311 



Descriptions of New Australian Hesperiad>c. 



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

 [Read October 6, 1908.] 



The following insects are here described in order to allow 

 them to be figured in Messrs. Waterhouse and Lyell's work 

 on the Australian Lepidoptera to be published early next 

 year. 



I intend to revise the whole of the Australian Hesper- 

 iadcp. next year, and will then supplement my remarks on the 

 family. 



Hesperilla polysema, n. sp. 



9 , 36 mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen dark-fuscous. 

 Palpi whitish (antennae broken). Legs dark-fuscous (imper- 

 fect). Forewings elongate, moderate, costa slightly arched at 

 base, thence straight, termen rounded, oblique ; dark-brown- 

 ish-fuscous, somewhat shining ; markings white, faintly ochre- 

 ous-tinged ; a moderate cuneiform spot in end of cell ; ovoid 

 spot lying on vein 1, just before tornus ; a moderately large, 

 round spot lying between veins 2 and 3, at about j from 

 base of wing ; a smaller, but similar spot immediately above ; 

 a row of three moderate subcostal spots, placed obliquely, at 

 J from base ; 2 small rounded spots, one above the other, 

 below and just beyond the 3 subcostal spots ; cilia whitish or 

 white, barred with fuscous at extremities of veins. Hind- 

 wings with termen round ; colour as in forewings, but with- 

 out markings ; cilia as in forewings. Underside : — Colour 

 as above, but all margins minutely irrorated with ochreous 

 scales ; markings of upperside reproduced in whitish, an ad- 

 ditional small fleck just above spot on vein 1. Hindwings 

 as forewings, excepting that the whole of the wing is min- 

 utely irrorated with ochreous scales ; markings white, edged 

 with fuscous ; an irregular spot in end of cell ; a round spot 

 just below middle of vein 8 ; an irregularly-curved series of 

 seven spots at about | from base ; upper one smallest, round ; 

 1st, 2nd, and 4th slightly nearer to base than the remainder; 

 4th, 5th, and 6th somewhat elongate, others rounded ; cilia* 

 of both wings as above. 



Not very near any other known Australian species, but 

 approaches afralha, Tepp. The type being a 9 does not ad- 

 mit of its being placed in its correct genus ; it may possibly 

 be a Trapezites. 



