392 



NOCTUID^. 



Genus SELENISTIS, nov. 



Type, S. annulella. 



Proboscis aborted, minute ; palpi porrect, short, moderately fringed with 

 scales below; frons with large truncate prominence with raised edges, a 

 rounded truncate process in centre and corneous plate below it ; ejes large, 

 round ; antennae in both sexes bipectinate with very short branches, the apex 

 serrate; thorax clothed entirely with scales, the prothorax without crest, the 

 metathorax with spreading crest; tibiae siuootiily scaled; abdomen without 

 crests. Fore wing with the apes rounded, the termen obliquely curved and not. 

 crenulate ; veins 3 and 5 from near angle of cell ; 6 from upper angle ; 9 from 

 10 anastomosing with 8 to form the areole ; 11 from cell. Hind Aving with 

 reins 3, 4 from angle of cell ; 5 obsolescent iVom just below middle of disco- 

 cellulars ; 6, 7 shortly stalked ; 8 auastomosiug with the cell nearly to middle. 



4855. Selenistis annulella. 



TaracJie annulella, Hmpsn. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. ii. p. 383 (1902). 



Head and thorax ochreoua white, the pro- and metathorax with 

 some black scales ; palpi, lower part of irons, and aiitennje rufous ; 

 pectus tinged with rufous ; legs rufous ; abdomen ochreous tinged 

 with rufous and with slight dark segmental lines. Fore wing 

 ochreous white sufiused in parts with rufous especially on costa, 

 below end of cell, before postmedial line and on termen ; antemedial 

 line represented by a diffused rufous mark on inner margin ; 

 orbicular only defined by an oblique black striga on its outer edge 



Fig. 183. — Selenistis annulella, J. 



with an oblique red-brown mark beyond it angled outwards above 

 before the reniforra, which is defined by black, open above and 

 expanding into a rounded patch below ; some brown points on post- 

 medial part of costa ; postmedial line arising from costa towards 

 apex, excurved below costa, then represented by an oblique series 

 of dark points with traces of a waved line between them angled 

 inwards below vein 2, an oblique rufous patch beyond it from costa, 

 its outer edge slightly angled at vein 6 ; subterminal line indistinct, 

 whitish, arising from termen at vein 4 and angled inwards on 

 Tofn 2; cilia dark brown slightly mixed with greyish. Hind wing 

 paie J ellow tinged and irroraf;ed with rufous ; traces of a brownish 

 discoidal bar and of a diffused postmedial line excurved below costa, 

 then oblique ; a brownish terminal line ; cilia with slight dark 

 medial line and dark tips ; the underside yellow irrorated with 

 dark brown, a brown discoidal bar and curved postmedial line. 



