INSECTA TRANSVAALIENSIA. 



53 



Actias mimosa, Maas. & Weym. Beitr. Scbmett. iii. figs. 35, 36 (1873). 

 Angus mimosa, Wallengr. Kongl. Svensk. Akad. Handl. (2;, Band v. No. 4, p. 24 (1865). 

 Argema mimosa, Sonth. Ess. Classif. Lepid. product, de Soie (deux, fascic), p. 17, pi. vi. figs. 2, 3 (1899). 

 Larva. — Actias mimosa, Fawcett, Trans. Zool. See. Lend. vol. xv. p. 302, pi. xlvii. figs. 1, 2, larva; fig. 3, 

 cocoon (1901). 



Col. Fawcett describes the larva as : — " Ground colour grass-green, with paired dorsal series of long 

 conical humps with yellow apices, surmounted by three or four short black hairs, and the same number of 

 longer yellow hairs, 

 from 2nd to 10th 

 somites inclusive ; the 

 11th somite has only 



one similar dorsal , , . . . 



hump, and the 1st ^^^^^^^Pr^ . .s,,:^. -•J'.F-' -i*-^ ■ vsfc-. v 



somite no hump, with 

 the black and yellow 

 hairs planted just 

 above the head ; a 

 subspiraeular line of 

 small tubercles with 

 similar hairs. Be- 

 tween each somite, 

 from 3rd to 11th, 

 a yellow transverse 

 streak folding over a 

 blue transverse streak 

 at the incisions of the 

 somites. Head and 



thoracic legs ferruginous, spiracles white, with ferruginous centre. In the early moults this larva is 

 ferruginous, spiracles white, with ferruginous centre." 



Hab. — Transvaal ; Warm Baths at Waterberg (Boss) ; Shilouvane in Zoutpansberg (Junod ; Pret. 

 Mus. and coll. Dist.). — Common in Natal ; generally distributed through East Africa to Abyssinia. 



In Natal the larva feeds on what is there called " the wild mango tree " {Sclerocarya 

 caffra, Sond.), a common tree in the coast districts, but not found higher up (Fawcett). 

 Mr. Koss found the cocoons at the Warm Baths, in the Waterberg District of the Transvaal, 

 on a tree "resembling, if not identical with, Sclerocarya caffra, but its identity was difficult, as 

 at the time it was leafless." 



I had long anticipated the discovery of this species in the Transvaal, though I could find 

 no trace of it myself. I had written to Mr. Ross begging him to interest himself in the 

 search, but a communication from him crossed my letter, bringing a cocoon from the Warm 

 Baths, and almost immediately afterwards Mr. Swierstra sent me a specimen received from 

 Zoutpansberg. 



Genus EPIPHORA. 



Epiphora, Wallengren, Wiener Ent. Monatschr. iv. p. 167 (1860) ; id. Bihang Svensk. Akad. Handl. (2), 

 Band v. No. 4, p. 26 (1865) ; Dusuz. & South. Ess. Classif. Lepid. product, de Soie (prem. fascic), 

 p. 26 (1897). 



Faidherbia, Guer. Compt. Eend. Ix. p. 162 (1865). 



Fig. 5. — Argema mimosa:. 



