63 



Description of a New Species of Gossus. 



By J. G. O. Tepper, F.L.8. 



[Read February 3, 1891.] 



Plate I. 



Cossus Edwardsi, spec. nov. Female. Dark blackish grey. 

 Palpi prominent, retlexecl, underside white, upper black. Eyes 

 grey, with irregular black patches. Antennae setaceous, nar- 

 rowly white above, remainder dark greyish brown ; basal joint 

 very stout, as long as live or six of the next put together, the two 

 following about half the diameter of the first, rapidly tapering ; 

 remainder very short, and very gradually tapering to a fine point 

 at apex. Face blackish, a patch of scales above the palpi, and 

 the hair-like scales around the base of antennae whitish. Pro- 

 thorax dark blackish grey ; in front a patch of long black scales, 

 intermixed with a few white ones. Mesothorax Ijroadly bordered 

 in front, and laterally by long white hairs, blackish behind. 

 Metathorax blackish, broadly white laterally, narrowly behind. 

 Abdomen dai'k blackish grey, with some very narrow paler bands 

 above, a broad pale stripe laterally, white when adjoining the 

 dark brown, pale bordered, very glossy ventral plates, the last 

 two segments covered with dense white down underneath. Wings 

 blackish, margins and border grey, the latter with very devious 

 inner boundary on the forewings. Forewings between subcostal 

 and median vein, with three roundish spots, rather large, the 

 middle one largest, and separated into two very unequal parts by 

 a dark cuneiform line ; a large round white spot in the middle of 

 the disk below the median vein ; a small whitish spot between 

 the apical branches of the latter. Hindwings, the costa, and the 

 space overlapped by tlie forewings white, remainder dark brown- 

 ish grey. Veins dark brown, nmch more curved than in 

 C. cinereus. Fringe very nai-row, pale. Underside of thorax and 

 legs covered with dense whitish down, the forewings clouded 

 lighter and darker, most of the markings of the upper side visible 

 below ; subcostal and median veins bordered broadly by long 

 bluish-white liairs for about two-thirds of the length ; space be- 

 yond anal vein silvery wiiite ; hindwings liave the costa partly 

 and narrowly white, remainder ashy grey. Length of body, 2| 

 inches ; span of wings, Q\ inch. 



Tlie species differs from the common Cossus cinereus in much 



