PEBICOMA. 243 



Although described originally as two species there can be little 

 doubt that the forms .P. mar</ininotata and P. bella represent but a 

 single species. The descriptions of the two forms are retained, 

 with some slight corrections as tending to facilitate recognition of 

 each, but intermediate forms are frequent, in fact the bella form 

 is much the more numerous, and is more constant in the wing- 

 markings. The following notes compiled from the examination 

 of a long series in the Indian Museum refer to the species in 

 general. 



The species is very variable in its coloration, but it is clear 

 that the black hair-patches on the wing are tolerably constant, 

 especially those at the fork of the upper branch of the 2nd 

 longitudinal vein, and at the fork of the 4th vein. The hairs 

 at the wing-tip are generally wholly white, always mainly so. 

 The colour of the hairs on the dorsum of the thorax varies from 

 greyish white to rather bright reddish brown, all intermediate 

 shades being represented in different individuals. The tarsi are 

 best described as variable ; generally pale yellowish at the base, 

 darkening to dark brown at the tips ; with long irregularly placed 

 bristly hairs, which are pale on the basal half of the tarsi and dark 

 brown on the apical half, being concolorous with the ground- 

 colour of the limb. The rest of my description of the tarsi is 

 correct, but it may be added that the distance covered by the 

 white apical scales at the tips of the basal joints of the tarsi 

 varies, especially on the 2nd tarsal joint, which is in some 

 examples all white, the colour in all cases being that of the scales, 

 as the ground-colour of the whole tarsus is always black. 



The Indian Museum has this species from Darjiling, 7000 ft., 

 26. v. 10 (Brunetti) ; 5-11. viii. 09 (Dr. Jenlcins, Paiva) : Kurseong, 

 25-27. vi. 10 (Annandale) ; Simla, 25. iv. 07, 11. v. 08, 9-10. v. 09 

 (Annandale) ; Phagu, 9000 ft., Simla district, 11-15. v. 09 

 (Annandale) ; Pallode, 20 miles N.E. of Trivandrum, South 

 India, 1 5. xi. 08 (Annandale). 



172. Pericoma metatarsalis, Brun. 



Pericoma metatarsalis, Brunetti, Rec. Ind. Mus. iv, p. 305 (1911). 



$ . This species differs from the bella form of P. margininotata in 

 only two characters, but these are practically constant in the 

 three examples examined. 



The metatarsus is, with the exception of its immediate base, 

 covered rather thickly with whitish scales (in the type and in one 

 other specimen), or at least for more than the apical half (as in 

 the third specimen). In P. margininotata the last three tarsal 

 joints often have a greyish or blackish grey appearance, but in 

 the present species they are all uniformly intensely black. The 

 second character is that the fringe of the wing possesses no 

 admixture of whitish hairs either singly or in short sections, 

 with the exception of a broad section at the tip, comprised 



