100 HAUSTELLATA. — LEPIDOPTEHA 



to the apex of the terminal one, which is distinctly visible; basal joint as long 

 as the apical, reniform, second above twice the length of the first, slightly bent 

 and acute at the apex, terminal linear, obtuse : maxillas longer than the an- 

 tennae. Antenna simple, finely ciliated Avithin in the males, pubescent in the 

 females: head small, crested: eyes naked: thorax robust, strongly crested 

 behind: abdomen elongate, stout, with compact fascicles of scales down the 

 back and at the base, the apex v/ith a small tuft, in the males especially : 

 wings deflexed when at rest, anterior repanded, and more or less adorned with 

 brilliant metallic streaks or patches ; cilia emarginate, elongate ; posterior 

 entire. Larva slender, with twelve legs ; six pectoral, four ventral, and two 

 caudal. Pupa enclosed in a folliculus. 



The Plusise, as their name imports, are eminently distinguished by 

 the richness and splendour of their appearance, all the species having 

 their wings more or less adorned with effulgent metallic pencillings, 

 blotches, fasciae, or dots, upon a rich purplish or rufo-fulvescent 

 ground; the thorax bears a remarkably high crest, and the back of 

 the abdomen is in general furnished with elongate tufts of hair-like 

 scales ; the palpi are rather long, ascend considerably, and have the 

 terminal joint much elongated and slender; the larvae possess twelve 

 legs only, the prolegs being only six in number, one pair placed on 

 the eighth segment, another on the ninth, and the third pair on the 

 anal one; when walking they bend their back, thence termed /iaZ/^ 

 loopei'S ; they spin a delicate silken web, in which they change to a 

 shining pupa, which is generally armed with an acute spine at the 

 apex. Nature having richly clothed the species of this genus, they 

 " extract the nectar from their favourite flowers" by day, seemingly 

 that their brilliant liveries may be exposed to view; it being almost 

 universally the case, that the most gorgeously attired animals make 

 their appearance in the full blaze of the sun, while those of sombre 

 and dingy hues aifect only the obscurity of midnight. 



Sp. 1. Iota. Alis anticis brunneo griseo Jerrugineogue variis, litteru v punctoque 



contiguo marginibusque stigmaticum aureis. (Exp. alar. 1 unc. 5 — 8 lin.) 

 PI. No. Iota. Linm?—V\. Iota. Steph. Catal.part ii. p. 105. No. 6375. 



Head and thorax rich purple-brown, the latter with fine transverse lines, and 

 slightly varied with ferruginous : anterior wings richly variegated with brown, 

 griseous, and rust-colour, the ordinary strigae being of a rosy-brown, con- 

 siderably undulated, and generally more or less finely adorned with delicate 

 golden dashes ; towards the centre of the disc, between the stigmata and the 

 inner margin, is a curved mark resembling the letter v, and between it and 

 the anal angle an oblong ovate spot of a brilhant golden hue; the posterior 



