POLYOMMATUS ICARUS. 115 



ii., p. 77, pi. xlvii., figs. 1, 2 (1779). Candybus, Bergs., "Norn.," ii., p. 78, 

 pi. xlviii., figs. 1, 2 (1779). Candiope, Bergs., " Nom.," ii., p. 78, pi. xlviii., 

 figs. 3, 4 (1779). Candaon, Bergs., " Nom.," iii., p. 3, pi. xlix., figs. 3, 4 (1779). 

 Oceanus, Bergs., "Nom.," iii., p. 9, pi. liii., figs. 3,4(1779). Coridon, Esp., 

 "Eur. Schmett.," i., pt. 2, p. 134, pi. lxxix. (cont. xxix.), fig. 1 (1779). Fusciolus, 

 Geoff., "Fourcr. Ent. Par.," p. 245 (1785). Triton (?), Fabr., " Mant. Ins.," 

 ii., p. 74 (1787). Adonis, Fabr., "Mant. Ins.," ii., p. 75 in part (1787); Linn., 

 " Sys. Nat.," 13th ed., i., pt. 5, p. 2349 (1788); Thnb., " Ins. Suec," pt. 2, p. 39 

 (1791); Fabr., "Ent. Sys.," iii., pt. 1, p. 299 in part (1793). (Ebalus, Hffmgg., 

 "111. Mag.," iii., p. 185(1803). Dorylas, Leach, " Edin. Ency.," ix., pt. 1, 

 p. 129 (1815); Jermyn, "Butt. Coll. Vade-Mecum," 3rd ed., pp. 50, 115 (1826) ; 

 Wood, "Ind. Ent.," p. 8, pi. hi., fig. 67 (1839). Dorylus, Sam., "Ent. Comp.," 

 p. 242 (1819). Labienus, Jermyn, " Butt. Coll. Vade-Mecum," 1st ed., pp. 2, 36, 

 58 (1824); Humph, and Westd., " Brit. Butts.," p. 108 (1841). Eros, Stphs., 

 " Illus. Haust.," i., p. 93 (1828); Wood, " Ind. Ent.," p. 8, pi. iii., fig. 70 (1839). 

 Icarinus, Meig., "Eur. Schmett.," ii., p. 25, pi. xlviii., figs. 2 a-b (1830). Iphis, 

 Meig., " Eur. Schmett.," ii., p. 25, pi. xlvii., figs. 5 a-b (1830). Alexius. Freyer, 

 "Neu. Beitr.," vii., p. 133, pi. dclxxvi., figs. 1-2 (1836). Icarius, Wood, "Ind. 

 Ent.," p. 8,- pi. iii., fig. 68 (1839); Mill., "Cat. Lep. Alp.-Mar.," p. 103 (1872). 

 Melanotoxa, Marott, " Giorn. Sc. Nat. Pal.," xiv., p. 54, pi. v., fig. 14 a-b (1879). 



Original description. — Papilio, Plebeius, Ruralis icarus. Rosel 

 has figured this insect in his vol. iii., pi. xxxvii., figs. 3, 5 ; but only 

 the $ . The 2 is dark brown on the upperside, and has a series of 

 orange-yellow spots on the margin, found in some specimens on all 

 four wings, in others only on the hindwings, in others scarcely visible 

 at all ; rarely, the 2 s have the wings almost wholly covered with 

 blue. The underside of the 2 is almost like that of the $ , except 

 that the ground colour is rather darker, but the 2 is rather remark- 

 able in being very variable on the underside, in some, many of the 

 •ocellated spots are united, sometimes forming curves, at other times 

 long spots, or other figures ; indeed, the $ s of this species vary so 

 much that one must be careful not to separate them into different species, 

 nor to interchange them with other species. This species differs from 

 argus, Linn., as follows : On the upperside thesis much paler blue, 

 almost semitransparent; on the underside this species does not exhibit 

 the small shiny green metallic eyes on the margin of the hindwings, 

 which Linne calls in his description of argus, " Ocellis caeruleo- 

 argenteis." This butterfly is common, and appears in spring from 

 May to the middle of June, and is found in gardens and meadows, but 

 never in woods (von Rottemburg). 



Imago. — 25mm. -35mm. $ . Bright lilac-blue, with the fringes 

 white externally and grey internally. 2 brownish-fuscous, sometimes 

 scaled with blue, with an antemarginal row of orange lunules on all 

 wings, the fringes grey or brownish. Underside $ pale grey, ? grey- 

 brown or brown ; with the basal, discoidal, submedian and marginal 

 spots as in Agriades thetis and A. coridon. 



Sexual dimorphism. — The sexes show the usual difference in 

 colour, the £ s being uniformly blue, the 2 s brown, sometimes 

 lightly, sometimes heavily, scaled with blue, with orange marginal 

 spots. The underside also shows a distinct difference in colour, the^ 

 usually blue- or silvery-grey, the $ dark grey or brown-grey. Of the 

 $ scaling, Pierce writes (in litt.): The transparent scales are yellow, 

 •003in. x '0015m., the apex barely rounded, i.e., almost square; the 

 dark scales are not plentiful, but have three apical points ; the 

 androconia are -OOlin. x -0005in., oval, with elongated ends, each scale 

 with six rows of eleven spots. In the $ the transparent scales are 

 yellow, *0035in. x -0015in., the apex sometimes irregularly three-lobed; 



