TARUCUS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
893 
of the affinity of the larva, inclined to unite also Castalius ananda (153 b, c) with Tarucus. Cast, ananda thus 
also biologically forms a transition from Tarucus to Castalius-, this being one more proof for the untenableness 
of the present ,,genera“ which we only approve of from conventional reasons and as being mere external means 
of determination. 
Group of species Tarucus Mr. (1881). 
T. plinius F. (153 b). This species being known since 1-793 was always acknowledged to be a species 
by English authors, whereas Aurivillitjs was inclined to consider it to be a form of the European T. telicanus. 
The anatomy of the clasping-organs has most clearly elucidated the specific independency of plinius. There 
are no relations with respect to the sexual organs noticeable with T. telicanus being so closely allied in the colour¬ 
ing; this is another proof of the fact that, in judging apparently similar Lycaenidae we must only rely on 
their internal structure, if we wish to avoid mistakes in their exact determination. The essential character 
of their difference from T. telicanus consists in the oedeagus being uncommonly strongly armed, by which 
plinius even excels all the Tarucinae examined hitherto. The apophysis lateralis of the tegumen is likewise 
more developed than in T. telicanus, which is also the case in an African vicarious type, T. pulchra Murr., and 
its geographical form T. rabefaner Mab. from Madagascar. The latter, although they were combined with T. 
plinius by Atjrivillius, are distinctly and easily separated from the Indian T. plinius by their valve being 
in the distal part armed with prominent teeth, whereas in plinius it remains quite unarmed. Owing to the 
results of the anatomical examination, the collective species has not such a vast range as was supposed hitherto, 
since Africa is entirely eliminated as patria. Nevertheless there remains yet for T. plinius the enormous area 
from India to Australia, the Salomons and South Sea Islands. In the Malayan Archipelago plinius is dissolved 
into a series of even anatomically sharply separated insular races which are morphologically already bordering 
on species, or at any rate very near to dissolve or to be transformed into species. I was unfortunately not 
able to examine Australian specimens. —- plinius F., already described in Vol.I, p.293, exists in my collection ; plinius . 
from India and Ceylon (from where the specimens of the temporal forms originate, figured on f. 153 b), Formosa, 
Java, Micromalayana. It is yet very common in the hot lowlands of India, but apparently it is entirely absent 
in Sumatra and the Malayan Peninsula, being known from only one locality of Borneo and even in Java rather 
rare, although it occurs there in the whole island at not too great altitudss. — plutarchus subsp. nov. phdarchus. 
(153b) C once discernible from T. plinius by a broad brownish-black border on both wings above, 
which is proximally most sharply defined. At the apex of the cell a distinct, though narrow, small 
black stripe being absent in plinius, but present in T. theophrastus and T. venosus. The ground-colour of the 
whole upper surface is darker violet than in any other species of Tarucus known hitherto. Beneath distinguishable 
from T. plinius only by the blackish-grey maculae of the hindwings being more intense than even in 
the most prominently spotted plinius of continental or insular habitats. Clasping-organs highly specialized, 
approximating more those of the genus Castalius than those of the other Tarucus. Uncus more elliptical than 
in most of the Tarucus, with a plain, unarmed apophysis; valve likewise of the plainest structure, cylindrical, 
distally thickened. Oedeagus more primitive than in the other forms of the Tarucus plinius- group. —- celis celis. 
subsp. nov. differs extremely from plutarchus by the uniformly dark violettish-blue upper surface and the darkened 
dull whitish-grey under surface. The red-brown spots are all very small, but they stand very close together. 
East Celebes. — zingis subsp. nov. forms a transition from plutarchus to celis, being above just as dark as celis, zingis. 
but exhibiting a somewhat narrower black border of the forewing than plutarchus. The $ is above almost com¬ 
pletely covered with a deep brown, so that it contrasts remarkably with the sometimes purely white Indian 
and still very light Australian $$. Island of Buton, April 1906, collected by Dr. Martix. — juvenal subsp. juvenal. 
nov., another excellent form of a larger habitus than the races from East Celebes and Buton, forewing still 
darker bluish-violet than zingis, but with a blackish, though rather faint marginal band. $ above only in the 
disc with insignificant brighter patches; beneath darker than plutarchus, with more densely arranged brown 
maculae. Batjan. In Amboina there occurs an allied form unknown to me in nature — pseudocassius Murray, pseudocas- 
Above paler violettish-blue than the allied races of the Moluccas, with a very narrow, but extremely distinct, snts - 
small black marginal band. $ more similar to the light Indian $$ than to the brownish forms of Celebes. Under 
surface by its light greyish-white likewise more approaching plinius plinius, the brown spots especially in the 
disc of both wings much broader. It is most likely that there exist temporal forms of pseudocassius in Australia, 
and I presume that the only couple from Queensland lying before me from the Munich collection belongs to a 
rainless period. Australia, Bismarck Archipelago, Salomons, South Sea Islands. I was unfortunately not able 
to ascertain from the description of leopardus Schultze in the Phil. Journ. of Science which was not accessible leopardus. 
to me, whether this Tarucus belongs to plinius, as I presume. 
T. theophrastus F., already dealt with at large in Vol. I, p. 293, is an energetic species fond of a roving theophras- 
life, distributed from the Senegal and the Somali Land across the whole of North Africa. It is also known from ius - 
