STEYMONIDI. 141 



in the Sarakola Pass. De Niceville created the genus Neolycaena 

 (Butts, bid., iii., p. 64) for this species, which agrees absolutely in its 

 general characters with the rest of the Strymonids. The neuration is 

 the same in all; the palpi, eyes, and legs, in like manner, present no 

 differential features, whilst the genitalia are also of essentially the 

 same type. A considerable number of species occur in China, several 

 of which I have not been able to examine structurally, but are 

 evidently closely allied to others which have been examined, and 

 certainly belong to this group. 



"Before dealing with the sections into which the various Strymonid 

 species fall, it is necessary to mention separately two species, which, 

 though belonging structurally to this group, nevertheless form a close 

 connecting link, with the little group of eastern 'coppers,' centering 

 around phoenicurus, Led. The two species, to which reference is here 

 made, are ledereri, Bdv., and caspius, Led., of which the former has 

 generally been considered a Theclid, and the latter a Chrysophanid, 

 but the structure — neuration, etc. — is identical with that of ledereri, 

 and shows that caspius also belongs to the Strymonids. Examination 

 of the undersides of these species will show that ledereri has here the 

 pattern in the form of spots similar to those obtaining in the ordinary 

 " coppers," whilst the upper surface is that of the " hairstreaks." In 

 caspius, the spots of the underside are much more fully developed; 

 beneath, the primaries have developed a certain amount of coppery or 

 orange colour, whilst the upper surface has a purplish tint similar to 

 that of Chrysophanus sarthus, Staud., or C. phoenicurus, Led. It may be 

 here noted that Staudinger's var. transiens, Stett. Ent. Ztg., 1886, p. 201 ; 

 Cat., 3rd ed., p. 75, does not belong to caspius, but to sarthus, the 

 neuration of the two species being different, whilst the pattern is also 

 nearer to sarthus than caspius. Ledereri and caspius must, therefore, 

 form a separate subsection of the "hairstreaks," connecting them with 

 the " coppers " proper through a subsection of the Chrysophanids 

 containing standfussi, Gr.-Gr., sultani, Staud., sarthus, Staud., and 

 phoenicurus, Led. 



"I have examined the androconia of the $ s, and find in the 'pruni 1 

 and ' w-album ' groups it is similar. The scales are much finer, very 

 closely set over each other, and, in brilliant sunlight, under an Tin. 

 objective, have absolutely no colour beyond the dead neutral grey. 

 The other wing-scales are much larger and more loosely set, and are 

 metallic bronzy. I tried to get colour by displacing the androconial 

 scales, but without success. In tenystrouii, the androconia are more 

 loosely set, and are dark brown ; they are smaller than the ordinary 

 wing-scales. In lunulata, the androconia are loose, like those of 

 tengstrdmi, or even more loosely set, and are colourless grey. In 

 si?iensis and rhymnus, there is scarcely more than a thickening of the 

 nervures at the end of the cell. In sassanides, there are no androconia; 

 acaciae has practically none, and ilicis also practically none." 



Omitting for the moment the consideration of the early stages, and 

 dealing only with the perfect insects, the whole group appears to fall 

 into the following main subsections : — 



(1) Pruni, ic-album, spini, acaciae, ilicis, together with the great majority of 

 the Chinese species. In this section, pruni, acaciae, and ilicis stand somewhat 

 isolated from their allies at the beginning and end. 



The two latter may always be recognised by the fact that they have 



