252 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



half the diameter, and the very skin-points smaller, fainter, and less 

 chitinised. The young larva of Cyaniris (semiargus) is, indeed, of all 

 the larvae so far examined, the one that has the weakest hairs ; those 

 of Agriades (bellargus), Celastrina (argiolus), and others, are weaker than 

 those of Plebeius argus (aegon), but the} r are very decidedly more strongly 

 armed than the larva of Cyaniris semiargus. The differences in the 

 larval armature of the various species will be best gathered from a 

 careful examination of our plates illustrating them (of course, making 

 due allowance for any differences of enlargement). The flattened 

 prothorax and anal segments are rounded, and give the front and 

 hind ends of the larva a very similar appearance, although the front 

 part of the body is narrower than the hinder part ; the segmental 

 incisions deep, the centre of each segment rising into a dorsal ridge, 

 along which is a slight median furrow, the sides slope down from the 

 ridge to the well-developed lateral flange that limits the somewhat 

 flattened ventral surface ; the skin-structure may be best studied from 

 our illustrations ; the prothoracic plate, the lenticles, the honey-gland 

 of the 7th, and the eversible caruncles of the 8th abdominal segments, 

 are all well-developed. Symbiosis between ants and the larva of 

 Cyaniris (semiargus) has not yet been observed. 



The pupa of Cyaniris has a distinct waist separating the thoracic 

 and abdominal areas, which are both swollen dorsally, the ventral 

 area forming, however, an almost straight line ; it closely resembles 

 the pupa of Plebeius (argus) in form and coloration, but is larger and 

 less slender; it also appears naked, but is sparsely covered with hairs, 

 and very fine spicuhe ; the peculiar structural development of the end 

 of the maxillaa in Plebeius and Polyomwatus (antea p. 226) is less de- 

 veloped in Cyaniris, although noted there as being similar (Chapman) ; 

 the 9th and 10th abdominal segments are bent under ventrally, 

 and both provide a few cremastral hooks, those on the 9th 

 abdominal medially on the extreme border, those on the 10th 

 abdominal on either side of the terminal margin ; they are, however, 

 without being incapable of use, insufficient to support the pupa, the 

 larva spinning a few loose supporting threads in the form of a weak 

 cocoon, as well as a very inefficient median girth and anal pad. 



It may be here noted that Meyrick separates (Handbook, etc., p. 

 344) our Cyaniris (semiargus), Aricia (astrarche), Cupido (minimus), 

 Everes (argiades), from the rest of the "blues," uniting them with 

 Rumicia pldeaes and Chrysophanus dispar under the legend " Eyes 

 glabrous," in his genus Cli rysophanus, the rest of the "blues" being 

 noted as having " Eyes hairy," and placed in his genus Lycaena. 

 It may not be out of place here to call attention to 

 Staudinger's remark on this point (Stett. hint. Ztg., 18G2, p. 265). 

 Here, he says, " Lederer classifies (Wien. Ent. Monats., 1857, p. 28) 

 />. semiargus (aris) with the species having naked eyes, but an ordinary 

 magnify ing-glass has been sufficient to prove, in all specimens 

 examined, the presence of a distinct, dense, cover of hairs." It 

 would appear that Meyrick, in following Lederer's assumed facts, had 

 overlooked Staudinger's criticism and contradiction of them. We 

 may here note that the neuration of the "blues" and "coppers" 

 being practically identical throughout — forcwings with 6 separate, 8 

 and 9 stalked — offers no useful data for the natural subdivision of the 

 large number of species in these groups, and we still await the 



