FAMILY HABITS IN BUTTEEFLY LARVJE THE LYCiENIDS. 79 



larva of C. trochilus is attended, in the Calcutta district by the ant, 

 Pheidole quadrispinosa, Jerd. The larva of Zizera lysimon is, in the 

 same district, accompanied by Tapinoma melanocephalum, Fab., that of 

 Lycaenesthes emolus by (Ecopliylla smaragdind, Fab., the large red 

 and green ant which makes immense nests of growing leaves in 

 trees, and the larva of Lampides aelianus is tended by Camponotus 

 mitis, Smith. The larvaB of Catochrysops cnejus are attended by large 

 black ants, which Forel has identified as Camponotus rubripes var. 

 compressus, Fab., in the same way as are those of Tarucus theophrastus. 

 The larvae of this latter species are accompanied by Pheidole latinoda, 

 Rog., as well as Camponotus var. compressus. Mrs. Wyily states that the 

 ants tend the larvae of this species till they are fullgrown, when they drive 

 them down the stem into a temporary nest which they have set up at the 

 foot of the tree. The larva of Catochrysops pandava, at Calcutta, is 

 attended by three species of ants, identified by Forel as Prenolepis 

 longicomis, Latr., Monomorium specular e, Mayr, and a species of 

 Cremastog aster. It is supposed that, as the larvae sw T arm at Calcutta 

 on the Cycacls, and yet no pupae are found on the plants, the fullgrown 

 larvae are driven down the stem by the ants into their nests, in order 

 to undergo their transformations. [See also Journ. As. Soc. Beng., 

 lxix., pt. 2, pp. 190-192.] 



The connection between the Lycaenid larvae and ants of Australia 

 appears to have been first noted by Mathew, who, in 1888, described 

 (Trans. Ent. Soc. London, p. 153) the larvae and pupae of lalmenns 

 evagoras, found at Parramatta, near S} T dney, in October 1884, on Acacia 

 (wattle). He observes that " the larvae and pupae were attended by 

 scores of small black ants, which continually ran backwards and 

 forwards over them, and appeared to cause them no annoyance. 

 The ants seemed to be attracted by some sticky saccharine matter that 

 exuded from both larvae and pupae, and gave them a bright varnished 

 appearance." Upon putting his face close to these ants, Mathew 

 fancied that he detected a faint and rather sickly aromatic odour. 

 The same observer described in detail the connection observed between 

 ants and the larvae of Lycaena lulu (Trans. Ent. Soc.Lond., 1889, p. 312), 

 which he found at Tongatabu in the Friendly Islands. He discovered 

 the larvae on the clusters of flower-buds at the extremity of a branch, 

 and observed that, wherever there was a larva, there were sure to be 

 half-a-dozen or more red ants, crawling over it and thus betraying its 

 position ; moreover the larvae took no pains to conceal themselves, but 

 fed quite exposed on the buds. They were also accompanied by numbers 

 of small black aphides. He remarks that " upon each side of the anterior 

 part of the 8th abdominal segment, a little above the spiracular line, there 

 is a small whitish tubercle, from which the larva can at pleasure emit 

 a short fleshy tentacle, which is crowned at its summit by a fascicle or 

 whorl of fine bristles. The larvae would not protrude this organ when 

 breathed upon, touched, or otherwise annoyed, but only occasionally as 

 they crawled along, or when they were feeding with their heads deeply 

 buried in the flower- buds ; while so engaged they shoot them out 

 frequently and rapidly. The fascicle of bristles was not expanded until 

 the tentacle was extended to its entire length, and was closed again 

 before it was withdrawn. This organ is possibly a protective weapon 

 against ichneumons, but I do not remember having previously observed 

 it in any other Lycaenid larva." It would appear that the "at- 

 tended " habit has been since observed in many Australian species, 



