On new Indo- Malayan Heterocera. 65 



III. — JWeio Species of In do- Ma lay an Heterocera t and Descrip- 

 tions of Genitalia, to ith reference to the Geographical Distri- 

 bution of Species resembling each other. By Colonel C. 

 Swinhoe, M.A., F.L.S., &c. 



[Plates VII. -XL] 



The geological distribution of species has always been the 

 weak point of all lepidopterists ; the superficial resemblance 

 of specimens from widely different parts of the globe has 

 sufficed to declare them as of identically the same species. 

 I have endeavoured in this paper to show that this is easily 

 disproved by the examination of the genitalia. When the 

 genitalia are so different as to make it impossible for breeding 

 with each other, it is positive proof of the difference of 

 species. Classification based upon eye-judgment alone is 

 bound to be faulty. There are, of course, many problems 

 before us still : species which appear to the eye abundantly 

 distinct have a habit of presenting similar genitalia ; on the 

 other hand, species which to the eye appear to be identical 

 possess genitalia which are very distinct from each other. 



I am much indebted to the Rev. C. R. N. Burrows for the 

 great pains he has taken in dissecting the moths I have sent 

 him, and to Mr. F. N. Pierce of Liverpool, to whom all 

 Mr. Burrows's drawings were submitted by him, and to them 

 both for their joint report. All the Plates were drawn by 

 Mr. Burrows and the text-figures by Mr. Pierce, and the 

 remarks on the genitalia of the different species are extracts 

 from their joint reports. 



Family Agrotidae. 



Chloridea marmada, nov. 



^ . Palpi, head, thorax, and fore wing whitish flesh- 

 colour, nearly white, without any markings whatever except 

 black dots on the vein and on the outer margin of the wing; 

 hind wing pure white, with a black outer marginal band, cilia 

 white. Underside: both wings white, fore wing with a dis- 

 coidal black spot and a short medial subterminal black band, 

 hind wing with a similar black band; abdomen with the 

 basal segments white above, the two middle segments red- 

 brown, the anal segments shading paler; anal tuft with pale 



Ann. & Mag. iV. Hist. Ser. 9. Vol. ii. 5 



