1915.] 11 



Fore-wings rather broad behind, casta without fold, almost straight, apex 

 bliintly rounded, hind margin slightly oblique ; fuscous brown, thickly dusted 

 with small yellow scales, giving a distinctly yellow brown appearance to the 

 whole wing ; dorsal blotch, when visible, faintly paler than ground Go\om\pyri- 

 form, the apex pointing to the third costal spot from apex of wing, its inner 

 margin being well rounded, its outer margin at first straight, then slightly hollowed 

 to apex ; costal dots seven, yellowish white, short, not produced, inter-spaces 

 dark fuscous ; three or four roixnd black dots before hind margin, of which two 

 are usiially more conspic\ious ; cilia shining, whitish, darker tipped ; hind-wings 

 fuscous, cilia pale. Under-side of both wings leaden-white, costal dots dull white. 



This species may most easily be distingiiished from plumbana by the absence 

 of leaden metallic lines roiind the ocellus, and from saturnana by the dorsal 

 blotch, which in that species is wider on dorsal margin and definitely constricted 

 on both sides beneatli the ai^ex. 



<J genitalia. Valva short, with large roimded cucullus heavily folded verti- 

 cally ; costa in-curved ; sacculus not free, deeply eiuarginate before the cucullus ; 

 uncus not produced ; tegiimen pointed, gnathos and socii absent ; aedoeagus 

 cardinate, slender ; cornuti about 12, sheddable, long tapered studs with long 

 heels, socketed into the vesica ; anellus lobes large, ovate, spatulate, set on inner 

 margins with strong scobinations which gradually diminish towards the oiiter 

 (ventral) edges. 



Type, ^ , Coll. Pierce. 



Specimens examined 2 : (^ ; Pierce Coll., 1 ; Pierce Coll. ex 

 Coll. Tlirelfall (under the name tanaceti) 3 ; Metcalfe Coll. ex Coll. 

 ThrelfaU, 4. 



The insect belongs to a difficult group, and one hard to describe. 

 Only two other species with an unfolded costa have been recognised 

 in Britain, from both of which the genitalia prove the present one to 

 be perfectly distinct. Specimens will probably be found in many 

 collections under the name of plumbana or of mtiirnana. 



The following description of the larva of pomedaxana was made 

 by Messrs. Studd and Bower in 1902 : — 



About I inch long ; dark green. On the 4th and 5th segments are two 

 black spots forming a colon, and beneath them two smaller spots placed 

 transversely ; on all other segments except the anal are two large black spots 

 like a colon with one small spot beneath. Head yellowish -green ; plate on 

 2nd segment of a colour between that of the head and body, slightly darkened 

 on each side and a black spot (sometimes absent) on the front of the plate ; 

 legs black ; claspers unicolorous with the body, the last pair having, in some 

 cases, a black spot. A few pale hairs are emitted from each segment except 

 the head. Larva rolled in cigar-shaped leaves on both apple and oak. 



December 16th, 1914. 



