PHRAGMATAECIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 429 



wiiig, which touch, not particularly ventricose; costal margui of forewmg curved forward (ventrally) iii a pecu- 

 liar way to the origm of the subcostal. Most conspicuous characters are the great length of that part of 

 the thorax which extends beyond the base of the forewing forward, and the strongly convex frons. The larva, 

 as far as is known, is very poljrphagous, living in all kmds of trees, and does not confine itself to the trunk but 

 also attacks branches and roots. It is slightly flattened, with swollen first thoracical segment and large head 

 with strong mandibles. It takes two years to develop. 



Z, pyrina (aesculi L., hijjpocastani Poda, hilaris Fourcr., octoimnctata Bdv., decipiens Kirbtj) (52g). pyrina. 

 White, tibiae and abdomen, numerous blue spots on the forewing, fewer and smaller ones on the hindwmg, six 

 drop-shaped spots on the thorax metallic dark blue. In the (J, which is sometimes only half the size of the $, 

 the abdomen is clothed with white hair. One of the most widely distributed moths of the world, occurrmg in 

 Europe and North Asia, as far as India, m Africa going far into the Sahara, and in Eastern North America. 

 Egg reddish brown, cyhndrical, flattened at the poles. Larva light yellow, with numerous black dots, blackish 

 brown nuchal plate edged with yellow, and black head with yellow markmgs. In numerous deciduous trees, 

 especially fruit-trees, horse-chestnut and maple. Pupa light brown, a horn-like process on the head. Pupation 

 usually takes place at the beginning of May of the second year in or near the roots. The moth appears in June 

 and July, at Biskra ui Algeria sometimes hi April or the beginning of May, probably elsewhere also at other 

 times. The moths begin to swarm soon after sunset, and numbers of ^^ are often found at lamps as early 

 as 10 o'clock. This is especially the case m North America and Africa, where the species is much more abundant 

 than in Europe. The moths usually dash agamst the large arc-lamps in concert-gardens, at railway-stations, etc., 

 and then fall down, often lying on their backs with closed wings for some considerable time. The $? usually 

 fly later and come to the lamp less often. The species is more abundant m some years than m others, often 

 being quite rare in Europe for decades and then occurrmg m exceptional abundance. The moths vary greatly 

 in the size and number of the spots. In the ^ the spots before and around the apex of the cell of the forewing 

 are especially variable, often merging together to form blue horseshoe-marks. In specimens from South Algeria 

 the fu-st and second pairs of thoracical spots are mostly so merged together as to form a steel-blue arc. 



Z. multistrigata Moore (52 g). Similar to the dangerous "coffee-borer", Z. coffeae, the white borer mullisiri- 

 of the coloniests, and often mistaken for it. Larger than Z. pyrina, thorax and abdomen so densely clothed with ^""' 

 white hau- that the dark markings almost disappear. On the wings the dark dots are usually denser, but the 

 anal part of the hmdwtng is devoid of them, and m the (J projects in lobe-shape. — Common in coffee-planta- 

 tions, and observed throughout the year. Kashmii-, in the Indian Himalayas, distributed as far as Sikkim, and 

 in the Naga Hills. 



Z. nubila Stgr. (= stryx Gr.-Grsh.) (52 g). Usually smaller, duller white than the preceding, thorax nubila. 

 with two black streaks divergmg posteriorly. In the c? the wmgs are not spotted with blue, but dusted with 

 greyish brown m such a manner as to leave a white spot below the cell of the forewing. ■ — Turkestan (Kashgar). 



Z. regia Stgr. (52 g). Much more clumsily built than the precedmg. Almost like a Cossus in coloiu-, regia. 

 and like that moth with dark striation. The costa of the fore^\'ing broadly dark brown, below it a light longitu- 

 dinal stripe sparsely and minutely dotted rrnis from the base into the apex. — From Asia Minor, rare. 



Z. ariana Gr.-Grsh. This was described from a defective $, the species is not before me. Head and arinna. 

 thorax ochreous above, brick-red below. Forewing similar, marbled with brown striae and transverse Imes above, 

 and with a band of the same colour in the median area. Hindwing paler. — Discovered near Samarkand by 

 Werigin. 



11. Genus: niragiuataeeia Neum. 



The reed-borers are medium-sized and rather unicolorous moths with very long abdomen, always ui the 

 9 and sometimes in the (J, which they are able to move in worm-like curves over the head and wings; on account 

 of the abdomen, the body attains a length greater than the expanse of the wmgs, this being the case to the 

 same degree in very few Lepidoptera. The colouring is usually uniformly dull yellow, like dry cane, the wings as 

 a rule without markings. The very elongate larvae live in reeds, below or just above the surface of the water, 

 and also pupate there, after gnawing a hole for emerging. 



Head small, without palpi and tongue; frons with rough hair, not so strongly convex as in Zevzera. 

 Antennae thin and short, in the ^ with long, sometimes plumose, pectinations to the middle. Thorax very long; 

 legs short, without spurs. Abdomen very long. Wings elongate, the forewmg not increasuig much m breadth, 

 ventricose at the hmd margin, with the hind-marguial vein forked at the base. The veins of the forewmg very 

 straight, with areole and intracellular vein. Hindwmg elongate-ovate with distinct anal angle, but with the apical 

 angle effaced. 



P. castaneae Hbn. (= arundinis Hbn., innotata Walk., sacharum Moore) (54h). Body and forewing castancao. 

 light dirty brownish white, wings with slight dark dusting hi places, hmdwing lighter, in the ^ very slightly 

 tinged with sand-brown. Throughout the whole of Northern and Central Europe, over Northern Asia through 

 Turkestan and China to Japan; also occurring in many locahties of India to Ceylon, and m large districts of 

 Africa to Madagascar, and therefore one of the most widely distributed moths of the world. Larva elongate, 

 ivory, with two dull obsolescent dorsal lines interrupted here and there. Pupa very elongate and mobile, with 



