GENERA OF AFRICAN LYCAENIDAE 273 



disappears, e.g. in some species of Epamera ; subunci long, robust, usually curved, 

 sometimes bearing apophyses ; vinculum wide above, rather narrow below, the 

 saccus generally small or absent ; lower fultura absent in many genera (e.g. 

 Deudorix and closely allied genera, Capys, Hypolycaena and Leptomyrina), ring- 

 shaped and encircling the penis, sometimes carried on pedicel in some genera of the 

 Iolans groups ; the valves, reduced in size in Deudorix and the closely allied genera, 

 Capys, Oxylides, Syrmoptera, Hypolycaena and Leptomyrina, are more fully developed 

 in the genera of the Iolaus group ; penis widely open on the dorsal surface of its 

 internal portion, usually weakly curved, and often enclosing a voluminous cuneus 

 or large spines. 



It is remarkable that the male genitalia of the Theclinae are often extremely 

 similar in species which outwardly are very different. This is particularly the case 

 in the Deudorix group. The relatively simple pattern of the genitalia of this sub- 

 family suggests that the Theclinae are of recent origin, in spite of their wide geo- 

 graphical distribution. 



The species whose male genitalia differ from the typical structure just described 

 belong to the genera and subgenera Myrina, Dapidodigma, Argiolaus, Philiolaus 

 and Etesiolaus. Having already given detailed accounts of their male genitalia 

 under the relevant genera there is no need to repeat them here. It is only necessary 

 to mention that in all these it is the tergal parts that are modified, the sternal ele- 

 ments remaining typically Thecline. 



It is fairly easy to pick out groups of closely allied genera in the Ethiopian Thec- 

 linae. The genera Hypomyrina, Actis, Kopelates, Hypokopelates, Pilodeudorix, 

 Diopetes and Virachola are scarcely more than subgenera of Deudorix, Capys is 

 closely allied to them. Myrina is rather isolated ; Syrmoptera can hardly be 

 separated from Oxylides ; Leptomyrina is closely allied to Hypolycaena ; Dapido- 

 digma is isolated, but Hemiolaus, Stugeta, Pseudiolaus, etc. up to and including 

 Sukidion can be regarded as belonging to this large Iolaus group. 



Continuing the examination of the genera in the order adopted by Aurivillius, I 

 propose to unite in the subfamily Aphnaeinae Swinhoe (191 1, Lep. Indica 9 : 156) 

 the following genera : — Aphnaeus Hiibner, Paraphnaeus Thierry Mieg, Apharitis 

 Riley, Spindasis Wallengren, Lipaphnaeus Aurivillius, Choloroselas Butler, Zeritis 

 Aurivillius, Desmolycaena Trimen, Axiocerses Hiibner, Phasis Hiibner, Aloeides 

 Hiibner, Poecilmitis Butler, Chrysoritis Butler, Crudaria Wallengren, Erikssonia 

 Trimen and Pseudaletis Druce. 



The adoption of this grouping is justified on the basis of one striking character in 

 the structure of the male genitalia, which is present in all the species I have examined, 

 namely the semimembranous band connecting the median parts of the upper pro- 

 cesses of the valves by passing and closely sheathing the penis. There is a trace of 

 this structure in some species of Actis and Kopelates, in which the valves are also 

 connected in their middle, but in these two genera, closely allied to Deudorix, it is 

 less well developed and the lower fultura is absent, whereas the latter is always 

 present in the Aphnaeinae, usually in the shape of a notched shield. 



In Aphnaeus and Paraphnaeus the dorsal elements are subrectangular and hood- 



