894 
TARUCUS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
callinara. 
extricatus. 
(literatus. 
elathratus. 
venosus. 
ubaldus. 
thebana. 
uranus. 
Arabia, Persia, Beloochistan, and besides it inhabits the whole Indian Empire inclusive of Ceylon and Burma. 
The Munich Collections are in possession of a $ from the Malayan Peninsula, and Doherty discovered T. theo¬ 
phrastus in the Island of Sumba. On the Indian continent the species occurs in several generations, the forms 
of which were separately denominated. ■— callinara Btlr., described from Upper Burma, has very large spots 
beneath, in extricatus Btlr. they have turned reddish, and in alteratus Mr. from the North Western Himalaya 
the under surface of the wings is yellowish-grey. Manders (Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. 14, p. 717) reports that the 
form occurs near Trincomali in Ceylon in desert-like districts where it flies throughout the year. The dry period 
form is smaller, the markings beneath are reduced and hued reddish. But such extreme specimens (alteratus 
Mr.), as are known from the Punjab, do not occur. Certainly the climate of Ceylon is also more equable, whereas 
in the Punjab 5 to 6 degrees of frost are not ra^e and the days very hot, and Mahders lays more stress upon 
this variability of temperature than upon the influence cf the seasons. 
T« elathratus Holl., described according to a $ discovered by Doherty in South Celebes; its author 
compares it with Castalius fasciatus Rob., to which the Tarucus is not in the least similar, especially not on 
account of the extremely pointed forewing and the hindwing being sharply angled in the median part. Forewing 
above lilac with a smoke-coloured grey margin. The black markings beneath show through above, farming a Y. 
T. venosus Mr. (153 c) is an interesting species, by its colouring so closely allied to T. theophrastou 
that Rebel-Stahdinger and recently also Seitz treated it as a form, the former even as a synonym of thes- 
phrastus. The structure of the clasping-organs, however, is so diametrically opposed to those of theophrastus 
that an affinity of the two species is not to be thought of. They at any rate have only one mark in common, 
the unarmed, Lycaenoidal. plain oedeagus. Otherwise all the parts being remarkably prolonged in theophrastus 
are uncommonly shortened in venosus. As to the development of the valve, however, venosus is quite isolated 
among the Tarucus, since the valve only consists of two thin, sinuous hooks distally extended into a sharp 
point. The uncus, however, is not remarkable, being clumsy, very convex, with a moderately developed, likewise 
upturned, aculeiform apophysis lateralis. The species has a very much confined range; according to Bingham, 
from the North Western to the Kumaon Himalaya, besides in the Pundjab and in Bengal. 
To the genus Tarucus belongs also the South American Lycaena cassius (Vol. V, p. 820, t. 144 k, 1), not only on 
account of its androconia which Prof. Courvoisier has ascertained to correspond with those of Tarucus, but also owing to 
the clasping-organs. Anatomically allied with the Tarucus is besides yet the Canarian T. webbianus Brulle (Vol. I, p. 291, 
t, 77 k). 
Group of species Azanus Mr. (1881). 
By r reason of the characters of the marking beneath Aurivillius calls the Azanus a very natural and 
easily recognizable group. Easily recognizable are also their sexual organs which, in their structure, belong 
to the daintiest found not only among the Lycaeninae, but among all the diurnal and nocturnal lepidoptera. 
examined hitherto, being immediately discernible from those of other allied genera. Principal characteristic 
mark: a cylindrical valve of a most slender and delicate structure, uncommonly long-haired as in the Castaliine 
genus Callictita and exhibiting in a second species (gamra) beside the hairing also tufts of long bristles. The 
uncus remains relatively small, being of an irregular, sometimes deeply strangulated shape and having an insigni¬ 
ficant apophysis lateralis. The oedeagus is utricular, mostly very long with a plain cuneus. — Eyes hairy 
(alliance with Syntarucus), structure without any peculiarities, the first subcostal anastomosing with the costal. 
The group of species is preponderantly African, and the few Asiatic species are surely only branches and emigrants 
resp. descendants of the larger Ethiopian tribe. Nearly all the species are widely distributed, without varying 
to a great extent; even temporal forms seem not to exist. Characters of ancient, consolidated species, relics 
of former times of creation and of old territorial connections! 
T. ubaldus (Vol. I, p. 294), hitherto known from India and Ceylon, discovered in Siam by myself. 
Two areal forms: ubaldus Cr. (153 e). Distributed over the whole of India and presumably also Indo-China. 
Eggs on flowers of Acacia arabica. Pupa mostly in a cocoon of light silky threads, which does not quite wrap 
it up and may only be intended to hold the small blossoms together. Imago everywhere common where acacias 
are in bloom, round which they flutter during the hottest hours of the day. The imagines fly well and swiftly, 
though they never fly far. They are also fond of resting on the ground, particularly if it is covered with the 
blossoms of acacias. (According to Bell at the place cited [450] in A. uranus). — thebana Stgr. Seitz has at 
first correctly comprehended this ,,Lampides“ to belong to the group of species Azanus, in the sense of Stau- 
dinger. 
T. uranus Btlr. Hitherto only known from North West, Central, South India, Beloochistan and 
the Pundjab. In rny collection absent. Chiefly distinguished from ubaldus by the presence of only a thin black 
