SCIENCE GOSSIP. 



267 



The commonest of these is L. telicanus, which is 

 rather widely distributed in South-western and 

 some parts of Central Europe. L. boeticus is a 

 wandering species, most commonly seen in South 

 Europe, and, as has been mentioned previously, is 

 sometimes seen in England. L. balcanica and 

 L. theophrastus are very local, belonging rather to 

 the Asiatic and African continents. Chiliades 

 trochylus, the sole Palaearctic representative of 

 the genus is as a European species, confined to 

 the Southern Balkan provinces. It is generally 

 accounted the smallest European butterfly. 



All the British Lycaenidae, with the exception 

 of the typical Chrysojihanits dispar and the variety 

 artaxerxes of Lycaena astrarche, are found on the 

 Continent, and are usually much more widely 

 distributed and more abundant than with us. 

 They are also subject in most cases to greater 

 variation. 



The distribution of the Lycaenidae in the 

 Palaearctic Eegion will be best understood by 

 reference to the accompanying table, in which the 

 number of species of each genus is given first in 

 the whole region, then in each of the four sub- 

 regions proposed in this work. In the last two 

 columns will be seen a numerical comparison 

 between the European and British species. 



Genera. 



■r'-e 

 '■to a d 



"S'a.s 



In Sub-regions. 



x ' P 





1 



| 

 2 3 



3 



4 " 



Laeosopis 



Niphanda 



Tliecla 



Callophrys 



Thestor 



Chrysophanu • . . 



Hypolycaena 



lolaus 



Lampides 



Lycaena ... . . 



Total N umber of | 

 Lycaenidae . . . J 



2 

 1 

 1 

 1 



ie 

 1 



17 

 6 



23 

 4 

 1 

 1 



1(1 



1 



110 



1 



1 

 5 



7 



1 



8 

 1 

 2 

 4 

 12 



5 



1 

 54 



1 



12 

 1 

 1 

 5 



20 

 4 

 1 



7 



1 

 89 

 1 



2 ! — 



r 1 



1 - 



8 1 6 



1 1 



16 : 2 



6 10 



— ! 4 



— 1 

 24 42 



1 1 



2 

 1 

 2 



2 



8 

 1 



196 



13 



89 



144 



60 70 



16 



It will be noticed that six genera not occurring 

 in Europe are represented in the region. These are 

 Rapala, Satsuma, and Niphanda, three genera 

 that have separated from the old genus Tliecla. 

 These, with the exception of Satsuma, which 

 occurs in the Altai and Central Siberia, are peculiar 

 to the fourth, or Manchurian Sub-region. Cigaritis 

 has four representatives, all of which are confined 

 to the third, or Eremian Sub-region, as are also 

 Hypolycaena and lolaus. These six genera may be 

 looked upon as outliers in the general system of 

 the Palaearctic butterflies, and to belong largely 

 to those parts of the region whose fauna has a 

 tendency to blend with those of neighbouring 

 regions. 



It will be seen that the greatest number of 

 Lycaenidae is found in the Eremian or Desert 

 districts of Central Asia, etc. The smallest number 

 is represented in the Panarctic, or first Sub- 

 region — 'that is the most northerly part where a 

 cold temperature prevails, though even there five 

 species of Chrysophanus and seven of Lycaena are 

 found. 



The great increase in the number of species of 

 Zepliyrus in the fourth sub-region is remarkable. It 

 is owing to the fact that the real headquarters of 

 this genus are in the east of Asia, principally in 

 China and Japan, and that some of the species 

 extend into the Amur and Corea. All the Palae- 

 arctic species except Zepliyrus quercus occur in the 

 Manchurian sub-region. The extension westward 

 even to Western Europe of Zepliyrus, as seen in 

 the latter species and Z. betulae, is a curious fact. 

 Both species are closely allied to their Oriental 

 congeners. 



Genus 19. RAPALA, Moore 1881, Stgr. Cat, 

 1901. p. 68. Thecla Stgr. Cat. 1871. 



Small butterflies greatly resembling those of the 

 genus Thecla, with wings of steel-blue colour, 

 bordered with brown or black. Hind wings with 

 a slender short filiform tail. U.S. streaked as in 

 Zepliyrus. H.w. with a cluster of four spots near 

 an. ang. Subcostal nervure of f .w. four-branched. 

 Eyes smooth. Antennae rather short and with 

 elongate clubs. 



1. R. arata Brem. Lep. Ost. Sib. p. 25, t. 3, f. 6 

 Stgr. Cat. 1901, p. (58, R. H. 189. 



29 — 36 mm. 



Wings dark brown. Those of S shot with 

 greenish-blue, except along ou. marg. 5 less 



R. arata. Male and Female. 



bright in colour, but somewhat larger than $ 

 H.w. with a short slender tail ; at an. ang. is a black 

 spot with a faintly marked orange centre. U.s 

 brownish white, with rather broad brown stripes. 

 H.w. wdth four black spots at an. ang. placed on a 

 square orange patch. 



Hab. Amur, Uss, Corea, Japan. 



a. var. thyriantina Batl. Ann. and Mag. (5). 

 VII. 1881, p. 34, t. 4, f. 5. Larger than type and 

 with a more violet blue coloration. U.s. browner 

 and with broader stripes. Hab. Mandschuria, 

 N. China. 



2. R. micans Brem. and Grey, p. 9 (1853), 

 R. H. 736, Stg. Cat. 1901, p. 68. 



K 4 



