THE MAZARINE BLUE 
239 
Larva. Soon after emergence the little larva bores into 
the centre of the blossom of the Kidney Vetch to feed on the 
green seed-pod. 
Hibernation is passed in the larval stage. During the 
middle of August it enters into torpidity; usually it conceals 
itself in the calyces of the flower cluster, or between them, 
also under the leaf-like bracts. It goes through complete 
hibernation, remaining motionless for seven months. After 
hibernation the larva readily devours the tender shoots of 
Clover. It attains full growth after the fifth moult, which 
occurs early in May, and when fully grown is ii'So mm. long. In 
shape and size it exactly resembles the larva of Maculinea 
avion. The very small, shining black head is set on a rather 
long, retractile neck, and often protrudes beyond the first 
segment while the larva is feeding or crawling, but is 
completely hidden under the segment while at rest. At 
both ends, the segments are overlapping and rounded, and 
each segment is boldly convex. The first anterior and last 
three segments are flattened and projecting ; the second to 
ninth are humped dorsally, with a slight medio-dorsal furrow ; 
the sides are sloping and the lateral ridge is dilated. The 
larva is rather densely sprinkled with finely-serrated, spinous 
hairs. On the first segment is a fan-shaped, whitish dorsal 
disc, studded with shining 
black processes and minute 
white hairs. The body is 
scattered with very small black 
lenticles. On the tenth seg¬ 
ment is a honey-gland very 
similar to that of the larva of 
Maculinea avion, and a re¬ 
tractile whitish tubercle on 
each side of the eleventh seg¬ 
ment. The colour is pale 
green, more or less tinged with 
ochreous, and there are darker 
green dorsal, sub-dorsal and 
lateral stripes. 
One larva fed entirely 
upon Furze blossoms since 
Larva of the Mazarine Blue, 275 
days old. 
