no. i. BOMBYCINE MOTHS OF NORTH AMERICA— PACKARD. 95 



MICRATTACUS NANUS Walker. 



Mierattueus nanus Walker, Cat. Lep. Het. Br. Mus., VI, p. 1335, No. 1, 1855. 



Mierattacus nanus Kirby [Cat. Lep. Het., I, p. 774]. 



Hylesia dissimilis Herrich-Schaeffer, Sammlung Aussereur. Schmett., p. 60, <J , figs. 491, 492, 9 , 493, 1856. 



Mierattacus nanus Rothschild, Nov. Zool., II, p. 50, 1895. 



Imago. — One j , one 9 . Head, body, and wings pink-brown, tbe thorax has a darker 

 velvet-brown patch on the prothorax, greatly contracting between the fore wings, and widening 

 again to the abdomen, the basal ring of which is dark, the remainder paler brown than the 

 wings. Fore wings with a faint dislocated basal line, a little nearer the discal spot than the 

 base of the wing. Extradiscal line firm, not wavy, but extending forward in an oblique course 

 and disappearing before reaching the apex. Discal spot a large oval, peculiarly hoary, tawny 

 spot, with an eccentric darker dot. An obscure dark shade, zigzag on the outer edge, just 

 beyond the extradiscal fine. Hind wings of the same hue as the fore wings, but the outer edge 

 more reddish-ochreous, and containing a faint, diffuse, submarginal line. Discal spot not so 

 large as on the fore wings, but dull ochreous yellow, and centered by a dark spot. 



Beneath the discal spot on the hind wing is one-half as large as above; that on the fore 

 wings is obsolete; the fore wings are paler on the posterior half and the hind wings with more 

 decided yellow and ruddy hues on the outer edge than above. 



Expanse of the fore wings, <? 39 mm.; 9 49 mm. 



Length of fore wing, c? 20 mm.; 9 25 mm. 



Breadth of fore wing, jlOmm.; 9 12mm. 



Length of hind wing, <?15mm.; 9 17 mm. 



Breadth of hind wing, S 10 mm.; 9 11^ mm. 

 Female. — Very closely resembling Hylesia nigricans, having the same cut of the fore and 

 hind wings, the same dark brown hue, discal spots and line. Body and wings dark umber 

 brown, abdomen tawny brown; the thorax darker than the wings. No distinct basal line; a 

 roundish dark umber discal discoloration just beyond which is an oblique but not wavy extra- 

 discal line, nearly parallel with the outer edge of the wing. Hind wings with a very faint small 

 discal spot and a submarginal indistinct diffuse wavy shade. Apex of the fore wings, beneath 

 as well as above, tawny yellow; wings beneath slightly paler than above, but the discal spots 

 smaller and less distinct. 



This is one of the smallest forms of the family, and in its shape it recalls the genus Attacus. 

 Its pink-brown body and wings, the large velvety-brown patch on the thorax, and the large 

 ocelli in each wing give it a peculiar facies. It is, with Sagana, the South American ally of a 

 number of forms belonging to a side group which characterizes the South African fauna, the 

 ocelli, however, being more normal than in the other genera. 



Geographical distribution. — Thus far this species has only been collected at Rio Janeiro, 

 though in the Edwards coDection of the American Museum of Natural History at New York 

 there is one from "Caruvado, Brazil." I am indebted to Mr. William Schaus for the example 



described. 



MICRATTACUS VIOLASCENS Maass. and Wern. 



Mierattacus violascens Rothschild, I.e. 



Mierattacus bulxa Maass. and Wern. is a true Aulomeris (cf. Rothschild, 1. c). 



PROTAUTOMERIS Packard. 



[Protautomeris Packard, Jn. N. Y. Ent. Soc. XI (1903), p. 254.] 



Imago. — <? . Head moderately broad, narrowing somewhat toward the labial region. 

 Antennae of <? much as in Dirphia (D. Ticegei), not very long but differing from DirpMa in the 

 extreme tip being subfiliform; the distal pectinations about three-quarters as long as the basal 

 ones; the joints in the middle of the antennas rather short. 



Palpi stout, porrect, slightly exceeding the front, and with close scales; third joint distinct, 

 but short and somewhat depressed. 



Thorax stout, with a few fine slender but long hair-like scales, i. e., flattened hairs, on each 

 side of the patagia. 



