102 HIPOCRITA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



district bounding on Syria, if this record is not erroneous. ■ — AVhile the specimens from near the northern 

 Ijoundary of the area (e. g. at Crefeld, in the Harz mountains and Northern Russia) are usually not larger 

 than domlmda, there occurs in the South at Digne, Clausen, in Dalmatia, etc., a large but otherw-ise not 

 mufiHii. different form, which has long appeared in collections and dealers' lists as magna. — In Syria, especially 

 fulgida. in the Lebanon, at Adana, etc., a similar form occurs, as large as magna, this is f ulgida Ofcer//i. (18 f). 

 which is distinguished by the narrow stripes of the fore\\'ing and especially by the fier}- red colom- of the 

 hindwing. wliich is much deeper than in magna; moreover, the black spots on the hindwing are larger. — 

 The red colour of the hindwing may also turn to orange; this form, which occurs especially in Brittany, 

 ^hdescens ^^ called ah. saturnina Oberth. (18 f). It forms a transition to the foim ab. lutescens .S^^r. (18 f), like^\i"s8 

 not uncomon in Northern France, but occurring also elsewhere, with strong stripes on the forwing and 

 light yellow hindwing. — A varying reduction in the white stripes of the forewing has repeatedl}- been 

 observed and has given occasion for proposing various names {nigricans Kemijnij, medionigra Spul., perfusca 

 Bast., costimacula Spul.). Lastly the stripes of the forewing may be present, but changed in colour; tliis 

 cens. ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ i'^ ^^- brunnescens Spul. — Larva dark brown-grey, with orange warts and dorsal spots and 

 brown and rather short hair; fine yellow irroration laterally; head black. Hibernatts when young, and 

 lives until June on low-growing plants, but also likes to feed on tender shoots of oak. Pupa dark brown, 

 in a loose cocoon. The moths appear at the end of Jul}^ or in August, and fly in daytime in quarries and 

 rocky places. In some years they are exceedingly abundant; they visit Umbelhfers, Scabious, Watermint, 

 Echium and other flowers, especially at brook-sides. In the North of their area they are becoming rarer 

 in many localities, or are on the verge of extinction, e. g. at Frankfurt a. M., Mainz, Darmstadt, Hamburg, 

 St. Petersburg, etc. 



menlriesi. C. menetriesi £r. (18 f). Forewing black with yellow radial streaks several times interrupted. Hind- 



wing orange, with the black veins partly much broadened. Head, collar and costal margin of hind^^•ing 

 purple-red. From Sungary. 



plagialu. C. plagiata TP'aZfc. (18 g). Head and thorax yellow marked with blacldsh brown; abdomen yellow 



with black bands. Forewing dark black-groen with very dense white spots in the outer half, the basal half 

 more sparsely covered with oval ivory spots. Hindwing bright yellow, with very variable black markings. 

 In the Himalayas, from Kashmir to South China, common in many localities. 



Iii>:trio. C. histrio Walk. (IS g). Like the preceding species in colour, but the white spots are arranged dif- 



ferently in the outer portion of the forewing; the four apical spots small, not forming a regular row with 

 the subapical band of spots. In North and Central China and Corea. 



piiiii'iiiaU>:. C. principalis A'o/L (18 g). Forewing metalhc blackish green, with dispersed yellow or ivory-white 



spots; hindwing bright yellow, with black spots before the margin and at the apex of the cell, and also 

 as in meneiriesi traversed by broad black veins. In facies resembling the preceding forms, but at once 

 distinguished by the blood-red body being broadly marked with black dorsally. In Kashmir, widely distributed 

 ycgatis. in the Himalayas; the lighter and larger form regalis Leech extends as far as Ciiina. In the smaller fedt- 

 , /| ." schenkoi ^'r.-r/rA7(., from Pamir, the spots on the forewing are paler, the liindwing also hght yellow, the 

 veins black-brown without any dark shading. 



(■(Iiiilitlh. C. equitalis A'o//. (18 g). Body as in the preceding species, to which it is closely alhed, blood-red 



with black markings; but the forewing spotted with white to a very variable degree, and the hindwing 

 with white ground-colour, bearing sometimes more, sometimes less numerous grey-brown spots. Kashmir; 

 distributed over a large part of the Himalayas, and especially in the northern valleys, as far as Sikkim 

 in India; not rare. 



8. Subfamily: Nyctemerinae. 



This group, tlie chief genus of which is the Indo-Auslralian-Africaii Nuctemera. is by many autliors 

 considered a separate family, but by others placed with the Arctiids, especially with the Lilhosiinae. Heeeich- 

 ScHAFFER first placed the species of his genus Nyctemera with the Liparids, but they had to be separated 

 from the latter on account of their ocelli. They may, however, be regarded as transitional forms in as much 

 as similar tufts of hair as those of the larvae of Liparids have been observed in the Nyctemerids. They are 

 distinguished from the larvae of Arctiids by the otherwise rather sparse hair. In contradistinction to the poly- 

 phagous Arctiinac they are usually monophagous. I found the larva of the Australian N. conica only on Senecio, 

 and only Senecio is mentioned for A', annidala from New Zealand. The venation is distinguished by 

 an areole in the forewing. The moths are conspicuous in colour, and like many protected insects fly by day 

 in the sunshine. 



72. Genus: Hi|)Ocrita Hbn. 



This genus only contains one species, which is at the same time the only species of Nyctemerinae 

 which is a member of the European fauna. The moderately small moth is bright red; head rather large, 

 with flat frons, large eyes, quite short and porrect palpi, aborted tongue and the antennae with very 



