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24. Nearcha pseudophaes Lower. 



The species was described from two cj c? from Blackwood, S. Australia (cf. 

 Trans. Roy. Soc. South Australia 1893. p. 15.5). A series of nineteen specimens 

 lately received from Roebonrne and Sherlock River, West Anstralia, shows the 

 species to be an extraordinarily variable one, so mnch so that at first there ap])eared 

 to be three or four species quite separate. Two only answer to the original 

 description. The rest vary as follows : the discal spot of forewings is sometimes 

 large with thick brown edge, sometimes quite small and hardly j)erccjitible ; the 

 marginal field, unmarked in the typical form, is sometimes filled by two rows of 

 grey well-marked blotches, containing between them a pale regularly waved 

 submarginal line, the veins being also paler ; the two, inner and outer, lines of 

 dark spots with their accompanying pale edge and rufous shading, as mentioned by 

 Lower, sometimes are quite wanting or represented only liy a single pale outer line, 

 which in two specimens is edged inwardly by a distinct black liue ; some specimens 

 show a distinct pink tinge throughout. For the specimens without markings 

 I propose the aberrational name innotata ; for those with the markings of the 

 marginal area well developed, which are generally darker and more dusted, the 

 name notata ; while those which are marked by a strong black line may be 

 called strigata. One specimen (a ? ) combines the notata and strigata forms to an 

 extreme degree, the outer line being thick and diffusely blackish, followed by a 

 bright rufous edge. In size the S S vary from ^1 to 32 mm., the ? ? being 

 generally 32 mm., or even larger. All alike have the vertex pale stone-colour, 

 with a rufous tint, and the undersides are exactly alike, but as a rule paler in the 

 ? ? than in the 3S. 



Subfamily DYSPHANIINAE. 

 2.5. Dysphania auroguttata sji. nov. 



Forewings : dark purple ; a faintly paler streak from base below the median ; 

 an anteraedian broad hyaline white band of three spots : that in cell quadrate, the 

 middle one below the median triangular, the lowest small and wedge-shaped, with 

 the edge of the basal area jirojccting coiiically into it ; cell-spot large and sub- 

 quadrate, followed by two small faint bluish spots ; a submarginal series of seven 

 bluish white spots, the upper three elongate, the fifth below the cell blotch ; all the 

 veins purple across the spots. 



Ilindwiiigs : with the base and more than the marginal half deep purple ; the 

 intervening area hyaline white, projecting at middle into the dark marginal area, 

 where the veins and cell-spots are dark purple ; eight submarginal golden yellow 

 spots ; the upper two oval, separated by vein 6, the middle two towards hindmargin 

 and widely sejiarate, one on each side of vein 4, the 5th subquadrate, 6fh elongate, 

 7th and ^th small, these last four close together. 



Underside with all the spots larger and plainer. 



Face grey-brown ; vertex darker ; shoulders purple brown ; collar paler ; thorax 

 and patagia grey-brown, the latter whitish at base ; alidomen sandy ochreous, with 

 the segmental rings whitish and a praeaual purplish baud. 



Antennae jmrple with a paler basal joint ; tuft of hindlegs dark purple. 



Ex])anse of wings : 78 mm. 



Two c?cJ from Sula Mangoli (Platen) ls94. 



