1910. J 209 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SMERINTHINE HAWKMOTH PROM 

 SOUTH APRICA. 



BY ROLAND TRIMEN, M.A., F.R.S. 



Family 8PHINGIBM. 



Sub-Family SMERINTHINE. 



Genus Platysphinx, Rothscli. & Jord. 



This genus was founded by Rothschild and Jordan in 1903 (Novit. 

 Zool., ix, p. 224) in their " Revision of the Family SpJiingidse," and 

 placed in immediate succession to their genus Pseudoclanis (the type 

 of which is Basiana ^^ostica, Walk.,* a well-known South- African 

 species). Platysphinx is diagnosed by its fotmders as " a derivation 

 from a form similar to Pseudoclanis postica, differing in the shorter 

 tongue, the longer tibiae, the absence of the proximal pair of hind 

 tibial spurs, the not prolonged serrated cilia of the $ antennae, &c." 



The new species of Platysphinx here described is wanting in the 

 general prevalence of yellow colouring which marks its nearer known 

 congeners ; and, as Dr. Jordan has been so kind as to point out to me, 

 the very striking colour feature of the red upper surface of the hind- 

 wings is among allied forms found to exist only in Pseudoclanis 

 Jcarschi, R. & J. {I.e., p. 220). 



Platysphinx bourkei, s^j. nov. 



? . Exp. al., 4" 9"'. 



Fore-wing : rather dull greyish-brown, closely and minutely irrorated with 

 ochre-yellow (especially at and beyond middle) ; outer area to hind margin 

 broadly shaded with dark brown ; at base two hirsute ochre-yellow spots, the 

 iipper one larger than the lower ; on costa, immediately before apex, a good 

 sized roughly triangular ill-defined blackish spot, sparsely irrorated (except on 

 its edges) with pale ashy-grey. Hind-iving : dull purplish-red, except for a 

 rather broad inner-marginal and anal-angular area, which is of the same dull 

 greyish-brown as the fore-wing, with minute yellowish irroration ; at base a 

 small space clothed with whitish hair ; immediately beyond this a large roughly 

 ovate ocellate spot, black, centred by a narrow elongate streak of pale ashy- 

 grey. Cilia in both wings ochre-yellow, with narrow dark brown nervular 

 interruptions, except near and at anal angle of hind-wing where it becomes 

 brown mixed with whitish. 



Under-side : paler ; the yellow irroration lighter bixt more evenly inter- 

 mixed witli dark bro-Nvn scales over entire hind- wing, and also over fore-wing, 

 except from base lietween siibcostal nervure and inner margin to beyond the 



* List Lep. Brit. Mus., pt. viii, p. 237 (18.56). 



