178 LIEUT.-COL. J. M. FAWCETT ON THE 



The pupa, which is formed amongst leaves on the surface of the ground, is reddish 

 ochraceous with numerous fine dark striae. 



The moth is uncommon in the Durban district, where the larva figured was reared 

 by Mr. W. Haygarth, who gave me coloured drawings of the larva and pupa. 



Family SYNTOMIDJ3. 



Metarctia meteus (Stoll). (Plate VII. figs. 15, male; 16, female; 17, larva; 

 18, cocoon; 19, pupa.) 

 Bombyx meteus Stoll, Cramer's Pap. Exot. iv. pi. cccxlvii. f. B (1782). 



Male. Head orange ; body thickly clothed with orange-coloured hairs ; antennae 

 long, black, and pectinated ; abdomen orange-coloured, with black rings on each 

 somite ; fore wing dark slaty grey, costal area orange-coloured ; hind wing dark slaty 

 grey, paler towards the centre, and with some orange hairs at the base ; cilia orange- 

 coloured. Exp. 38-48 millim. 



Female. Pale ochreous all over ; antennae filamentous, of same colour as body ; 

 abdomen abnormally large. The wings of the five specimens I bred never grew after 

 emerging from the pupa, and remained undeveloped in a semi-folded condition. In 

 some specimens the abdomen was so heavy that the legs were unable to support it in 

 any position except on the bottom of the box. 



Larva. Head red ; body black superiorly, reddish ochreous inferiorly, each somite 

 bearing about eight tubercles, from which spring six tufts of long and short black 

 hairs, the long hairs paling to grey at their extremities ; the two lowest tubercles bear 

 tufts of red hairs ; spiracles black ; legs and claspers reddish. 



The larva figured is only three parts grown. The hairs have an irritating effect on 

 the hand when the larva is handled. When alarmed the larva rolls itself up into a 

 ball. It feeds on species of Gnidia (Linn.) and Lasiosiphon (Fresen.), Natural Order 

 Thymeliacese, also on species of Acalypha (Linn.), Natural Order Euphorbiaceae, 

 which are all very common plants amongst the grass of the " veldt " in the 

 Transvaal. 



Pupa. Red-brown, the female specimens with diminutive wing-covers and abnormally 

 large abdomen ; the transformation is accomplished inside a strong web woven by the 

 larva by means of its hairs and particles of earth, &c. Amongst my specimens the 

 first web was formed about 6th or 7th December, 1900, and first imago emerged 15th 

 January, 1901. 



A common species at Belfast, 6500 feet altitude, in the Eastern Transvaal. 



