54 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



this species, although there can, perhaps, be none in the case of the 

 Japanese and none in the Central Asiatic examples. There appears 

 to be more than one American species included under the name comyn- 

 tas by different authors, and, besides this, the specific characters of the 

 American insects usually referred to amyntula, monica, etc., are very 

 unsatisfactorily determined, the number of species and their distinctness 

 from the Palfearctic argiades (or alcetas) being alike unproven. In our Palas- 

 arctic examples of E. argiades the most striking developments are in the 

 direction of (1) difference in the tint of the upperside in both sexes, (2) the 

 proportion of the various colours on the upperside in the $ , (3) the tint 

 of the underside, (4) the character and direction of the spots on the 

 underside, (5) the quantity of fulvous on the upper- and underside, 

 (6) the absence of metallic kernels in the fulvous spots on the under- 

 side, (7) the presence or length of the caudal appendages, and 

 (8) difference in size. The ground colour of the upperside $ is 

 typically blue, of the 2 fuscous, inclining to blackish, with marginal 

 orange crescents, largest just above the tail of the hindwing. The $ s 

 in the British Museum coll. show the following variation in ground 

 colour : — 



1. Pale blue-grey = ab. ardescens, n. ab. 



2. Violet-blue = argiades, Pall. 



3. Purplish-blue =purpuraseens, n. ab. 



The broader marginal border is sometimes conspicuous in all the 

 forms, and one gets aberrations, ardescens -mai'ginata , typica-maryinata , 

 and purpurascens-marginata. There is generally some trace of black 

 marginal spots on the hind wings, and Zeller notes a marginata form 

 of a more intense blue with an admixture of reddish colour (Stett. 

 Ent. Ztg., 1849, x., p. 181). The ?s show considerable variation 

 in the ground colour, in the character of the marginal spots, in the 

 amount of blue scaling, and the quantity of fulvous. The most 

 striking forms of the upperside of the ? that we have so far noted 

 may be grouped as — 



1. Blue, almost as in the <? , forewings "with dark margin, hindwings with the 

 row of marginal dots surrounded by pale blue crescents = ab. berg str assert, n. ab. 

 (polysperchon, Bergs., " Nom., pi. xliv., fig. 5). 



la. As in 1, but with brown (orange) crescents round marginal dots of hind- 

 wings =ab. jodina, Aigner-Abafi. 



2. Pale fuscous, the forewings pale grey-blue to beyond disc ; the hindwings 

 mostly pale grey-blue, especially developed in the usual position of the crescent- 

 marks, round the marginal spots = ab. ardescens, n. ab. 



2a. As in 2, with orange crescents more or less developed round marginal 

 spots of hindwings = ab. ardescens-fulva, n. ab. 



26. As in 2, but the pale grey-blue confined to the base of wings without 

 orange lunules = ab. ardescens-restricta, n. ab. 



2c. As in 26, but with orange crescents = ab. ardescens-completa, n. ab. 



2d. Pale fuscous, without blue shading, but with orange crescents = ab. pal- 

 lida- fulva, n. ab. 



2e, Pale fuscous, without blue shading or orange crescents = ab. pallida, n. 

 ab. 



3. Fuscous, forewings with bright blue scaling to beyond disc, and on hind- 

 wings to outer margin, strongly developed round marginal spots, so that, in the 

 best-marked specimens, there is almost the appearance of a pale blue band parallel 

 with the dark outer margin = ab. caerulescens, n. ab. 



3a. As in 3, but with orange crescents round marginal spots of hindwings = 

 ab. caerulescens-fulva, n. ab. 



36. As in 3, but the blue scaling confined to the base of the wings = ab. 

 caerulescens-restricta, n. ab. 



