64 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. vol. xii, 



A remarkable species, as its discal spots are so highly specialized and so different from 

 those of its ally, S. lola. 



Rothschild states S. megastica is only a variety of S. thespis. 



[A penciled note is added by Dr. Packard at the top of the sheet, stating that this species 

 is not a Salassa.] 



Geographical distribution. — Cherra pungi, Assam, (Ernest Swinhoe) . 



MELANOCERA Sonthonnax. 



Plate XXXVII (M. menippe); CVII, figs, c-e, 



Saturnia Westwood, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1849, p. 43. 



Antheraea Walker, Cat. Lep. Het. Brit. Mus., V, p. 1243, 1855. 



Antheraea Kirby, Syn. Cat. Lep. Het., I, p. 758, 1892. 



Nudaurelia Rothschild, Novitates Zoologicse, II, p. 43, 1895. 



Melanocera Sonthonnax, Annales Laboratorie d'Etude de la Soie, X, p. 58, 1901. 



Imago. — One o" , one 9 . Head moderately prominent; front moderately wide and square, 

 the sides parallel, the labial region broad, and the surface full and convex ; the vestiture rather 

 closely cropped. Eyes moderately large. Antennae widely pectinated to the tip, not sub- 

 plumose; the branches being stiff, curved, but not ciliated as in Nudaurelia; in 9 pectinated, 

 the branches longer than usual; joints over 40 in number (Sonthonnax). Palpi rather broad, 

 reaching to but not passing beyond the front; the hairs long and irregular in length, those of 

 the third joint not distinct from the second. Maxillae not visible. Thorax and body stout, 

 the vestiture of the former rather long and shaggy, but of the abdomen short and close. 



Fore wings, broad, not falcate as in Bunaea, but more as in Nudaurelia, though less sub- 

 falcate and subacute; costa slightly arched toward the apex, which is somewhat rectangular; 

 outer edge slightly convex. Hind wings full and rounded on the outer edge; apex and inner 

 edge full and rounded. 



Venation: Differing from that of Nudaurelia (N. cyiherea) in the first subcostal vein (ILJ 

 being short and arising far beyond that of III! ; the discal cell is much shorter than in Nudaurelia 

 cyiherea, the discocellulars being within the middle of the wing; thai of the hind wing much 

 as in Nudaurelia. 



Markings: Ground color reddish crimson, with white basal and extradiscal lines; ocelli 

 in wings of both pairs large, a large black center encircled with white, the center with no clear 

 spot. A white band on the collar. 



This genus may be recognized by the widely and stiffly pectinated black antennae; the 

 branches extending to the tip, and not ciliated as they are in Nudaurelia, and those of the ? 

 well pectinated to the tip. The third palpal joint is not distinct, but nearly concealed by the 

 hairs of the end of the second joint. The fore wings are not even subfalcate; the apex is 

 squarish, the outer edge a little convex; the hind wings are full and rounded; both the apex 

 and inner angle rounded. It differs from Nudaurelia hi the 6" antennae not being subplumose; 

 those of the 9 being well pectinated, while the wings differ in shape as already stated. The 

 genus is evidently an offshoot of and nearly related to Nudaurelia. 



The characters given by Sonthonnax are simply (except the antennal ones) based on the 

 markings, the ocelli and liues, and are necessarily superficial; the differences in the venation 

 of the fore wings being very marked, though only one 9 was examined. Sonthonnax enumer- 

 ates three species, of none of which the larva is known. 



The antennae of the 9 I have examined are broken off, leading, however, two or three basal 

 joints, with rather long branches. Sonthonnax's figure of M. sufferti 9 is figured with branches 

 but a little shorter than in the male, and extending to the tip. 



Geographical distribution. — Southern and central Africa, including the upper Congo region. 

 The commonest species (menippe) occurs in Natal and the Transvaal; M. sufferti at Lake 

 Victoria Nyanza and Lake Tanganika, while M. nereis inhabits the upper Congo region. 



[The type of the genus is M. menippe (Westwood). Rothschild has described a subsp. 

 umosa of menippe from East Africa. At. parva Rothschild, 1907 (Nov. Zool. 1908, PI. IX, 

 fig. 8), is from Angola. Wichgraf in 1911 published M. menippe ab. habenichti and ab. transiens.] 



