Mr. J. 0. Westwood on new species of Saturnia. 301 



This species seems to approach near, if indeed it does not belong 

 to the subgenus Hyperchiria of Hiibner (Verzeichniss, p. 155), Jo, 

 Boisduval, the species of which are especially American. The trans- 

 formations of one of the species {Saturnia Metzli from Mexico) have 

 been recently illustrated by M. Salle, in the ' Revue de Zoologie,* 

 2nd series, tom. v. (1853) p. 171. pi. 5. 



Saturnia? Pluto, Westw. S. alls luridis, cinereo-fuscis, fusco 

 badioque transversim suhfasciatis, absque ocellis et lunulis vitreis, 

 anticis sub apicem emarginatis ; posticis elongatis et in caudam 

 latam mediocrem exlus oblique extensam, 2)roductis. 



Expans. alar, antic, unc. 5. 



Hab. in partibus calidioribus Americse Meridionalis, Venezuela. 

 In Mus. Westw. 



The general colour of the wings of this species is dark brown, with 

 a purplish leaden kind of gloss ; the fore wings are traversed towards 

 the base (which is of a rich chestnut colour) by two nearly straight 

 chestnut fasciae, followed by a shorter one of the same colour cover- 

 ing the transverse veinlets at the extremity of the discoidal cell, a 

 short distance beyond which is another straight fascia of the same 

 colour ; half way between which and the tip of the wing are two dull 

 sooty fasciae, diffused towards the costa, and condensed in the middle 

 of the wing into two closely approximated strigee ; beyond the outer 

 of these strigse the broad margin of the wing is chestnut-brown, the 

 spaces between the veins being of a greyer tint ; the hind wings are 

 of a more uniform brown colour, with a broad darker brown central 

 fascia, and the wide outer margin redder brown, preceded by a grey- 

 ish cloud. The fore wings are somewhat falcate, being truncate at 

 the tip, with a rather deep emargination below the extremity ; the 

 hind wings are elongated, the anal angle rounded off, and the outer 

 margin is produced into a wide tail three-quarters of an inch long, 

 extending outwardly ; the outer margin between the tail and the outer 

 angle has two moderately deep and wide emarginations. The body 

 is small and slender, of an uniform greyish brown colour, without a 

 distinctly coloured grey fascia in front of the thorax. 



The antennae in the only specimen I have seen (which I believe is 

 a female, notwithstanding the slenderness of the body) are rather 

 short, and composed of forty -two short joints, each producing two 

 short pectinations on each side ; these pectinations gradually decrease 

 in length from the base to the extremity, where the antennae are quite 

 thin and acute. The palpi are rather broad, and the spiral maxillae 

 are distinct, but very slender and weak. 



The costal vein of the fore wings extends about three-fifths of the 

 length of the costa ; the postcostal vein emits a branch at about one- 

 third of the length of the wing, which runs close behind the costal 

 and beyond it almost to the tip of the wing ; the discoidal cell ex- 

 tends rather more than one-third of the length of the wing ; it ter- 

 minates transversely, the postcostal vein emitting a second branch at 

 its anterior termination; this second branch is furcate at a short 

 distance beyond the cell, the upper division of the fork extending to 



