414 MICROSPHECIA. By M. Baetel. 



11. Genus : OTicrospheeia nom. nov. (Paranthrene avt.). 



Antennae setiform, pointed, without tuft of hair at the apex, with short cilia in the J and scarcely 

 any in the $. Tongue obsolescent. Frons very broad, eyes small, palpi compressed, clothed with sparse 

 bristly hairs; end-segment short and pouited. Abdomen of cj slender, of $ stout, in both sexes with anal 

 tuft, which is pointed in the (^. Tibiae and first segment of middle and hind tarsi with erect tufts of hair 

 in the middle and at the apex, the former with very long thin spurs. Forewing very narrow, broader distally, 

 entirely scaled; veins 7 and 8 not stalked, 2 mdicated as a chitinous fold, 1 almost entirely obsolete. Hind- 

 wing transparent, gradually covered with dark scales to the margin, with narrow straight transverse vein, 

 veins 3 and 4 originating rather far apart, 4 from the lower angle of the cell, 2 close before 3, 5 and 7 strongly 

 divergent; vein 1 c quite obsolete. Very small species, flymg in the noonday sun and belonging more especially 

 to the Mediterranean countries; only tineiformis Esp., the genot5rpe, which occurs in Hungary and Central 

 Asia, extends somewhat more north of their true area of distribution. 



tineiformis. M. tineifortnis Esp. (52 f). Posterior edge of head yellow, forewing yellowish brown, outer area 



of forewing and hmdwing dusted with yellowish. Shoulder-spot of the patagia yellowish. Segment 1 of ab- 

 domen with yellowish lateral spots. Hind tibia and tarsus whitish in the middle, black at the apex, tibiae 

 with yellowish tufts of hair, which are most conspicuous on the posterior pair. From Hungary, Dalmatia 

 and Southern France throughout the whole of Southern Europe, also in Algeria and Southern Transcaucasia. 

 — In Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Taurus, Central Asia, Algeria, Hungary, Transcaucasia and on the Balkan 



hrosiformis. Peninsula also occurs the form brosiforniis//6«. (52 f), of which the outer area of the forewing bears three 

 elongate small golden yellow spots, the abdominal segments 1 and 2 spotted with pale yellow laterally and 

 segment 1 above entirely whitish with the exception of the hind margin. — Larva according to Rouast in 

 the stalks of Echiuni vulgare and violaceum. in very dry sterile localities. Moth from April to the end of Au- 

 gust, but usually in June and July. 



hoplisifor- M. hoplisiforttlis Mann (52 f). Also with pale yellow collar and uniformly yellowish brown forewing, 



mis. yrons yellow, metathorax with yellow tufts of hair. The anterior half of the third segment and the three last 

 segments of the abdomen are yellow above, the third also yellow below, but this colour paler and more ex- 

 tended than above. Tarsi of fore and middle legs yellow. The yellow abdominal belts are more distinctly 

 yellow than in ab. cingulata of myrmosaeformis, together with which hoplisiformis flies at Brussa. — Only 

 from Bithynia, Armenia, and Mesopotamia, in July. 



myrtnosae- M. myrmosaeformis H.-ScMff. (52 f). Larger, forewing uniformly broMTiish black, with a steely 



formis. j-^j^j^ sheen. Head, thorax and abdomen entirely blackish blue, without light scales; only the posterior edges 

 of the eyes, the basal and central segments and the inner portion of the palpi are inconspicuously scaled with 

 dirty white. Tongue rather stout, rolled up. Thorax with small light spots. Legs blackish blue, fore tibiae 

 golden yellow on the inner side, hind tibia entirely so, with blackish blue apical ring. — From Eastern Rou- 

 melia, Greece, Turkey, Asia Minor and Northern Mesopotamia, from May till the middle of June, rare. In 

 cimiulata. the form cingulata Stgr., from Greece (middle of May to the end of June in the Parnassus), also occurring as 

 aberration, the abdomen is yellow in the anterior portion of segments 3, 5, 6 and usually also 7, and the tarsus 

 of the hind leg is variegated with yellow and black. The hindwing is not so transparent as in hoplisiformis. 



