PIIILOSAMIA. 



89 



are reared in the East fur the sake of their silk. Successful 

 atlerni)ts have been made to introduce them into Europe and 

 America, and they are naturalised in some places, but the silk 

 is coarser than that of Bombyx mori, and is generally carded, 

 owing to the difficulty of winding it ; and it is, therefore, of 

 much less commercial value. 



Some African species allied to Aitacus, with falcate wings 

 and narrow lunules on the fore-wings, are provisionally referred 

 to Philosamia; while others, with broad, non-falcate wings and 

 oval vitreous spots form the genus Epiphora (Wallengren). 



THE ARRINDI SILKWORM MOTH. PHILOSAMIA LUNULA. 



{Plate CXV., Fig. i ; larva, Plate C XVIII., Fig. i.) 



Phalcena cytithia, Rochebrune (nee Drury), Trans. Linn. Soc. 



Lond., vii., p. 42 (1804). 

 Salurnia cynthia, Duncan in Jardine's Nat. Libr. Exot. Moths, 



p. 141, pi. 4, fig- I (1841)- 

 Attacus lunula, Walker, List Lepid. Ins. Brit. Mus., v., p. 1221, 



no. 18 (1855). 

 Saturnia arrindi, Royle, Rep. Paris Exhib., ni., p. 216 



(1856). ... 



Attacus ricini, Hutton, Journ. Agric. Hort. Soc. India, xni., 



p. 71 (1863). 

 PJdlosamia lunula, Butler, 111. Lepid. Heter. Brit. Mus., v., 



p. 60, pi 94, fig- I (1881). 

 This species measures four or five inches across the 

 wings, which are of a yellowish - olive, darkest towards the 

 base. The fore-wings are sub-falcate in the male, the hind 

 margin being much more concave than in the female; the 

 abdomen is very short, and the hind-wings are long, and 

 distinctly narrowed towards the anal angle ; in the female they 

 are broader. In the centre of each wing is a large white 



