236 
LYCAENIDAE 
the abdomen is tapering, the anal segment being rounded and 
without cremastral hooks. The head and pro-thorax are 
ochreous-buff; the wings are ochreous and blending into 
greenish at the base ; the thorax and abdomen are ochreous- 
green with a darker medio-dorsal stripe. The entire surface 
is reticulated with very fine brown striations and is densely 
studded with minute lenticles along the spiracular region. 
The pupal stage lasts about twenty days. 
Imago. The average expanse of the wings is 38 mm. The 
sexual difference is distinct. 
Male. (Upper Side.) The colour is an intensely brilliant 
cobalt-blue, with a lustrous sheen. The fore wing has the 
costa narrowly edged with white ; both fore and hind wings 
are outlined with black, and the end of the nervures are 
black. Usually the hind wing has a sub-marginal series of 
tiny black specks between the nervures. The fringes are pure 
white and spotted with black. The eyes are rather hairy. 
(Under Side.) The fore wing is ashy-grey ; the hind wing 
light fulvous-brown, blending into greenish-blue at the base, 
and usually there are only faint traces of marginal orange 
spots in the fore wing. 
Female. The female is more ochreous on the under side 
than the male, and has a series of sub-marginal orange spots 
on the fore wing ; and those on the hind wing are more 
pronounced, otherwise the sexes are similar. Both have the 
under surface spotted with white-ringed black spots, similar 
to those of the Common Blue, both as regards number and 
position of the spots. (Upper Side.) The female has the 
upper surface deep fuscous-brown, sometimes smoky-black ; 
the base of the wings is usually suffused with blue. At the 
end of the cell is a white-edged black spot in the fore wing 
and a sub-marginal series of faint orange crescents, also a 
well-developed series in the hind wing ; these are inwardly 
edged with fine black lunules and outwardly with black spots 
surrounded with blue. The fringes are duller white than in 
the male and are sometimes spotted with brown in place 
of black. 
Life of Imago. Under natural conditions the life of this 
butterfly is probably about a month, but in captivity I have 
kept it alive for forty-eight days. 
