354 



NOVITATES ZOOLOQICAE XXIV. 1917. 



yellow in ground-colour than Asia Minor and Persian turcica Led. All the Bhda 

 Notolophiis oi this group I liave seen belong to splendida, both my three and those 

 collected by Captain Holl and Dr. Nissen. I collected a large number of cocoons 

 in 1908 at Blida les Glaci^rcs, but they all emerged on our journey home and 

 spoiled themselves except the three enumerated below. 



1 <J, 1 9 " Mauretania," Grum-Gshimailo coll. 



3 3S Bhda les Glacieres, W. R. and K. J. (ex larva, larvae June 1908). 



2 Environs de Batna, Djebel Ichali, May 1912, Nelva. 



60. Notolophus splendida orana PoweU. 



Orgyia dubia orana Powell in Obeithiir, Etud. Lipid. Corny. Fasc. XII. pp. 264, 265 (1916) (Djebel 

 Amour, Sebdou). 



There are no specimens of this form at Tring. 



61. Notolophus panlacroixii Oberth. 



Orgyia -panlacroixii Oberthiir, Elud. ErUom. liv. i. p. 41. pi. iii. f. 5 (1876) (Tuelagh). 



On page 273 Mr. Oberthiir states that no entomologist had remarked about 

 the discrepancy between the figure of this insect and the description (due to 

 grease), and draws the conclusion, to fit his theory as to name-vaUdity and figures, 

 that no one reads descriptions when a figure exists. This is a most unjust 

 deduction to make in this instance, as I will endeavour to explain. 



The type of N. panlacroixii collected by Mr. Gaston Allard has remained 

 unique to the present day, in spite of the extensive collecting in Algeria during 

 the forty-one years since its capture. This being the case, it is evident that no 

 entomologist was lUiely to spend much time over either plate or description as 

 soon as he found that any specimens he had were not panlacroixii. 



I, however, wish to point out one fact connected with this group of Notolophus. 

 When comparing my series with those in the British Museum, I examined a long 

 series of Notolophus leechi Kirby {prisca Leech nee Staudinger) from West China 

 which had been in the Leech collection and included Kirby's type. I found in 

 these that the two transverse lines on the disc of the forcwing, which resemble 

 those of panlacroixii in some specimens by being joined at the inner margin, are 

 very variable. In some they are wide apart, as in auceps, at the inner margin, 

 while in others they gradually converge till they become joined on the inner 

 margin ; between these extremes there is a complete intergradation. This 

 being the case with leechi, it is in my opinion quite conceivable that panlacroixii 

 is only an aberrant specimen of the local race of trigotephras, though a long 

 series with intergradations would be required to prove it. 1 therefore must for 

 the present treat this insect as a distinct species. 



62. Notolophus trigotephras anceps Oberth. 



Orgyia anceps Oberthiir, Etud. Entom. liv. ix. p. 37. pi. iii. f. 5 (1884) (Tangier). 



This race appears confined to Tangier, and the Tring Museum has no speci- 

 mens. 



