Page:Jardine Naturalist's Library Foreign Butterflies.djvu/248

192 POLYOMMATUS ENDYMION.

PLATE XXVI. Figs. 3, 4, Fem.

Pap. P. R. Endymion, Fabr. Herbst. Pap. Pl. 298, fig. 1, 2. Pap. regalis, Cramer, Pl. 72. fig. E, F. (Fem).

outline of this richly ornamented insect perfectly corresponds to that of the preceding species, except that the hinder margin of the upper wings is scarcely concave. The whole disk is very brilliant blue with a tinge of green, surrounded by a black border, which is wide and sinuated on its inner edge in the female, and narrow in the other sex. The anal angle of each of the hinder wings bears a large blood-red mark, and the tails are black tipped with white. On the under side the green hue predominates, and the whole is thickly powdered as it were with gold dust, giving it a very rich appearance. Near the middle both wings are traversed by a distinct black line, angular posteriorly, and bordered externally by pale blue: behind this, on the under wings, there is a broad deep red or ferruginous band, paler towards its hinder edge and sprinkled with blue atoms: the outer margin of all the wings is darker than the interior. Expansion of the wings about two inches.