330 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



The heterotypical genus Lampiiles was described by Hiibner as 

 follows (Verz., p. 70):— 



The wings beneath with groy stripes, the hindwings beautifully marked. — Lam- 

 pides numerius, Stoll, L. zethus, Hb. (alexis, Stoll), L. helms, Cram, (esra, Hbst.), 

 L. baalliston, Hb., L. boeticus, Linn., Hb., figs. 373-5 (boetica, Fab.), plato, Fab., 

 archius, Cram., celerio, Fab. (celeno, Cram.), aratus, Cram. 



Of these, the species known personally to Hiibner was boeticus, to 

 which he refers the figs. 373-5 of his Eur. Schmett., in. the above 

 diagnosis. Newman, about 1869, or 1870, restricted the name to 

 boeticus, and this usage was followed by Kirby in 1896, so that there 

 is no doubt that this is the true type of the genus. Scudder (Hist. 

 Gen., p. 201) after enumerating Hiibner's list (supra), notes: — 



1869. — Butler, Cat. Fab. Lep., p. 160, employs it for 19 species, including 

 minoreus, aelianus, boeticus, plato and celeno. 



1870. — Newman, Brit. Butts., p. 117, employs it for boeticus only. 



He then adds: "It cannot be employed for boeticus, as this 

 became in 1810, the type of Polyommatus. JElliarius may be taken as 

 type." Scudder is evidently here entirely at fault. In 1810, 

 Latreille did not even use (Consid. Gen., p. 440) Polyommatus, only 

 the French name " Polyommate," although, already in 1804, Latreille 

 had given (Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., xxiv., pp. 184-185, pp. 199-200), 

 a series of genera with their respective types of which one is : — 



Genus : Polyommatus — Hesperia argus. 

 But the argus of Latreille was the species we now know r as icarus, 

 which must, therefore, be considered the type of Polyommatus, 

 and this view was confirmed in 1817 when Latreille (Cuvier's Begne 

 Animal, iii., p. 553), detailed at length one species as representing 

 Polyommatus, which he notes as : — 



Polyommatus.— L'argus bleu, Geoff., Engram., Pap. Europ., xxxviii., no. 80, 

 g, h (Papilio alexis, Hb., ix., pp. 292-294). 



So that Scudder was entirely wrong as to the facts, and it follows 

 that boeticus did not, in 1810, become the type of Polyommatus ; that 

 the fixing of aelianus as type was altogether ultra vires ; and that the 

 usage by Moore (1881), Niceville (1893) and others, of Polyommatus 

 for boeticus, is entirely unwarranted. These authors seem to have 

 accepted Scudder's statements, without attempting to prove their 

 accuracy. 



Moore diagnoses (Lep. Ceylon, i., pi. 3) the genus, under the name 

 Polyommatus, as follows: — 



Forewing triangular; costa slightly arched, exterior margin oblique and 

 slightly convex towards the apex, posterior margin straight; costal nervure 

 extending to half length of wing ; first subcostal nervure short, emitted at nearly 

 one-half before the end of the discoidal cell, second subcostal short, emitted at one- 

 fifth before the end of the discoidal cell, third subcostal bifid, and emitted close to 

 the end of the cell, fourth subcostal at one-half from the third, and terminating at 

 the apex, fifth subcostal (upper discoidal) from the end of the cell ; (middle and 

 lower) discocellular nervules nearly erect of equal length, radial (lower discoidal) 

 nervule from their middle; discoidal cell broad, extending to a little beyond half 

 length of the wing; third median nervule from the end of the cell, second median 

 at one-fifth, and first median at one-third before the end of the cell ; submedian 

 nervure nearly straight. Hindwing bluntly oval, furnished with a single slender 

 tail (at the termination of the first median nervule); costal nervine much arched 

 from the base ; first subcostal nervule curved, emitted at one-fourth before the end 

 (if I he cell; discocellular nervules very slender, upper discocellular slightly concave, 

 discoidal nervule from their middle ; third and second median nervules from the 

 end of the cell, first median at one-third before the end ; submedian nervure straight, 

 internal nervure recurved, short, 15ody stouter than in Lamfides, Moore [aelianus 



