

 PLUME-MOTHS OF CEYLON. .'}5 



vulgaris, and is described as " pale bluish-green ; dorsal linebroad, 



darker; subdorsal yellow- whitisli ; head brown, blackish -marked." 



Observation 1. — There is a great deal of variation in this species :— 



(1) In Colour. — A specimen from Galle in my collection is almost 

 pure white and another from Trincomalee has the ground-colour 

 almost white ; examples from Madulsima and Maskeliya are 

 coloured a pale yellowish -gray of a tint identical with that seen in a 

 specimen from Silesia ; whilst two individuals from Pattipola and 

 Nuwara Eliya are decidedly a dark gray, the second segment of the 

 fore wing much suffused with fuscous. 



(2) In Size. — Also similar differences exist. The specimens from 

 Galle and Trincomalee expand only 13 and 15 mm. respectively; 

 Madulsima examples range from 15 to 17 mm. ; five from Maskeliya 

 are 16, 17, 17, 18, and 22 mm. ; two from Pattipola are 18 and 21 

 mm. ; and one from Nuwara Eliya attains 22 mm. : Meyrick and 

 Zeller give 18-19 mm. as the expanse of European examples, and 

 my Silesian specimen expands 21 mm. 



It will be noted that there is a marked increase in the depth of 

 colour and in the size of the specimens as their localities vary from 

 the coast region to the montane district. As regards the latter 

 point it is paralleled in other species, and I have especially drawn 

 attention to it in the case of Steganodactyla concursa. 



Observation 2. — Some authors have lately identified this species 

 with Treitschke's Septodactyla, which name they then give priority ; 

 but, as this moth has been known all over Europe for the last fifty 

 years under the name of Lienigianus, I fail to see the utility of 

 altering Zeller's name for another, whose accuracy is at least doubtful. 



Pterophorus sematias, Meyr. 

 T. E. S., 1907, 496. 



Distribution. — Maskeliya. The unique type-specimen was taken 

 in October. 



Observation. — Except for the ochreous- white ground-colour of the 

 fore wings, the description of the type of this species seems to ajmly 

 exactly to up-country specimens of P. lienigianus , of which I am 

 inclined to think that sematias will prove to be only a form. 



ALUCITA, Linn. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



[Hind wing with a conspicuous black dot 



lj in centre of second segment . . melanopoda 



[Hind wing unspotted . . 2 



^[Ground-colour pure white . . rriveodactyla 



" Ground-colour pale yellowish-white .. candidalis 



