116 Mr. W. L. Distant on 



How far these phenomena are normal, and how much of 

 what is above recorded may prove to be pathological, cannot 

 be at present decided ; but, in any event, it has been shown 

 that the protoplasm of polar bodies has powers hitherto 

 unsuspected. These need not imply close relationship 

 between polar bodies and Protozoa, but may serve to show 

 that protoplasm expresses itself in radically the same cliarac- 

 teristic " protoplastic " way in Metazoa and Protozoa. These 

 new facts may be added to those recently presented in a 

 comparative study of protoplasm *, and help to bring us 

 toward the new standpoints there reached. 



October 18, 1897. 



XVI. — Heterocera from the Transvaal. 

 By W. L. Distant. 



I HAVE recently acquired a small collection of moths made 

 in the neighbourhood of Johannesburg, which contains the 

 following apparently undescribed species : — 



Family ArctiidsB. 



Spilosoma lemniscata, sp. n. 



Head above golden yellow, eyes and antennse black ; pro- 

 notum black, the lateral margins and a round spot at base 

 golden yellow ; a black spot at humeral angles ; abdomen 

 above ochraceous, with the base, central transverse abdominal 

 fasciae, and lateral spots black ; body beneath and legs dark 

 fuscous, anterior femora streaked with ochraceous. 



Anterior wings golden yellow, streaked with black — these 

 streaks consist of a submarginal inner fascia, a fascia beneath 

 cell from base to its extremity, where it emits four branches 

 to outer margin (the uppermost disconnected), a streak from 

 within cell to near margin, and a shorter subapical streak or 

 spot ; posterior wings dark purplish brown, with the margins 

 golden yellow. Anterior wings beneath as above, but duller 

 in hue ; posterior wings beneath with a large basal subcostal 

 yellow patch. 



Exp. wings 31 millim. 



Hah. Transvaal, Johaimesburg. 



Allied to Spilosoma dissimilisj Dist. 



* G. F. Andrews, ' The J.iviii? Substance ' (('Tinii X' Co . 189?). 



