50 BEITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



of the underside, it would appear that argiades, Pall., and alcetas, 

 Hoffmansegg, are distinct species (Ent. Bee, xx., pp. 231 et seq.). 

 Chapman says that, on genitalic characters, Nearctic specimens, 

 assumed to be amyntula, from the Pacific slopes, combine the 

 characters of these two forms, whilst Bethune-Baker considers comyntas 

 from the Central States to agree specifically with argiades, as judged 

 by the same characters. Central American specimens, however, 

 which usually pass under the name of comyntas, in common with 

 those from the northern and eastern parts of North America, are 

 said by Chapman to be, on the showing of the genitalia, quite distinct 

 from the specimens of the Pacific slopes, referred to amyntula. One 

 suspects, therefore, that a mixture of species is passing at present in 

 North America under the name comyntas. Chapman further differentiates 

 the Himalayan dipora, Moore, from argiades, Pall., and finds parr- 

 hasius, Fab. (the name being applied to the dark species so abundant in 

 the Oriental region of south-east Asia and Australia), quite distinct 

 from typical argiades, in contradiction to de Niceville's conclusion 

 that they are all one species, a conclusion followed by Elwes ; 

 Bingham, and other recent authors. The geographical limita- 

 tions of argiades, dipora, and parrhasius in India and the south- 

 eastern parts of Asia can only be roughly defined. There appears to 

 be no reasonable doubt that the Japanese and Chinese insects — 

 praxiteles, Feld., and hellotia, Men. — are forms of argiades, Pall., but 

 further examination , even here is desirable. The very different 

 genitalic characters existing between parrliasius, Fab., and argiades, 

 Pall., in spite of their superficial resemblance, compared with the 

 comparatively slight differences existing between argiades, Pall., and 

 minimus, Fuessly, are noteworthy, and suggest a wider separation 

 between argiades and parrliasius than one would otherwise be willing 

 to allow, and it is probable that this close superficial resemblance is 

 parallel with that presented by other small blues, e.g., Cyaniris 

 semiargus and Cupido sebrus, which, in spite of their similarity of 

 appearance, belong to two entirely different Lycsenid tribes. Chapman 

 observes that it may be noted that argiades and parrliasius show con- 

 siderable difference in texture, etc., in which detail Cupido minimus 

 agrees with Everes argiades. It will be readily understood from what 

 we have already stated that our actual knowledge of the Everid 

 species, even those that have been described very many years, is 

 exceedingly defective. 



The distribution of the genus is Holarctic, surrounding the globe 

 in the Palaarctic and Nearctic regions, and entering the Oriental 

 region in India, Malay, etc. Its northern limit is not great, apparently, 

 in the Old World, little above 55-60° N. lat., whilst its southern limit, 

 according to Scudder, in the Nearctic region reaches 12° N. lat., and 

 whilst it covers Europe, extends in Asia well down towards the 

 equator, although, as noted above, the southern limit of E. dipora, the 

 most southern species of our limited genus, can only be roughly 

 defined, but extends at any rate well below 20° N. lat, 



EVERES ARGIADES, PallaS. 



Synonymy.— Species : Argiades, Pallas, " Reisen," etc., p. 472 (1771); Fab., 



"Mant. Ins.,"ii., p. 7G (1787); Bork., " Sys. Besch.," ii., p. 232 (1789); Fab., 



"Ent. Sys.," iii., pt. 1, p. 300 (1793); 111., " Schmett. Wien.," 2nd ed., p. 62 



(1801); Oken, " Lebrb.," ii., p. 720 (1815); Butl., "Cat. Diurn. Lep.," p. 169 



