NOSSA; OBERTHUERIA; PSYOHOSTROPHIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 277 



c. Subfamily: Epipleminae. 



4. Genus: ]?foKSSa Kirby. 



Rather large white moths, somewhat resembling in facies large Abraxas or Nyctemeridae. Head broad, 

 but short and depressed; frons very broad. Eyes small. Palpi short. Proboscis present. Antennae very short, 

 bipectinate. In the ^ the apex of the forewing a little produced, that of the hindwing very strongly so, pro- 

 jecting far beyond the hind angle of the forewing. About half a dozen forms are known, which are all more 

 or less white and black. They are distributed over India and China to Amurland, but are absent from Japan. 



N. nelcinna Moore (= nelcynna Leech) (48 e). White, rather thinly scaled; dull black submarginal nelchma. 

 and discal bands across both wings. Head and thorax black, the latter sometimes with red or yellow collar, 

 the abdomen orange. From Kashmir. ■ — chinensis Leech has the dark scaling much more strongly developed; chimnsis. 

 and the hindwing of the (J has a yellow tone; the bright collar is absent. West China, where, however, transi- 

 tions to nelcinna also appear to occur, as Elwes states that he cannot find a difference between the two forms, 

 while Alpheraky regards the difference as considerable. In July, -leechi Elwes is a form with the wings so much leecM. 

 darkened that the insect is rendered superficially similar to the Pierid Delias patrua (cf. vol. I, pi. 19 c) or sub- 

 nubilu (ibidem), which fly in the same locality. As this melanotic colouring ■ — which is the result of the increase 

 of the black markings and corresponding reduction of the light ground-colour to slight traces of it — appears 

 to be constant according to Leech, we are perhaps dealing with a distinct species. 



N. palaearctica Stgr. (=nelc3mna Stgr.) (48e). Similar to the previous species, but much more ex- palaearclica. 

 tended white, the dark scaling being for the greater part restricted to a marginal lunate line and a discal chain 

 of spots, which latter is sometimes obsolescent on the hindwing. — Amurland; found in June, flying in the 

 sunshine like a butterfly (Graeser) ; an imitation of 3Ietaporia largeteaui, with which it flies together; apparent- 

 ly rare. 



5. Genus: Obertliueria Leech. 



These magnificent moths, the first of which was discovered by the Abbe David and described byOsER- 

 THTJR (but as a Geometer!), connect to a certain extent the genera Nossa and Psychostrophia, and presumably 

 fly by day like these two genera. The facies of the moths is hardly Geometrid, only the broad white wings recall- 

 ing Abraxas; but vein 5 of the hindwing is distinct, only appearing weaker because it is not so black as the 

 other veins, especially the median and submedian veins. 



Head small; frons narrow and depressed. Eyes as in Psychostrophia relatively large. Palpi short, por- 

 rect, hairy. Antermae rather thick, with thin and very short fascicles of cilia. Thorax almost circular. Ab- 

 domen slender, not reaching anal angle of hindwing. Wings very broad, the widening commencing soon beyond 

 the base so that the cell is enormously dilated and the radials originate far apart ; veins 6 and 7, as well as 8 

 and 9 stalked. Hindwing with 2 veins in cell, vein 5 exactly from the middle of the discocellular. Colouring 

 of the wings white with bright margins. Nothing is known of the habits. — ■ Type 0. davidi. 



0. davidi Oberth. (48 e). Body yellow, with blackish grey markings, abdomen with dark belts. Wings davidi. 

 snowy white, with thin deep black veuis. Costal margin of forewing orange-yellow, irregularly spotted with 

 black, distal margin broadly black with orange-yellow bands in the black border. — The moth is still rare in 

 collections, but is presumably very abundant in its native country. West China and East Tibet. 



0. erebina Oberth. (48 e). Described from a ^ from Ta-tsien-lu. Almost like the previous, but the orange erebina. 

 colour restricted to the basal area of the forewing, being almost completely absent from the costal and distal 

 marginal area. 



0. flavomarginaria Leech (48 e), in contradistinction to erebina, has the orange bands in the black flavomargi- 

 wing-border so strongly developed that they extend without interruption from the costa to the hind margua, '»<"■"'• 

 even enclosing a chain of black spots. ■ — Wa-shan in West-China. 



0. nigromacularia Leech (48 f). Size and facies of a medium sized Abraxas ; both wings white, with nigrotuacu- 

 small spots at the costal margin, larger ones at the distal margin, and very large ones on the disc, all dark; ^ana. 

 thorax and costal area of forewing with an orange-yellow tint. — ■ Chang- Yang in Central-China. The moth 

 somewhat resembles in colour and markings the East Asiatic Abraxas placida Butl. 



6. Genus: I*sj'cliostroi»hia Butl. 

 This small genus is restricted to East Asia. It contains moderately small bright-coloured species, which 



