ARICIA MEDON. 231 



although Schiffermiiller had erroneously supposed the $■ , with which 

 he was not acquainted, to be blue. Bingham's observation (Fr. Ind., 

 ii., p. 337) that Hiifnagel's description is insufficient is perhaps correct 

 if the words are taken by themselves, but we hold that there can be 

 no question on other grounds as to what species he intended. The 

 earliest figure of this insect appears to be that of Petiver in 1702. 



Imago. — 22 mm. -34 mm. Both sexes of a rich dark brown 

 tint on the upperside, with a marginal row of orange-red spots more 

 or less developed on all the wings and a black central discoidal spot 

 on the forewings ; underside ochreous grey, forewing without basal 

 spots, discoidal spot and submedian row of 7 spots black, ringed with 

 white, marginal band of orange-red spots, frequently coalescent, edged 

 interiorly with a dark shade and exteriorly with white containing black 

 spots ; hindwing with 4 basal and a row of 7 submedian black spots 

 ringed with white, a discoidal black spot irregularly surrounded with 

 w T hite of a more or less triangular form, and a marginal band of 

 orange : red, slightly lunular, spots, followed towards the border by a 

 row of black dots set in white ; a white central wedge-shaped streak 

 running from the orange-red band to the discoidal spot. Fringes 

 white with dark transverse markings. 



Sexual Dimorphism. — This is slight in comparison with most of 

 the Lycsenids, the ground colour of the two sexes being the same ; the 

 $ , however, has generally less orange-red than the $ in the same 

 locality, though the most strongly marked $ s have much more than 

 the least marked ? s ; on the underside the £ s have generally a 

 browner, often a much browner, tint than the $ s, which are more 

 inclined to grey. Pierce makes the following observations on the 

 scaling of A. medon: — $ , No androconial scales and no transparent 

 scales. The dark scales, -004 in. x '001 in., are typical parallel scales 

 with 3 and 4 points ; underside similar, 4 points, deeply indented. 

 2 , *005in. x -0013 in., similar, 4-pointed; underside similar, 5-pointed. 

 In the var. artaxerxes the white spot is composed of a few 3-lobed, rounded 

 scales. So far authorities have agreed that, where the male " blue " is 

 brown, there are no androconial scales. I believe this is so in medon. 

 In hunting for these scales I came across a small patch of curious 

 asymmetrical scales on the inner margin, at the extreme base of the 

 underside of the forewings ; the striations run obliquely from left to 

 right, downwards, on both sides ; i.e., both sides are similar, with the 

 result that, viewed through the scale, they form a diamond lattice- 

 work. At first I thought I had found the missing androconials, but 

 further examination revealed the fact that these scales are evidently 

 peculiar to the Blues and are found on both sexes. (Pierce.) 



Gynandromorphs. — We have found no record of any gynandro- 

 morph in this species. Considering how many have been recorded in 

 other species of this tribe, it seems probable that the cause is not so 

 much their non-existence, as the fact that the close resemblance 

 between the sexes has caused them to be overlooked. 



Pathological specimens. — Harrison mentions (Ent. Bee, xviii., 

 p. 237) a specimen taken July 21st, 1906, which " has the right hind- 

 wing of a silvery colour as in Bumicia phlaeas ab. schmidtii, but the 

 red spots are normal, and form a strange contrast to the white 

 ground." Possibly another that he mentions (loc. tit.), with " the 



