GENERA OF AFRICAN LYCAENIDAE 281 



Page 320 : — Family Liphyridae. 



Clench unites in this family the subfamilies Liphyrinae and Gerydinae and the 

 Indo-Malaysian Poritiinae. The last is not well known to me, but the association 

 of the other two seems debatable, since they differ fundamentally in their mor- 

 phology. In the Liphyrinae the male fore tarsus is segmented and the genitalia 

 differ little from those of the Lycaenidae. In the Gerydinae the fore tarsi are 

 unsegmented, and in Gerydus, Allotinus and Megalopalpus the hind wing has a 

 precostal vein, and the very specialized genitalia are different from those of the 

 Lycaenidae. 



Page 321 : — Subfamily Liphyrinae. 



The author divides this subfamily into two tribes, the Liphyrinae and the 

 Lachnocnemini. The former corresponds to my subfamily Liphyrinae ; but the 

 presence here of Lachnocnema, which apart from the segmented fore tarsi, bears no 

 resemblance whatever to the Liphyrinae, is a matter of surprise. I consider 

 Lachnocenetna to be much more closely related to Thestor, which Clench exiles to the 

 Liptenidae. 



Page 325 : — Subfamily Gerydinae. 



Divided into two tribes, Gerydini and Spalgini. Here again I cannot accept this 

 association. The Gerydini (or Miletinae) have a precostal vein on the hind wing and 

 very specialized male genitalia ; Spalgis is utterly dissimilar, having no precostal 

 vein and genitalia of a quite common-place Everinae type. Clench draws attention 

 to the fact that in both groups the larvae are carnivorous. I doubt the advisability 

 of using this character, for nothing is known of the larval habits of 80% of the 

 African species. Moreover, such information as is available suggests that this 

 carnivorous habit is not absolutely constant. Some phytophagous species do not 

 disdain honey dew, and the exudates of various Homoptera. Others spend part of 

 their larval life in ant's nests or in shelters constructed by ants. What happens 

 within the ant's nests ? Do the larvae subsist on the regurgitated food of the ants, 

 or do they sometimes devour the ant larvae or pupae ? I do not know. In the 

 course of rearing the common European Black Hairstreak butterfly in captivity, I 

 noticed that this normally phytophagous larva sometimes becomes a ferocious 

 cannibal during the last instar, even when amply provided with its normal food. I 

 fancy this seldom happens in nature, since these slow-moving larvae live widely 

 dispersed. There is here a clear indication of a carnivorous trend in the Lycaenidae ; 

 larvae of other families deprived of their natural food supply die of starvation 

 without recourse to cannibalism. 



Page 331 : — Lycaenidae 

 Page 332 : — Theclinae 

 Page 357 : — Aphnaeinae 



We are in agreement here. No comment is necessary. 

 Page 364 : — Subfamily Plebeiinae 



Divided by Clench into Lampidini, Everini, Plebejini and Zizeerini. 



