LOXURA ALCIDES.
PLATE XXV. Fig. 3.
Pap. P. R. Alcides, Fabr. Mant.—Hesperia, R. Alcides, Fabr. Syst.—Pap. Alcides, Cramer, Pl. 96, fig. D, E.—Myrina Alcides, Godart.
Loxura includes a few species formerly referred to Myrina, and, like the latter, is distinguished from the allied genera by the extraordinary length of the palpi which rise conspicuously above the head, and are, in fact, nearly half the length of the antennæ. The wings are entire on the edges, and the hinder pair are prolonged each into a single tail, placed obliquely. The antennæ increase gradually towards the apex into a lengthened club, and all the ambulatory legs are of the same form in both sexes. The species represented is a native of Guinea. The extent of the wings is about an inch and three-quarters. On the upper side the wings are dark brown, sprinkled very thickly towards the base with shining violet-blue atoms, making the whole inner half of the wings appear of that colour, and the outer margin of the posterior pair behind the middle, as well as the lengthened tail, are of the same hue. Towards the extremity of the upper wings there is a transverse band of a rusty-red colour, but it is very indistinctly defined. Beneath, the colour is tan-brown as far as the middle of the wings, where there is a narrow yellow line running across the whole surface in the posterior, but abbreviated in the anterior, and placed rather beyond the middle, the space beyond this band covered with a kind of greyish dust. Body brown, the thorax clothed with hairs of the same colour as the base of the wings, antennæ blackish, annulated with white on the under side.
This is an African insect, and seems to be confined to the coast of Guinea. Pap. Corax of Cramer (Pl. 379, fig. D, E) seems to be a variety of the female. The individual figured by Boisduval (Spec. Gen. Pl. 22) appears to differ considerably from Cramer’s figures, as well as Fabricius’ and Godart’s description: it is represented as having a distinct ocellus at the base of the tail.
POLYOMMATUS MARSYAS.
PLATE XXVI. Figs. 1 and 2, Male.
Pap. Marsyas, Linn. Fair. Herbst. Pap. Pl. 296, fig. 1, 2; Cramer, Pl. 332, fig. A, B.—Polyommatus Marsyas, Godart.
Notwithstanding the numerous groups which have been recently withdrawn from this genus, it still includes a great variety of modifications of form which would amply justify further subdivision. Even the few examples which have been selected for illustration might afford the types of more than one group; but, for the reasons already mentioned, we prefer presenting them according to Latreille’s arrangement. Most of these insects are beneath the middle size, they are usually adorned with very beautiful colours on the surface, and ornamented with ocelliform spots beneath, a circumstance which has suggested the name. They are distinguished from the immediately preceding genera by having the palpi of ordinary length, or rather short, and all the legs complete, or adapted for walking, in both sexes. The group to which the first species represented belongs, has the costa of the upper wings more or less arched, particularly towards the base, and the hinder margin of the same wings is very slightly concave, especially in the male. The hinder wings have two linear narrow tails towards the anal angle. P. Marsyas is a native of Brazil, Guiana, and some other countries of South America. It is greenish-blue on the upper side, changing with the direction of the incident light into violet, the costa and apical angle of the upper wings widely black. Beneath the colour is lilac, glossy, with seven or eight small black spots, surrounded by a white circle, scattered over the disk of each wing; the anal angle bluish-green, with two short white transverse streaks and two pretty large black spots; tails black with the extremity white, the outer one about half the length of the other. Body blue above and whitish beneath. The antennæ, as in most of the Polyommati, are black with pale rings.
PLATE 26.
Lizars sc.