EVEEES ARGIADES. 53 



God., <<Enc. Meth.," ix., pp. 608, 660 (1819), etc. See also Comyntas posted.] 

 [Amyntula, Bdv., "Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr.," p. 294 (1852), etc. See also Amyntula 

 postea.} Hellotia, Men., "Cat. Lep. Mus. Petr.," p. 84 (1856), etc. See also 

 Hellotia posted. Praxiteles, Feld., " Verh. zool.-bot. Gesell.," xii., p. 489 (1862)- 

 "Eeis^Nov. Lep.," ii., p. 281, pi. xxxv., fig. 5 (1865). [Dipora, Moore, " Proc! 

 Zool. boc. Lond., p. 506, in part, pi. xxxi., fig. 8 (1865) ; see Diporides posted.l 

 [?Monica,Eeak. "Proc Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., "p. 244 (1866).] [? Tijua,Reak., 

 "Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil.," p. 245(1866).] 



Original description.— Papilio argiades (Pleb. Eur.). Papilioni 

 argiolo utraque pagina simillimus, seel dimidio minor, alisque sub- 

 caudatis (ut Papilio rubi) et angulo ani fulvo di versus. Femina (ut 

 in Papilione aryo) fusca. Habitat in Holco odorato (Pallas, Reisen i 

 p. 472). 



Imago.— 24mm. -30mm. <? Violet- or purple-blue ; the forewings 

 with a narrow blackish marginal border ; the hindwings with a mar- 

 ginal series of interneural black dots, sometimes lost in the margin like 

 that of the forewings, with a delicate black tail, covered with long 

 white scales, near the anal angle ; fringes grey internally, white ex- 

 ternally. ? fuscous, sometimes tinted at the base with violet- or 

 purplish-blue, sometimes with these tints extending over the disc of the 

 forewings, and from the base to the outer margin in the hindwings, 

 usually two orange crescents just above the tail, with darker centres' 

 the orange again sometimes edged with blue. [For undersidesee postea.] 



Sexual dimokphism. — The sexes are markedly different in colour, 

 the $ being blue, the ? blackish-brown, some entirely so, others 

 much sprinkled with blue scales to the outer margin, with all 

 intermediate stages, and usually with one or two orange or yellow 

 spots on the hind-margin of the hindwings (for details see postea pp. 

 54-55) . The scaling is described in detail by Pierce (in litt.) as follows : 

 $ (1) The transparent scales are yellow -0035 in. x -0013 in., largely 

 3-lobed, the lobes very even. (2) The dark scales are 3-lobed, but 

 more acutely-pointed. (3) The androconia are -001 in. x -001 in., 

 almost round, with 14 rows, each composed of 12 or 13 spots, which 

 are very distinct but connected by a very fine line. (4) The underside 

 scales are 4-pointed. $ (1) No transparent scales. (2) Dark scales 

 4-pomted. (3) The under scales also 4-pointed. 



Vakiation.— The variation of this species is as interesting as it is 

 puzzling ; interesting in the racial peculiarities it presents in various 

 parts of its wide range, puzzling in the difficulties of determining 

 whether some of the characters presented are sufficiently developed or 

 denned to be considered of specific value or not. The differentiation 

 of the Oriental parrhasius, Fab., referred by de Niceville to this 

 species, is markedly sufficient to separate it not only specifically but 

 genencally, and this conclusion is borne out by the ancillary 

 appendages of the genitalia, which suggest a farther removal from 

 typical argiades than is shown by the apparently much more distant 

 minimus in this particular character. We may further grant that 

 alcetas, Hoffmansegg (generally known as coretas, Ochs.), is also 

 specifically distinct (see Ent. Rec, xx., pp. 79 et seg., pp. 231 et sea.). 

 Apart, however, from these some doubt may still exist as to the 

 Himalayan, Thibetan, and Eastern Chinese examples referred to 



_ ? . Var. 2.- Similar to ? var. 1, but no spot on the transverse streak and 

 nine m tne arcuated series as in s var. 2. 



