896 
LYCAENESTHES. By H. Fruhstoreer. 
..The pupa is relatively slender and everywhere uniformly rounded; even the abdominal apes does not show any 
particular mark of distinction. Only the corners of the shoulders project a little. Female pupae originating from well-fed larvae 
are easily discernible from males by a somewhat stronger abdomen. The length of the pupae is 11 to 12 mm, their greatest 
thickness (a, little before the posterior edge of the wing-sheaths) 4 to 5 mm. The whole upper surface of the pupa is of a 
dull lustre. I was not able to discover the pupae in the open air. In the browsed pods the larvae, under normal circum¬ 
stances, seem not to pupate, although they sometimes did so in captivity. — After exactly 10 days my pupae of P. baeticus 
yielded the imagines, preferably in the forenoon. It is amazing to see how quickly the insects attain their full growth: 
in about five minutes the wings are stretched, and already after a quarter of an hour the small imago begins to fly. I 
cannot find a substantial difference of the (Javanese) imago from European specimens; single Indian specimens grow rather 
large, and I had some in which the costal margin of the forewing was 19 to 20 mm long. Most of the specimens bred, however, 
are somewhat smaller. — Another point seems to me to be noteworthy, although my observations relating thereto have 
been of a quite negative result. Very many Lycaenid larvae are known to live in company with ants. From the beginning 
I gave heed whether this was also the case in baetica in Java. This assumption was the more easily to be believed, since 
the Crotalaria striata seems to be a plant harbouring ants. It is, even if it does not harbour any aphis, extraordinarily much 
frequented by a small, black ant (Dolichoderus bituberculatus Mayr?). The latter are allured by small, bulb-like formations 
found on the starting points of the pollens beneath. These tiny bulbs are greedily fed by the ants and exercise such great 
attractive force on the small black guests that the pollens are mostly all over covered with them. They even build very 
small nests between the ripening pods and also penetrate into the pods inhabited by the larvae of baetica. The larvae thus 
come sufficiently into contact with the ants. Now I have very precisely observed the behaviour of these animals towards each 
other, both in the open air and in captivity by confining the ants together with the larvae, but I have not been able to see 
one single time the ants taking any notice of the larvae or the contrary, and although I observed more than a hundred larvae. 
The small black ant and the larva, of baetica seem here not to exist for one another. This fact may have different reasons: 
either the larva of the Javanese baetica is not visited at all by ants, or it lives together only with quite certain species 
of ants which were not present in this case. The former may be possible, since I was not able to discover any glandular organs 
by the secretions of which the ants are allured, at least not in superficially observing the larva. At any rate it is certain that 
the larva of Polyommatus baeticus may be quite normally developed in Java also without the presence of ants. 1 ' (Roepke, 
Ent. Ztschr. Stuttg. 1910, S. 175/176.) 
17. Genus: S^ycaeuestlies Mr. 
The genus Lycaenesthes belongs to the numerous groups of Lycaenid species which, without possessing 
an essential, stuctural mark, are so well to be limited merely in their exterior that we may nevertheles consider 
them to be a ,,genus”. By their habitus and colouring they approximate the Nacaduba from which, however, 
they are easily discernible by the separate first subcostal vein of the forewing. The most essential mark 
of the genus is formed by three small, short, almost parallel tails of the hindwing, which are very easily broken 
off and have, as a rule, disappeared altogether in the specimens of collections, as de Niceville was quite correct 
in stating. The clasping-organs neither offer any peculiarities; the tegumen exhibits the ,,hooks”, as Chapman 
calls them, or the ,,scaphium“, as van Eecke denominates the ventral clasps of the uncus looking like the teeth 
of a wild boar. These clasps are noticed in the Nacadubci, in nearly all the genuine Lycaena and the Thysonotis, 
whereas in the majority of the members of the genus Lycaenopsis they are absent. Lycaenopsis , however, has 
a separate subcostal in contrast with the Nacaduba. As Lycaenesthes, in contrast with the Nacaduba, likewise 
exhibits a separate subcostal, one mark showing a certain affinity outweighs another. We are thus forced to 
arrange the single genera beside each other for the present without any connection. 
In contrast with the Poritia which exhibit beneath a certain analogy with the Lycaenesthes , the latter 
do not possess any scent-spots. The male androconia of the forewings in two species examined are extremely 
differentiated. In Lycaenesthes lycaenina they approximate those of the genus Chilades; in Lycaenesthes philo 
more those of the e/pis-group of the genus Lampides. The contours of the androconia are elliptical in lycaenina, 
leaf-shaped in philo. —- Judging from coloristic marks, there exist only two Indo-Australian species easily discer¬ 
nible by the following marks: 
a) Upper surface dark violettish-blue; hindwings rounded off; under surface with a broad submarginal 
band interrupted at the second median, the margins of which are bordered by a faded whitish-grey ( Lycae¬ 
nesthes ernolus ); 
b) Upper surface light greyish-blue; hindwing terminating into a rather distinct apex; under surface 
with a narrow submarginal band being dissolved already at the anterior median and being bordered by a pure 
white ( Lycaenesthes lycaenina). 
If we compare, however, the clasping-organs, we must approve of a third species, Lycaenesthes philo 
Hpfjr , forming the intermediary between the two species by its colouring and the contours of the hindwings. 
The course of the submarginal band on the forewing beneath, however, exhibits decidedly a close alliance with 
Lycaenesthes emolus, which affinity is also expressed by the valval teeth being upturned. At any r rate we have 
to assume the rare case in the genus Lycaenesthes that the morphology of the genitals helps to increase the 
number of the species, whereas we are otherwise enabled just, by them to decrease the legion of the species. 
