LEPIDOPTERA. 65 



Genus POLYOMMATUS. 



Papdionis — Plebeiorum ruraliura — species. Linn. Polyommati species. Latr. Polyom- 

 matus. Stephens' Synopsis of British Entomology, May 1827. Lycaense Species. Fab. 

 Papiliones, Fam. N. Larvae gibboscutatae. Wiener Verzeichnis, 181. Papiliones Polyoph- 

 thalmi. Aldrov. Les Argus. Geoffr. Cceruleae, Blues, or Arguses. Haworth. 



Character. Larva gibboscutata, sublinearis, dorso elevato, capite parvo plerumque nigro. 



Chrysalis oblonga vel ovata, nuda, maculis obscuris ; in nonnullis tuberculis acutis singulariter 

 notata, simias vultum simnlans. Tab. i, fig. 2, b. 



Imago: Antenna filiformes, articulis intermediis longioribus, capitulo ovali, abrupte refracto, com- 

 presso, sulcato, vel concavo marginibus subinvolutis. 



Palpi capite longiores, porrecti, assurgentes ; articulis basilari et intermedio nudiusculis, squamis 

 villisque sericeis tectis, hoc elongato, ultra medium capite soluto, tertio gracili, attenuato, nudo. 



Proboscis palpis circa duplo longior. 



Caput latiusculum, globosum. Oculi prominuli. Corpus gracile, compressum. Alee integerrimae, 

 alterius plerumque sexus cceruleas, alterius saepius brunneag, interdum striga macularum fulvarum 

 ad marginem posticum; subtus semper griseae, punctis seu ocellulis pluribus nigris saepius albo- 

 cinctis. Pedes omnes tarsis quinque, ultimo unguiculato: femora intermediorum, apicem 

 versus processu brevi, acuto, villoso instructa, tibiasque acetabulo ad ilium recipiendum exaratse. 

 Tarsi anticorum maris attenuati, setis lateralibus brevissimis vestiti, ultimo saepius ungue solitario 

 vel seta obscura terminali ; fceminae villosi, unguibus duobus parvis fortiter arcuatis lanugine 

 reconditis. Ungues et pulvilli posticorum parvi. 



Character. Larva linear or oblong; in form more elevated and rounded than in the other 

 genera of this stirps, the back being, in the middle, cylindrico-gibbous. Chrysalis somewhat 

 oblong or ovate, naked with obscure spots ; in some cases singularly marked with short acute 

 processes, arranged so as to resemble the face of a monkey. Antenna of moderate length, 

 many-jointed, filiform and straight to the origin of the club, where they are suddenly 

 reflected or bent outward ; joints short and somewhat swelled at the base and apex, slender and 

 lengthened in the middle; club, constituting about one-sixth of the whole length of these 

 organs, ovate, compressed, or grooved in the middle, with the sides slightly involuted. Palpi 

 longer than the head, porrected, assurgent; basal joint short, closely applied to the head, second 

 joint lengthened, at the base adhering to the head, from the middle detached and curved upwards ; 

 both these joints being sparingly covered with minute scales and hairs; third joint slender, atte- 

 nuated, naked, stretching forward or assurgent (rarely surrounded with a tuft of bristles 

 arising from the extremity of the second joint). Proboscis, double the length of the palpi, 

 but varying in different species. Head rather broad. Eyes prominent. Body slender and 

 compressed. Wings: anterior simple and oblong; posterior entire and rounded, slightly grooved 

 for the reception of the abdomen : the upper surface of the wings almost invariably blue in 

 the male and brown in the female; the under surface in both sexes white or gray, and marked 

 with black ocellated spots surrounded with a white iris. Feet all invariably perfect and provided 

 with five tarsi; thighs of the mid-legs with a short, acute, often hairy, process, which is 

 received in a corresponding socket of the tibiae : tarsi of the fore-legs in the male attenuated, 



k bearing 



