CYANIRIS SEMIARGUS. 265 



addition, the costal basal spot. Gillmer appears to describe this form 

 as paucipuncta, "in which some of the ocellated spots are inclined to 

 disappear." 



e. ab. damoetas* Bergstr., " Sys.," dec. i., pi. x., figs. 5-6 (1779); "Nom.," 

 iii., p. 14, pi. lvii., figs. 5-6 (1779). — This insect is differentiated, as 

 the Vienna naturalists say, by the smaller number of ocellated spots in the 

 regular curved row of the underside, which also approaches closely the inner 

 margin. As it thus has this feature in common with our argopoeus, this is 

 also either an "Astragalus" (milk-vetch) butterfly, or it is separated there- 

 from only by the semilunar (discoidal) spot of the hindwings. It is true that the 

 shape of the wings is also different in them, those of the "Astragalus" butterfly being 

 rounded, those of argopoeus angled. In the Systema we described it as " Damoetas. — 

 P.P.R. alis rotundatis integerrimis cceruleis, subtus ocellorum fascia solitaria ; the 

 'Astragalus' butterfly with rounded uniformly blue wings, with a single row of 

 small eyespots beneath." The wings above are somewhat purple-coloured, blue 

 above, grey beneath. The larva of this species is said by the Vienna entomologists 

 to have been found on Astragalus and Onobrychis (Bergstrasser). 



The main feature of this insect is the absence of the discoidal 

 lunule on the underside of the hindwing, and the reduction of the sub- 

 median row of spots on the fore wing to five, and the elongation of the 

 fifth spot to touch the white ring of the discoidal. Bergstrasser's fig. 

 5 represents a $ , rather pale blue in tint, narrow black marginal border, 

 without discoidal lunules on the upperside of the wings. The under- 

 side is certainly that of C. semiargus, pale fawn in tint, with the row of 

 spots on the fore wings ending with the fifth, which is somewhat 

 elongated ; the first and second spots of the transverse row on the 

 hindwings are placed under each other, and not obliquely as in 

 byzenus. 



'£. ab. byzenus, Bergstr., "Nom.," iii., p. 14, pi. lvii., figs. 1-2 (1779). — 

 Argiolus, Esp., " Schmett. Eur.," i., pl.xxi., fig. la (1777); p. 277 (1779).— P.P.R. alis 

 supra coeruleis immaculatis, subtus pallide fuscis, solitario in utrisque sed irregulari 

 ocellorum dispersorum arcu. Wings blue, unspotted, above; beneath pale brownish, 

 on all wings an irregular arcuate row of separate ocellated spots. Esper calls this 

 butterfly argiolus ; as, however, it is certain that Linne's description does not agree 

 ^vith this insect, and as the true argiolus is the species we have already described 

 under this name, no one will be surprised that we have not retained this name for 

 Esper's insect. We have selected byzenus for its name because, of all our many- 

 eyed biitterflies, the most like it is byzas figured on pi. xlviii of the Nomenclatnr 

 (Bergstrasser) . 



Bergstrasser's insect is a rather large male of bright colour with well- 

 defined, but not broad, black margin, and without discoidal spots on 

 upperside. The underside, grey, with blue-tinged base, is characterised 

 by the absence of the discoidal lunule on the hindwing, spots 1, 2 and 

 3 on hindwing in oblique line and 2 not under 1, and a series of pale 

 marginal triangles or V's on the outer margin of forewing. This is 

 the only feature in which Bergstrasser's figure resembles Esper's (to 

 which it is referred) ; we have observed the V-like formation in one or two 

 specimens in the British Museum coll. It appears to be caused by the 

 light falling on a peculiar fold, and not to any line or any definite 

 marking. Although Esper's figure is so bad, his description is quite 

 -good (Schmett. Eur., i., p. 277) : " The upperside of all the wings 

 blue (entirely without spots), but traversed by black nervures, and 

 bordered by a similarly-coloured margin and white fringe. The 

 underside has a discoidal lunule on each wing, seven ocellated spots 

 on the forewings, and nine spots on the hindwings ; from the margin 

 of the forewings sometimes run, in the $ , some pointed marks." These 



* Damoetas, Schiff., " Schmett. Wien.," 183, 7 = Cyllarus, Linn. 



