CYANIRIS. 251 



plates illustrating the ancillary appendages of the Everids (pi. ii and 

 pi. iii) and Plebeiids (pis. xx, xxi, xxii) will be sufficient to show 

 not only how different is Cyaniris semiargus in this respect from 

 Cupido minimus, but also how like it is to Polyommatus, Agriades, etc. 

 Similarly, on the spotting of the underside and other superficial 

 characters, semiargus has been attached to cyllarus, melanops, and the 

 species belonging to Glaucopsyche, Scud., although they have been grouped 

 chiefly under the generic name Nomiades, Hb., which, unfortunately, falls 

 as a synonym of Cyaniris, both having had the same species, semiargus, 

 fixed as their type. It is only quite recently that we have determined 

 thsbtlygdamus, cyllarus, melanops, and their allies, must be placed under 

 the name Glaucopsyche, and that the genus belongs, not to the Plebeiid, 

 but to the Lycaenid {sens, strict.), branch of the "blues" (see Ent. 

 Rec, xxi., p. 130), so that semiargus is really as far removed from 

 Glaucopysche (cyllarus) as from Cupido (minimus). We have already 

 indicated that Cyaniris is a true Plebeiid, and shown that it is some- 

 what difficult to separate in its restricted sense from Polyommatus, 

 Agriades, etc. (see antea pp. 154-157). It is clearly a mere offshoot of 

 the genus Polyommatus, to which it is so closely allied, that it is 

 difficult to find really well-marked characters to separate them. The 

 Palaearctic species — semiargus, Kott., persephatta, Alph., and coelestina, 

 Eversm., are readily distinguishable from the species of the allied genus. 



The Cyanirid egg is very specialised, very small for the size of the 

 insect (see Clark's photograph, Practical Hints, pt. 3, pi. iii., fig. 4, 

 and Tonge's in the present volume), the surface reticulation very fine, 

 compared with that of the eggs of typical Plebeiids, e.g., Polyommatus 

 icarus, Agriades coridon, etc., the sculpturing quadrilateral rather than 

 triangular, the pillars short and broad, the micropylar area exceedingly 

 small. The eggs are laid on the calyces of the foodplants (of which 

 Trifolium pratense is the favourite in the case of Cyaniris semiargus), 

 the egg-stage is comparatively short, rarely exceeding 14 days in either 

 brood. 



The Cyanirid larva, like those of the Everids, is rather a flower- 

 and fruit-eater, than a leaf-eater, like the greater number of Plebeiid 

 species ; but it thrives on leaves if flowers are not available. Like the 

 mass of Plebeiid larvae, however, it hybernates in its third stadium ; 

 and, like them also, is not averse to producing "forwards" under 

 suitable conditions, Cyaniris semiargus being, indeed, one of our most 

 persistently partial double-brooded species in the plains of central and 

 southern Europe. The length of the larval life of the summer brood 

 only lasts about 36 days, that of the hybernating brood nearly 9 

 months. 



The general form of the larval body is much like that of other 

 Plebeiid larvae. The small black head, the long prothorax or " neck," 

 for boring purposes, and pallid colour (especially when young) suggest 

 very strongly its habits as a more or less internal feeder ; the skin- 

 structures are exceedingly weak, although the general arrangement of 

 the hairs, lenticles, etc., is the same as obtains throughout the 

 Plebeiids. Chapman says that, as compared with the young larva of 

 Plebeius (argus), that of Cyaniris (semiargus) has much slighter skin- 

 development ; the hair-bases in the latter are about half the height and 

 half the width of those of the former, the setae (i) are much more slender, 

 and only about two-thirds the length, the lenticles are little more than 



