KOVITATKS ZOOLOGICAE XXIII. 1916. 353 



Oberthür, on the other hand, relying on the facies of the imagines, believes 

 that there are a large number of distinct species. He confesses, however, that he 

 has many specimens which he cannot place with certainty. 



When I took up the study of Somabrachys I fully expected to find that 

 Oberthür was right. The differences in the shade of colour, in size, and in the 

 outline of the forewing, and obvious distinctions in the neuration both on the fore- 

 and hindwing, coupled with differences I noticed at once in the structure of the 

 frons and the foreleg and in the spinosity of the abdomen, pointed to the existence 

 of a large number of species. The more specimens I compared, however, the less 

 evidence I found for the correctness ofthat view. This is what I observed : 



GROUP A 



We have 540 odd males and 19 females of this group from the following 

 places : Palestine ; Ai'n-Draham, in Tunis ; Hussein Dey, Medea, Les Glacieres de 

 Blida, Batna, Guelt-es-Stel, and Oran, all in Algeria ; and Mazagan on the Atlantic 

 coast of Marocco. 



This number is sufficiently large for the purpose of investigating the question 

 whether Group A contains more than one species. Provided there are several 

 species in this group, it would be a most singular coincidence if all our specimens, 

 collected indiscriminately and coming from widely separate countries, represented 

 but one of these species. I have studied the examples from different localities 

 separately and conjointly, and have found nothing whatever to indicate that we 

 have more than one species. This is no proof that Oberthür also has only one 

 species of Group A ; but until sufficient evidence to the contrary is brought forward, 

 I recommend to treat the string of names under Group A as synonyms of S. aegrota 

 King (1832). The differences which Powell describes of his species No. 2 and No. 3 

 are not convincing. Of No. 2 he bred only two ? ? , which he could not distinguish 

 from ? ? of No. 3. The <5 $ he obtained at the lamp in the same locality, and 

 which he assumes to belong to No. 2 (and which are named by Oberthür adherbal) 

 are said to be smaller and paler than No. 3 (= manastabal Oberth.) The dorsal 

 abdominal warts of the larva of No. 2 are described as bearing 7 to 9 long whitish 

 hairs, and there are two pale yellow dorsal stripes ; in No. 3 the warts have only 5 

 or 6 long whitish hairs, the general colour is greenish grey dorsally and laterally, and 

 the yellowish dorsal lines are absent. We have two blown caterpillars of Group A, 

 i.e. with seven glandular slits on the abdomen. The colour is reddish from the 

 stigmata upwards ; there is a thin pale dorsal central line, but no pale lines connect 

 the dorsal warts. These warts bear on the abdominal segments i to vii from 4 

 to 8 white hairs, the usual number being 5 or 6, 4 and 8 occurring once, 7 twice on 

 the seven segments in question (28 warts) of the two specimens. The instability 

 here observed in the number of white hairs shakes the value of the distinction 

 described by Powell. 



Our series of <$<$ varies in the length of the forewing from 9 to 13-5 mm. 

 The specimens from Guelt-es-Stel (nearly 500) measure from 9 to 12 - 5 mm., those 

 from Mazagan in Marocco (only six) from 11 "5 to 135 mm. The larger examples 

 from the West Coast of Marocco agree in size with Oberthür's mogadorensis 

 from Mogador ; nmroccaim Oberthür, also from Mogador, has the forewing only 

 10 mm. long. Our examples from Palestine (thirteen) measure 10 to 11 mm., 

 those from Aln-Draham in Tunis (seven) from 10"5 to 12 mm., and the remaining 



