This is the smallest specimen of blue butterfly found in Teneriffe,
being not quite one inch in expanse. The female is rather a browner
blue than the male. The colouring on the upperside is of a most
beautiful uniform blue, all the wings having a margin of brown; and a
slight white fringe at the edges. The underside of all the wings is
grey, rather freely dotted over with darker spots, encircled by greyish
white. It is very commonly found on all grassy fields and lanes, and
quantities flutter quickly along the grass-grown streets of Orotava
from April to August.
It is not an inhabitant of England, but is found in the south of
France, Spain, greater part of Africa, Western Asia, and the East
Indies. The caterpillar and chrysalis have not been observed.
LYCÆNA ASTRARCHE v. ÆSTIVA.