408 



LTC^NID.E. 



Ilerda epicles. (Plate XXX. fig. 6, 6 .) 



Polyommatus epicks, Godart, Enc. Metli. ix. p. 646 (1823). 

 Thecla epicles, Horsfield, Cat. Lep. E. 1. C. p. 92, pi. i. fig. 3, ? (1829). 

 Ilerda epiclts, Hewitson, 111. Diuni. Lep. p. 58 (1865) ; de Niceville, Butt. Ind. iii. 

 p. 325 (1890). 



" AlaB supra fuscse, maris violaceo mieantes ; antica^ disco, posticae limbo apicali aurantio-fulvis, in 

 mare ex lunulis approximatis efformato, fimbria alba nigro interrupta, anticorum obsoletiore ; 

 subtiis orancs late suiphurca?, limbo apicali sanguineo, posticarum lunulis albis intus margi- 

 nato, maculisque cuneatis nigris in serie margini alaj parallcla digestis ; posticiE insuper puncto 

 minuto nigro antediscum. (Exp. alar. lin. 13-15.) 



" Wings above blackish brown, with a violet reflection in the male, which is of a deeper shade 

 towards the base, the anterior wing bearing a large irregularly rounded rufous-orange spot 

 on the medial areola, the hinder being marked with a posterior border of the same colour ; 

 in the male the medial spot is smaller, consisting of a transverse cloud, and in the posterior 

 pair the border is narrowed and undulated at the inner edge, being composed of confluent 

 lunules ; a narrow undulated black streak passes along the posterior margin; the fringe is 

 white, interrupted with black at the nervurcs, and in the fore wings evanescent towards the 

 outer apical angle ; the female has besides a short transverse black stigma before the disk of 

 the fore wings, and in the hinder pair, near the middle, a faint orange dash : underneath the 

 wings arc bright sulphureous yellow ; both pair have a sanguineous posterior border, which 

 in the anterior wings is narrow and uniform until it approaches the inner apical angle, where 

 it is terminated by a short black streak edged on both sides with white ; in the posterior 

 wings it is broader and ornamented internally by a series of white arcs delicately edged on 

 both sides with black ; a series of small wedge-shaped black spots, bedded in an oblong sub- 

 marginal cloud of white irrorations, is arranged parallel with' the black marginal thread, 

 which is confined by the extreme fringe ; a minute black dot stands between the disk and 

 l)asc, and two more obscure ones are distinctly arranged along the inner margin ; the fore 

 wings have besides a very faint series of brown liturte, and the hinder pair interrupted 

 white streaks parallel with the post-marginal border ; the anal appendage is terminated by a 

 black spot and the tails have a white tip. The body is brown above and hoary underneath ; 

 the legs are alternately white and black; the antenna; are black with delicate white bands to 

 the commencement of the club." {/Jorsfield, I. c.) 



Males from China agree very well Avith Sikkim examples, but in the female 

 the red markings on upper surface are narrower than is usually tlie case in 

 specimens of the same sex from that locality. 



Keferring to the variation of tlie species in India, Mr. de Niceville (/. c.) 

 observes : — " /. epicles is certainly the commonest and probably the most 

 vanable species of the genus. In the male on the uppersidc of the fore wing 

 there is sometimes a faint orange irroration on the disc, this is sometimes 

 developed into a moderately sized sjxjt, sometimes the spot is as large as in 

 th(! femah! ; in this case, lunvever, the male will be at once recognized by the 

 bcaiitiftd purple colour seen in some lights, which is restricted to a well- 



