ORGYIA. By Dr. E. Strand. 119 



stones. The moth is on the wing in June and July, it has so far only been found in Corsica and does not seem 

 to be common. 



0. dubia Tavsch. (19 e). ^: Forewing bright j'ellow, with three dark brown transverse bands, the dnhia. 

 central one of which is forked anteriorly; the inner one of the two branches does not reach the costal margin, 

 the outer one is strongly excurved. The proximal transverse band is elbowed beyond the centre and ex- 

 curved in the centre; in the basal area a round dark spot. Hindwing dark brown with orange-yellow triangidar 

 transverse median area. In South Russia, Eastern Siberia, Armenia, Transca.spia, Kara-Kum, Tian-Shan, 

 Tarbagatai district. — judaea Stgr. (19 c), in which the median area is broader and whitish yellow, occurs judaea. 

 in Palestine, Egypt and Eastern Mauretania, while var. splendida Ramb., distributed in Spain, Sicily and East- splendida. 

 ern Mauretania, is distinguished by the brighter yellow colouring and larger size, the body of this form is also 

 yellow, while in the main form it is dark brown with a yellow tip. The $ of var. splendida is figured as grey 

 with a yellowish sheen and reddish dots. — In Asia Minor and Aimenia occurs var. turcica Led., which turcica. 

 closely resembles splendida, but the black bands of the forewing are narrower and quite interrujited in places. 

 — A form occurring in Syria and Mauretania in which the forewing is black with yellow spots, these being 

 the remnants of the bands, is described as josephina Aust. (19 e). — Another foriu, interrupta Gr.-Grsh., is jo.wphhm. 

 lighter than true dubia, the black marginal band is very narrow, the sublimbal band is interrupted before the '"tfrupta. 

 discocellular spot, the latter merging together with the posterior half of the band; from Turkestan. — Fischer 

 de Waldheim figures a form from Sarepta as seleniaca, which, if the figure is correct, strongly de- ftrlcninca. 

 viates from the true dubia; it is considerably smaller, forewing with whitish ground, and with the proximal 

 and submedian black bands merging together beyond the centre, so that only a horseshoe-shaped light ring 

 open posteriorly and encircling the discocellular spot remains in the median area; in the basal area there are 

 two black longitudinal spots. Hindwing yellowish white, with black marginal band, apparently without 

 a broad black costal marginal band. — From Batna in Algeria (Province Constantine) I have before me about 

 a dozen specimens from coll. Seitz, which the latter partly caught in June and partly bred. They belong to a 

 form closely allied to splendida which I name isolatella form nov. (19 c): the antemedian black transverse band vsolateUa. 

 of the forewing is almost straight and not united with the submarginal band at the hindwing margin; the latter 

 band is distinctly separate from the black discocellular spot, but almost entirely confluent with the marginal 

 band, being separated from it by a yellow line, which is only distinct at both ends, being zigzag in the middle 

 and interrupted in places. Expanse 22, length of forewing 12 mm. — ab. umbripennis ab. nov. (19 c) is another nmhripen- 

 novelty which I have also from coll. Seitz. It is very like the form figured in Rambur's Cat. Syst. Lep. Andal. ""•'• 

 pi. II, fig. 4 c as a var. of 0. splendida, but differs from it in that the antemedian transverse band is united with 

 the sublimbal band by a longitudinal branch in the middle and at the hindmargin ; between these two 

 branches a circular spot of the yellow ground-colour remains. The limbal and sublimbal transverse lines 

 are confluent, only at the costal and inner margins there is a short transverse narrow yellow streak, being 

 the remains of a dividing band. Basal area of forewing mostly yellow. Basal half of hindwing dark yellow. 

 Expanse 22, length of wing 10 mm. — In transcaspica Krul., from Aschabad, the ground-colour of the forewing transcm- 

 is almost as ochreous as on the hindwing and all the black markings are considerably broader than in the main P''^"- 

 form — algirica Lttc. is a rather doubtful form from Algiers, whose forewing is black with a yellowish sheen and alf/lrictt. 

 with a straight yellow submedian transverse band interrupted by the black veins, as well as a small yellow 

 transverse spot at the discocellular. Hindwing yellow with dark median band and the indication of a dark 

 median spot and basal smear. Expanse 22 mm. The ,, species" was placed by its author in the Arctiid genus 

 Tfichosoma (recte Ocnogynn Led.), but is certainly an Orgyia. $ unknown. According to Lucas an aber- 

 ration of algirica occurs in which the yellow transverse band is reduced to a small yellow transverse spot; I 

 name this ab. oblitereIlarf&. woy. — Egg oi dubia comparatively large, ivory. The larvae of all the forms differ nhTiicrclla. 

 from the preceding species in that there are no long pencils of hair laterally behind the head and on 

 segment 11, but short tufts, being still shorter than the dorsal brushes. According to Rambur the larva of 

 splendida is black with tiny whitish and reddish yellow dots. That of the North African isolatella is sul- 

 phur-yellow with orange-red transverse spots on each segment and narrow black streaks below them. The 

 dorsal tufts are bright wood-brown with a white centre, the short hump-like tail-tuft on segment 11 slightly 

 yellowish brown, the outer hairs dark. Prolegs and anal clasper orange. A. Seitz often found the full-grown 

 larva in June on very low bushes of Quercus ilex, more rarely also on different kinds of genista and other 

 low-growing plants. Pupa in a whitish yellow cocoon; the $ not only does not leave the cocoon, but often 

 the thin pupal skin which is like tissue paper does not come off but only splits in places, so that copulation 

 can take place. The (J flies very wildly and fast by day in the sunshine, especially in the late afternoon. Its 

 flight does not resemble that of any other Orgyia and is so rapid that it is impossible to follow the insect 

 with the eyes. When attracted by the $-cocoons the (5*3* can be obtained in large numbers, but are very timid 

 even when approaching the $. 



0. thyellina Bntl. [^ 22 b, $ 19 c), from the Main and North Islands of Japan, slightly resembles tri- ihinUina. 

 gotephras, but is much larger and darker ; the forewing more pointed, in the basal third and at the inner mar- 



