169 



NEW AUSTRALIAN LEPIDOPTERA, WITH SYNONYMIC 



NOTES. -IMO. XXIV. 



By Oswald B. Lower, F.Z.S., F.E.S., etc. 



[Read July 2, 1907.] 



RHOPALOCERA. 

 LIBYTHEID^. 



* LiBYTHEA GEOFFKOYI, Godt. 



Enc. : Meth. ix. Suppl. p. 813 (1823); Wallace, Trans Ent. Soc, 

 1869, p. 335, n. 4. L. mcevUlei, Oil., P.L.S., N.S.W., 1891, p. 28. 

 This insect is comparatively rare in Australia, and I have 

 seen but two females. The male, however, is not so rare. The 

 sexes are very dissimilar, the male being tawny-yellow, with 

 several large semi-transparent wing-spots, whilst the female 

 is a beautiful lilac-blue, almost devoid of markings. Having 

 recently received a female from North Queensland, I thought 

 it would be wise to correct the nomenclature. The male varies 

 somewhat, and is known under the various names of var. 

 antijjcxhi, Boisd., var. ceramensis, Wall, and var. Batchiana, 

 Wall. It has a range extending to Ceram, Batchian, New 

 Caledonia, etc. I have not yet heard of it being taken in New 

 Guinea, although it should occur there. 



Telesto monotherm, n. sp. 

 Female, 40 mm. Head dark fuscous, spotted with 

 ochreous-white. Post-orbital rims whitish. Antennae fuscous, 

 faintly spotted with ochreous-whitish. Palpi fuscous, beneath 

 whitish. Legs dark fuscous, posterior tibiae whitish. Abdo- 

 men fuscous, ringed narrowly with ochreous-white, beneath 

 more whitish. Forewings rather elongate triangular, costa 

 slightly arched towards base ; dark fuscous, without markings ; 

 cilia dark fuscous. Hind wings with termen rounded ; colour 

 and cilia as in forewings, basal hairs orange ; a narrow median 

 band of orange not near reaching either margin. Underside 

 of forewings dark fuscous, paler on dorsal half : an oblique 

 row of four somewhat confluent whitish dots, from costa at 

 three-quarters; a moderate, short, whitish fascia, from costa 

 near apex to vein four, narrow on costa and much dilated on 

 lower half, both edges scalloped : a small whitish spot on costa 

 just before fascia; a row of whitish dots along termen. Hind- 

 wings whitish, markings blackish : an oval spot on costa close 

 to base : two similar on costa just before middle, only sepa- 

 rated from each other by vein : two others, much smaller, placed 

 one below the other, immediately below costa at three-quar- 

 ters : a roundish spot in cell, a larger one at posterior end, and 

 an elongate one lying below lower edge of cell near base : three 



*Tn Miskin's Catalogue this insect is called L. mi/rrha, Godt. 



