom of the egg is, as a general rule, flat but, in some of the genera 

 (^Chilades, Talicada, Lyccenesthes, Tarucus, ^'c), it is more or less depressed. 



Curetin(S. — A depressed sphere, shaped like a sea-urchin and covered 

 with coarse, hexagonal reticulations ; the apex of the egg with a deep, 

 central depression. 



Arhopalince. — The eggs are dome-shaped, broader than high and are 

 always covered with hexagonal, coarse reticulations which, at the inter- 

 sections of the lines, are thickened or produced into little points which, in 

 some species, are jagged or set with tiny points at their ends. 



Theclince. — Rather flatly dome-shaped and covered with coarse or fine, 

 raised reticulations with thickenings at the intersections. The reticulation 

 is more or less regular and there are, in Aphncsus vulcanus and A. hypargyrus, 

 6 rows of cells from top to base and the centre of apex, where the micropyle 

 is situated, is somewhat deeply depressed forming a small circular pit. 

 The difl"erence in the colouring of the upper sides on the wings in the 

 sexes of some of the species is sometimes very great as, for example, in 

 Curetis where the male is copper and the female white, both bordered with 

 black, the former much more narrowly than the latter. In Chrysomallus the 

 male is brownish-red with a violet gloss, the female is light-blue with a broad, 

 suffused, brown border. The male of Bindahara is deep velvet-black with 



