LITHOCHARIS; SARONAGA. By W. Warren. 321 



puM. J. VI. 19V.'. 18. Family: CymatophoridaB. 



The one characteristic bj^ which, as a Family, the Cymatophoridae are differentiated from all others 

 is found in the neui'ation of the hindwings of the imago; vein 7 rises towards the end of cell and approximates 

 to vein 8, which is curved down towards it, sometimes so closely as to appear to anastomose, herein resem- 

 bling the neuration of the Pyralidina. Inter se the genera vary little in neuration ; vein 6 of forewing in some 

 cases rises from upper angle of cell, in others is stalked with 7, S; sometimes an areole is formed by the 

 anastomosis of 8 and 9. As far as our present knowledge goes the family is divisible into 3 groups which have 

 no very close connection with one another. In the first, which includes the well known species of Habrosyne 

 and Thyatira, the larvae feed, when young, exposed on species of Rubus, afterwards concealing themselves among 

 the herbage; in the second, containing among others the genera Polyploca and Palimpsestis, thej^ pass their 

 lives within the protection of spun or rolled together leaves of trees, such as poplar, birch, oak, and alder; 

 of dull coloration, the dorsal surface often darker than the ventral, somewhat flabby of consistence, smooth 

 and flattened, with large glolxise head, resting by day when not feeding curled up head to tail; on the contrary 

 the larvae of the first group have, as in Thyatira, the dorsum humped on segments 6 — 10, the third seg- 

 ment with a bifid projection, particoloured, with lateral stripes, and resting rigid, with the front and hind 

 segments raised; while in Habrosyne they are cylindrical, smooth, yellow brown in colour, with white lateral 

 spots on one or more segments; in the third group the larvae are at present unknown, though those of 

 one genus, Epicimelia, are reasonably suspected of being attached to Astragalus. All alike have but one 

 generation in the year, the larvae feeding up in summer and autumn, and appearing as imagos in the follo\ving 

 spring or summer. Pupation takes place in a spun cocoon among leaves on the surface of the ground. The ima- 

 gos are smoothly and finely scaled; in the fii-st group of gay appearance, adorned with bright lines and 

 blotches; in the second comparatively dull, traversed by dark lines and bands; and in the third pink, with 

 a metallic or yellow stigma. 



1. Genus: liithocliaris gen. nov. 



Tongue present ; frons smooth ; palpi upturned, rather short, the second segment broad, thickly scaled, 

 the third short, smoother; antennae of ^ smooth, flattened, lamellate; thorax stiffly scaled; abdomen smoothly 

 scaled; pectus rather woolly; tibiae smooth; forewing elongate, more than twice as long as wide; costa strongly 

 shouldered at base, then nearly straight; apex subacute; termen smooth, curving very obliquely below middle 

 into the inner margin without forming an angle; hindwing broadly triangular; both wings finely and smoothly 

 scaled; discocellular of forewing inangled; vein 5 from the angle; vein 6 stalked with 7, 8; vein 3 from 

 before end of cell; in hindwing veins 3, 4 from lower end of cell, 5 from near middle of discocellular. Type 

 L. albihasis Hmps. from India. 



L. maxima Leech (49 h). Forewing grey brown tinged with violet; base narrowty white edged externally maxima. 

 with yellow; a narrow oblique white dash at apex; orbicular and reniform stigmata represented by small 

 tufts of raised whitish scales; traces of inner and double outer dark vertical lines, the teeth marked by dark 

 dashes on veins ; subterminal line obscurely paler, denticulate ; hindwing pale ochreous grey, with darker 

 grey outer band and broad terminal border. Jaj^an. Distinguished from the Indian form by the absence of 

 any pale costal streak. 



2. Genus: Siaroiiag'a Moore. 



Tongue well-developed; frons smooth; palpi porrect, the second segment thickly scaled, the third 

 quite short and smooth; the antennae of ^ lamellate; head and thorax thickly and stiffly scaled; abdomen 

 smooth, without dorsal crests, with a rough mantlet below of contiguous lateral tufts; pectus, femora, and 

 tibiae woolly; forewing narrow and elongate; costa nearly straight; apex prominent; termen cm-ved, more 

 obliquely below middle; hindwing broad, triangular; termen rounded and slightly sinuous, the anal angle 

 truncate; forewing with discocellular vertical, vein 5 from below its centre; vein 6 stalked Avith 7, 8; 9, 

 10 stalked; 8 anastomosing with 9 to form an areole; hindwing with vein 5 from close above 4. Type 

 S. albicosfa Moore. 



S. consimilis spec. nov. (= albicosta Leech part nee Moore) (49 f). Forewing dark brown crossed by consimilia. 

 darker waved lines below the median vein and up to vein fi beyond cell; the costal area whitish, tinged in cell 

 and above with rosy, and along costa with yellowish green ; the stigmata white with deep brown outlines ; the 

 orbicular round with small red brown spot below centre; the reniform vertical and oblong, the lower part filled 

 in with dark brown, the upper divided into 3 or 4 spots by transverse lines ; the reniform folloAved by an irre- 

 gular white patch traversed by a brown crenulate line; beyond this are three deep brovai dentate outer Imes, 



II 41 



