226 
LYCAENIDAE 
finely reticulated and sprinkled with minute whitish bristles ; 
in the spiracular region are numerous minute brown lenticles, 
producing a granulated effect. The pupa is found at the 
base of stems of the food plant in a slight cocoon consisting of 
a few strands of silk. The pupal stage lasts fourteen days. 
Imago. The sexual difference is very distinct. The average 
expanse of the wings is 35 mm. 
Male. ( Upper Side.) In colour this is glossy violet-blue; 
in the fore wing the costal margin is narrowly edged with 
white ; the outer margins of both fore and hind wings are 
outlined with black. The fringes are white intersected with a 
grey line. ( Under Side.) The fore wing has two basal white- 
ringed black spots and beyond the cell is a curved series of 
six spots ; the lower is often double ; there is also a sub¬ 
marginal series of white orange and black crescents and fine 
black and white lunules. The hind wing has a straight row 
of four spots near the base, a large white discoidal spot and a 
black central lunule. Beyond the cell a curved series of 
seven spots crosses the wing ; there is a sub-marginal series 
of conspicuous triangular orange spots, inwardly edged with 
black and white and outwardly with black-centred white 
blotches. The fringes are white. 
Female. ( Upper Side.) The ground colour is fuscous- 
brown, more or less suffused with violet-blue over the basal 
half of both fore and hind wings ; there is a discoidal black 
spot on the fore wing ; both wings have a sub-marginal series of 
orange crescents, large on the hind wings, with the inner edges 
outlined with black crescents, and each outwardly edged with 
white encircling a black dot. (Under Side.) This is similar in 
markings to the male. All the black spots on both wings are 
broadly outlined with white. The eyes are hairy. 
Life of Imago. Like most of the other Blues, the Common 
Blue is comparatively short lived. From observations made, 
the normal period is about twenty days. 
Aberration. Very considerable aberration occurs in this 
butterfly, especially in the females. 
Male. The ground colour varies from pale lilac =ab. pallida, 
to rich deep blue, almost similar to the Adonis Blue=ab. clara . 
Very rarely it is pale buff, or in an opposite extreme a dull 
leaden colour. 
