no. i. BOMBYCINE MOTHS OF NORTH AMERICA— PACKARD. 97 



Underside of the wings of a uniform pink gray, the pink deepest in hue on the hairy portion 

 of the inner edge of the hind wings. Only a faint diffuse line on the fore wings representing 

 the extradiscal line, but ending much farther from the apex on the outer fourth of the wing. 

 A similar shade crosses the hind wing where the ocellus would be if present. No distinct traces 

 of discal spots. 



Expanse of the fore wings, <? 78 mm. 



Length of a fore wing, d 40 mm. 



Breadth of a fore wing, <? 23 mm. 



Length of a hind wing, S 30 mm. 



Breadth of a hind wing, <? 23 mm. 

 Geographical distribution. — Vera Cruz, Mexico (G. Franck). 



AUTOMERIS Hubner. 



[Aulomeris Hubner, Verz. bek. Schmett., p. 154 (1822?).] 



[The type of the genus, according to W. F. Kihby (Cat. Lep. Het., I, p. 776), is the Neotropical A.janus Cramer. Grote 

 also so restricted it in 1874.] 



Imago. — S and 9. Head moderate in size; front subtriangular, rather closely cropped, 

 much more so than in Dirphia or Hemileuca. Male antennae well pectinated to the tip, but not 

 so subplumose or broad at the end as in Hemileuca and Pseudohazis; joints moderately long; 

 the pectinations not so regularly curved as in Hemileuca etc. ; distal pectinations long and slender, 

 two-thirds to three-fourths as long as the basal ones. In ? the joints are simple, about as long 

 as broad, with no teeth (vestiges of pectinations) , but bearing two or three lateral setse on each 

 side. Palpi distinct, porrect, well developed, the third joint distinct, reaching out as far as the 

 front, in some species extending beyond it, when denuded; the third joint is seen to be cylin- 

 drical, square at the end. 



Thorax clothed with rather dense scales, which are closely cropped, compared with the 

 species of Dirphia. 



Fore wings subfalcate; costa considerably arched; apex more pointed than usual; outer 

 edge nearly straight, only slightly excavated. Hind wings reaching either well beyond the 

 abdomen or only slightly beyond; apex rounded; outer edge full and convex, in A. io well 

 rounded. 



Abdomen not banded, and concolorous with the hind wings. 



The coloration in most of the species is very distinctive; the ground colors are reddish or 

 olive-green, tawny, or yellow. As a rule there is no discal ocellus on the upper side of the fore 

 wings, but on the underside it is very large and fully formed; it is represented above by two 

 rows of dark dots inclosing a slightly darker space, which is either irregularly oblong or roundish. 

 On the hind wings there is a very large distinct multicolored ocellus, and an outer black curved 

 extradiscal line, which is represented on the underside by a white dot. 



The sexes in some species, as A. io, are very unlike in ground color, the male being yellow, 

 while the female retains the generic hues. 



The genus is readily recognized by the subfalcate acute fore wings, and rounded hind wings, 

 while the discal ocellus of the hind wings is large and complete, there being none on the upper 

 side of the anterior pair, though there is a large one on the underside. 



Geographical distribution. — This genus, so abnormally rich in species, is characteristic of 

 Brazil and the forest region generally of South America, as well as Central America and Mexico, 

 while only a single species spreads over the eastern United States and Canada. 



AUTOMERIS IO (Fabricius). 

 Plate XIX, fig. 7; XX, fig. i; LIV, figs. 4 {varia), 5; LX, figs. 1-4; LXVIII, fig. 8. 

 [Bombyx io Fabricius, Syst. Ent., p. 560, a. 16 (1775).] 



Imago. — S , 9 . Body and wings of male bright ochreous yellow ; those of the 9 grizzly 

 rust-red, and thorax rust-red. Fore wings of <? not very sharp at the apex; a narrow oval 

 83570°— 14 7 



