NOVITATES ZOOLOC.ICAE XXIV. I !)1 7. 463 



ON THE GENEEA MELANOTHRIX, DREPANOJANA, M ELAN ER- 

 GON, PARACYDAS, COTANA, HYPERCYDAS, EPICYDAS, 

 AND NERVICOMPRESSA OF THE FAMILY EUPTEROTIDAE 

 WITH DESCEIPTIONS OF NEW FORMS. 



By lord ROTHSCHILD, F.R.S., Ph.D. 



(Plates XI, XII) 



THESE genera have been founded on a number of Indo-Malayan and Papuan 

 insects which form a very homogeneous group together with Lasictnorpha 

 Joicey and Noakes, and are placed by modern workers at the head of the 

 Eupterotidae. But in spite of numerous indices all pointing to the fact, it has 

 not hitherto been realised that all the species contained in these genera are 

 dimorphic in a most extreme manner, with the exception of the single species 

 of Melanergon. Of LasiomorpJia we only know 3 specimens of 2 species, all 3 (J<J. 



Melanothrix was erected by Felder (in the Erkldrung dcr Tajtln, LXXV- 

 CVII, page 6, Reise der Novara Zoologischer Tlieil, J5and II, Abthcilurg 2), for 

 the species he called piilchricohr from Java, but no diagnosis was given (for 

 the latter refer to Hampson, Fauna of Brilish India, Moths, vol. i. p. 44). 



The following names and descriptions have been published : nymphaliaria 

 Wallc, pulchricolor Feld., coryna Swinh., atwpurpurea Auriv., liucotrigona 

 Hmpsn., nicevillei Hmpsn., homochroa Griinb., radiata Giiinb., lativiltata 

 Griinb., jumosa Swinh., alternans Pagenst., and xanthomelas Griinb. Of these 

 coryna Swinh. { = atroptirjmrea Auriv.) is the (J of nymphaliaria Walk. 

 ( = pulckricolor Feld.) and this species must stand thus: 



Melanothrix nymphaliaria nymphaliaria (Walk.) 



Gnophos? nymphaliaria Walker, Cat. Lepid. Ins. Brit. Mus. vol. xxx. 5. p. 1598 (1806) (Java). 

 Melanothrix pulchricolor Felder, Reise d. Novara Lepid. IV. t. 94. f. 2. Erkl, Taf. p. 6 (Java). 

 Melanothrix atropurpurea Aurivillius, Entom. Tidskr. 1894. p. 175. No. 15 (Java). 

 Melanothrix coryna Swinhoe ? 



There are two other subspecies of this species which I describe as new, as 

 f oUows : 



Melanothrix nymphaliaria albidior subsp. nov. 



$ differs from n. nymphaliaria in the much greater extent of white on the 

 wings and the greater extent of yellow on the sides of the abdomen. 



On the forewings black of the outer one-third of the wing does not extend 

 inwards nearly so far along, and between veins 2, l,and inner margin, also in the 

 basal two-thirds of wing, the black colour between veins 4 and the inner margin 

 towards basal one-third is much reduced. On the hindwing the outer black 

 area is only two-thirds as wide as in n. nymphaliaria. 



Habitat. Fort de Kock, West Sumatra, 1 ?. 



