INSECTA TRANSVAALIENSIA. 71 



16. Theretra capensis. (Tab. VI., fig. 5.) 



Sphinx capensis, Linnseus, Mus. Lud. Ulr. p. 349 (1764). 



Thaiimas capensis, Hiibn. Verz. bek. Schmett. p. 138 (1822 ?). 



Charocampa capensis. Walk. Cat. Lepid. Heteroe. Brit. Mus. viii. p. 139 (1856) ; Boisd. Sp. Gen. Lepid. 



Heteroc. i. p. 234 (1875); Butl. Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. vol. is. p. 555 (1876). 

 Eumorpha elegans C, Hiibn. Samml. ex. Schmett. i. (1806 ?). 

 Sphinx cBos, Cram. Pap. Exot. iii. p. 57, pi. ccxxvi. fig. A (1782). 

 SpJdnx 8-macrdata, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. 5, p. 2346 (1788). 



Sphinx , Zschacb, Mus. Lesk. Ent. p. 95, t. iii. n. 183 (1788). 



Theretra capensis, Kirby, Syn. Cat. Lepid. Heteroc. vol. i. p. 651 (1892) ; Dist. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (6) 



vol. xix. p. 579 (1897). 

 Larva. — Chmrocampa capensis, Fawcett, Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. vol. xv. p. 308, pi. xlvii. figs. 17-18 (1901). 



Larva. — Ground colour pale green, thickly irroratecl subdorsally tvith darker green diamond- shaped spots, 

 from 5th to 11th somites ; these spots coalesce into a series of diagonal streaks along the somites subdorsally and 

 spiracularly. A paler green lateral stripe from 5th to 11th somite, tvith a dark green stripe along its upper 

 edge ,- horn very short and pink ; a reddish " eye "-like spot edged with white superiorly on 4th somite. Head 

 and claspers green, thoracic legs pink ; sjnracles red (Fawcett). 



Hab. — Transvaal; Pretoria (Distant). — Recorded by Butler from the Cape, Natal, and Zululand. 



Larva feeds on vine at Natal (Fawcett), and Cape Town (Trimen). 



Mr. Trimen has observed the Cape Butcher-bird {Lanius collaris) taking the larvae from the 

 cultivated vines at Cape Town and spiking them on thorns. In the Transkei, Miss Barrett 

 found that those that came to the orange trees at night behaved differently from the other 

 Hawk Moths. Generally she obtained them only at dusk, and then only for a short while before 

 they vanished again ; but these T. capensis came late in the evening, " and were inexpressibly 

 beautiful, glancing about among the orange flowers, their eyes like living coals." * 



Genus PHRYXUS. 



Phryxus, Hiibner, Verz. bek. Schmett. p. 137 (1822 ?). 

 We only include two Transvaal species under this genus. 



17. Phryxus livornica. (Tab. VI., fig. 16.) 



Sphinx livornica, Esper, Ausl. Schmett. ii. p. 196 (1779) ; ii. (2) p. 41, pi. xlvi. figs. 3-7 (1789?) ; Hiibn. 



Eur. Schmett. Sphimj. ff. 65, 112 (1797-1818) ; Godt. Lep. France, iii. p. 40, pi. xviii. fig. 1 (1822). 

 Sphinx celerio, var., Esp. Ausl. Schmett. ii. p. 87, pi. viii. fig. 4 (1779). 



Sphinx Kcechlini, Fuessl. Arch. Insectengesch. pi. iv. figs. 1-4; pi. xxxiii. figs. 1-5 (1781-86). 

 Sphhix lineata, Eossi, Faun. Etr. ii. pp. 14, 359 (1794); Ochs. Schmett. Eur. ii. p. 214 (1808). 

 Deilephila livornica. Staph. 111. Brit. Ent. Haust. i. p. 126, pi. xii. fig. 1 (1828) ; Boisd. Spec. Gen. Lepid. 



Heteroc. i. p. 172 (1875) ; Butl. Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. vol. ix. p. 568 (1876) ; Hamps. Faun. Brit. 



Ind., Moths, vol. i. p. 97, fig. 55 (1892) ; Dist. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (6) vol. xix. p. 579 (1897). 



Hab. — Transvaal; Pretoria (Distant). — Widely distributed. A well-known European species ; found 

 throughout northern Africa ; recorded from Aden ; in British India frequenting the North-west 

 Himalayas ; also found in China. 



In southern Spain, according to Rambur, the larva is almost omnivorous, and is 

 sometimes so abundant in the plain of Malaga that hundreds might be taken along the sides 



* ' Entomologists' Monthly Magazine,' 1900, p. 141. 



