AGRIADES CORIDON. 67 



hardly credible concerning an onisciform larva that moves with snai 1 - 

 like slowness. Krodel has no hesitation in referring the hiding-habit 

 to its wish to hide itself from light, stating that exposed larvae put in 

 the sunlight hide themselves very rapidly. He further notes that, 

 whilst the larva of Hirsutina damon is exclusively a flower-eater, that 

 of Affriades coridon devours everything on the foodplant which it can 

 grind up with its mandibles — flowers, leaves, and stalks. The first 

 larvae were found on May 26th, mostly about half-grown, by mid- June 

 most were fullfed, but some were even then not more than half grown, 

 whilst others were quite small, a fact which explains the extended 

 period over which the imaginal period of emergence is spread ; in 

 captivity they pupated between June 17th and July 19th, but later 

 than this larvae in all stages of growth were to be seen, but observa- 

 tion was not continued on the later larvae. Out of some 1000 larvae, 

 some 900 succumbed to pebrine. 



Symbiosis between ants and the larvae of Agriades coridon. — 

 That the larvae of A. coridon were attended by ants, was first noticed 

 by Zeller, who states (Stett. Ent. Ztg., 1852, p. 425) that, on the rare 

 occasions on which he had seen the larva of A. coridon on its foodplant 

 in bright days, there were small ants busy around it, or actually upon 

 it, so that he at first supposed the larvae were bitten by them and 

 driven out of their concealment into the upper part of the plant, but 

 as he found the larvae were uninjured, and as the caterpillars were 

 bred when attended by ants, to the perfect state, he concluded that no 

 enmity existed between the two insects. A similar observation, Zeller 

 remarks, was made in Fuessly's Neu Magazin, p. 384, about Plebeius 

 argus, and by Petzold in Scribas Beit) age, p. 232, about Hirsutina damon 

 (biton). In the latter case an explanation of the phenomenon is sought in 

 the assumption that two very small warts, which are found on the back of 

 the larva of H. damon, and can be extruded at will, give out something 

 pleasing to the ants. Zeller adds that he had not noticed his larvae 

 sufficiently closely to find these small warts which, even if there, would, 

 during their feeding-time, most probably cease to be drawn in and out. 

 Ray ward observes (Proc. 8th. Lond. Ent. Soc, 1906, p. 63) that, on 

 June 18th, 1906, at Reigate, he obtained some 30 larvae of A. coridon, 

 almost all of which had specimens of Lasius jiavus on them, attracted 

 by the dorsal honey-gland. He further notes (Ent., xxxix., p. 197) 

 that two larvae, resting on two adjacent leaves of a plant of H. comosa 

 growing out from the crown of an ant's nest, were literally covered 

 with ants, more than twenty being counted on one of them. The 

 observer obtained, at home, several demonstrations of the ants making- 

 use of the honey-gland ; one was observed waving its antennae 

 excitedly, then, finding its way to the gland on the 7th abdominal 

 segment, it stroked it with a rapid movement of the antennae and first 

 pair of legs ; this caused a distension of the gland and a subsequent 

 extrusion of a tiny bead of clear crystal-looking fluid, followed on 

 further solicitation by one or two more drops which were eagerly 

 sucked up by the ants. It was observed that some ants found the 

 honey-gland much more readily than others. He also notes that the 

 two eversible caruncles or "fans" situated near the lateral ridge on 

 the 8th abdominal segment, one on either side, behind and lower than 

 the ninth spiracle, were quickly evaginated and withdrawn, sometimes 

 singly, but frequently both together. Though these tubercles are 



