PKOTOTIIEORrDiK. 229 



PUOTOTHEORID.E. 



' METATHEORA, n. g. 



Head sliortly rough-liaircd, posteriorly witli loug rough hairs, face 

 short; ocelli small, posterior; tongue rudimentary. Antennae in 

 (S under l, about 25-jointed, rather stout, tapering, slightly 

 tUxttened, moderately and evenly pubescent-ciliated over whole 

 surface. Labial palpi long, porreeted, wholly clothed with long 

 rougli spreading hairscales diminishing to apex, joints concealed. 

 Maxillary palpi short, filiform, 3-jointed, porreeted. Thorax 

 roughly haired, with posterior crest. Abdomen rather slender, in 

 (J with rather thick anal tuft. Legs rather long, slender, anterior 

 tibiti) and tarsi with a fringe of rough projecting hairscales beneath, 

 middle tibiae with long hairs above and two short ajncal spurs, 

 ])Osterior tibiic with median and apical pairs of moderate spurs. 

 Forewings formed as in Proiotheora, with membranous jugum; 

 neuration essentially as in Frototheora, 7 and 8 short-stalked, 

 9 and 10 long-stalked, 9 to apex, an additional branch (13) from 

 middle of 12. Hindwings nearly 1, oblong-ovate, cilia ?; neuration 

 as in Prototlieora. 



Distinguishable by the fringe of hairscales on anterior tarsi and 

 tibia). Mr. 11. J. Tillyard, in New tSouth Wales, being interested 

 by my notice of this family, was at pains to obtain some material 

 from South Africa for dissection, and I am indebted to him for the 

 communication of the following information, viz. (1) that theie 

 were two species probably confused under my description of 

 Frototheora petvosema ; I had myself suspected this, and have since 

 received further material representing four species in all, of which 

 the descriptions will appear presently in the Annals of the South 

 African Museum ; (2) that mandibles were present in both species, 

 minute and difficult of detection in petrosema proper, but in the 

 other species as large as in Micropteryx and very similar ; and 

 (3) that I had overlooked the presence of maxillary palpi concealed 

 between the hairs of the labial palpi, which I find to be correct. 

 It may be assumed, therefore, that mandibles are present in 

 Metatheora also, but I cannot ascertain this without the removal of 

 a palpus, which is not permissible in the case of a unique specimen 

 not belonging to me. 



Metatheora parachlora, u. sp. 

 S . 16 ram. Head, palpi, thorax fuscous finely sprinkled 

 whitish. Abdomen whitish-fuscous mixed fuscous. Forewings 

 elongate, costa slightly arched, apex obtuse, termen very obliquely 

 rounded ; light fuscous, some scattered dark fuscous scales, towards 

 dorsum and termen some scattered whitish scales; a rather narrow 

 somewhat paler band along dorsum and termen, terminal portion 

 attenuated to apex and edged anteriorly by a straight line of darker 



