54 



INSECTS OF SAMOA. 



Druce, it differs in some respects from the Type, but, especially in view of the 

 possibility of a mistake in labelling, I prefer not to describe a single specimen. 

 The type locality of the species is Montague Island (Nguna in the New Hebrides), 

 and all the other records except that of this male are from localities in the New 

 Hebrides. Since Mathew collected in both groups, it seems very probable that 

 Tonga is a mistake for either Tongoa, or Tangoa, or Tanna, all in the New 

 Hebrides, but our knowledge of the butterflies of Tonga is still very incomplete. 



22. Catochrysops cnejus samoa (H.S.). 



Lycaena samoa Herrich-Schaeffer, p. 73, PI. IV, fig. 18. 

 Lycaena cnejus ; Schmeltz, p. 187. 

 Catochrysops cnejus ; Rebel, 1910, p. 422. 



Swezey, 1921, p. 605. 

 Catochrysops cnejus samoa ; Fruhstorfer, 1923, p. 922. 

 EucJirysops cnejus samoa ; Waterhouse, 1904, p. 495. 



As pointed out by Waterhouse, this form is much smaller than the 

 Australian one ; it also differs from most other races of the species in the 

 absence of the black spot near the costa of the hindwing on the underside, and 

 the obsolescence of the two similar spots near the base : the former is absent 

 in all the Samoan males that I have seen, and likewise wanting or poorly 

 developed in all the females. The tail is considerably shorter than in most 

 races of the species. Maximum, mean, and minimum expanse of ten males 

 and five females from Samoa are 32, 27, and 24 mm. Variation in this series 

 is very slight. 



Never a very common species in Samoa, and rather local, it occurs during 

 most months in many localities in the coastal zone of all the islands visited. 

 Both sexes fly about the low herbage on the seashore, and hardly penetrate 

 inland. I did not see it in Tonga, but Schmeltz records it as occurring there ; 

 it does not seem to exist in any of the other groups under consideration. 

 Strangely enough, in view of the name, the type locality of this subspecies is 

 Vanua Valava (Vanua Mbalavu in Fiji). 



The larva is recorded in Fiji as eating the inflorescences of Crotalaria striata 

 D. C. (Leguminosae) ; I did not find early stages in Samoa, but the adults 

 were usually seen in the neighbourhood of Vigna lutea A. Gr., which is perhaps 

 the food-plant. 



