■"c 



RURALINJE. 255 



with white. Antennae black, conspicuously ringed with white, a white streak on tlie 

 club ; frons black, edged with white, palpi with white hairs, the tip of second joint 

 and the entire last joint black, eyes ringed with white, a white collar, body brown 

 above, white beneath, legs black with white stripes, tarsi ringed with white. 



Female, like the male above and below. 



Expanse of wings, $ $ ly'^Q to I5 inches. 



Genitalia. — The clasps of Thecla sassanides are quite diminutive, and probably 

 of but little use for the function they are supposed to perform ; they are roughly 

 isosceles triangular in shape, with the base slightly bowed outwards. 



The tegumen is very considerably developed laterally, and is tunnel-shaped, 

 excavated considerably at the top behind (i.e. towards the head 



of the insect), and slightly in the front, the sides are full, so ..' "T^- 



that it might be described as being saddle-shaped ; it is sup- ■■''■■'' "'"-■/'^^^^^^ 



ported on, or more correctly arises in, two slender horizontally- \^( J (^ 

 inclined arms, and the clasp reaches but a little further than to TegumenT 



where these suddenly expand into the ample sides of this part 



of the organ. At the front of the base of the tegumen two large hooks (c) have their 

 origin, which are bent backwards, and then make a bold curve to the 

 front ; they must be, I believe, freely movable, and have probably been /^'^^^'^^--^ 

 evolved to their present extent to compensate for the lack of power in ciasps. 



the clasps. 



The penis in this group of Thecla is extraordinarily long ; it is, of course, tubular, 

 becoming larger for the first third, from whence it 

 rapidly tapers to its extremity, where it suddenly 

 expands into a trumpet-shaped orifice. (Bethune-Baker, 

 Trans. Ent. Soe. 1892, p. 28, pi. II. figs 2, 2a, 2b.) 



Habitat. — North-AVestern Himalayas, Beluchistan, Turkestan, South Persia. 



Distribution. — We have it from Chaman in Beluchistan, from Simla and the 

 Kashmir Valley ; Mackinnon and de Niceville record it from Mussuri, Leslie and Evans 

 from Chitral, Moore from Kunawar (the type of deria) ; KoUar's type came from 

 South Persia, and Erschoff's type from Sarafschan Valley, Turkestan ; it is also in the 

 B. M. from Pangi and Kashmir. 



ALLIED CHINESE AND JAPANESE SPECIES. 



Strymon pruni, Papilio pruni, Linnaeus, Faun. Suec. p. 283 (1767). Esper. Schmett. i. 1, pi. 19, fig. 3, 

 pi. 39, fig. la. Thecla pruni, Pryer, Rhop. Niphon, p. 15, pi. 4, fig. 15 (1887). Leech, Butt, of 

 China, etc. ii. p. 361 (1893). Habitat, Sutsekan, Japan, Vladivostock, Lower Ussuri, Europe. 



Strymon spini, Papilio spini, Schiff, Wien, Verz. p. 186 (1776). Thecla spini. Leech, Butt, of China, 

 etc. ii. p. 357 (1893). Habitat, Corea, Amurland, North and Eastern Asia, Europe. 



