156 THE LEPIDOPTERA OF CEYLON. 



discal band : hindwing with paler brown strigge between the veins. Body cinereous- 

 white, with brown tufted edgings ; antennge and legs brownish-white. 

 Expanse If inch. 



Family HEPIALIDiE. 



Wings long; hind wings nearly as long as the forewings. . Antennae simple; 

 abdomen long, slender ; proboscis and palpi obsolete. 



Larva elongated, naked ; with a horny plate on second segment. Feeds on the 

 roots of plants. Pupa subterranean ; with short spines on the segments. 



Genus PHASSUS. 

 Phassus, Walker, Catal. Lep. Het. B. M. vii. p. 1566 (1865). ■ -' 



Forewing long, narrow ; subcostal five-branched ; first subcostal emitted at 

 nearly two-thirds before end of the cell, second and fourth from near the end, second 

 bifid near the end; upper discocellular outwardly oblique, bent in the middle, lower 

 short ; upper radial from the angle and lower radial from end of upper discocellular ; 

 a discoidal veinlet emitted within the cell from opposite lower radial and joined to 

 the median close to its lower branch ; median with three branches, its lower branch 

 emitted at two-thirds before end of the cell, middle and upper branch from end of 

 the cell, middle branch bent at one-fourth from its base and joined by a cross 

 branchlet to lower median ; submedian short, arched at the base and forked at its 

 end ; internal vein arched at its base and emitting a short basal branch ; lower 

 fork of submedian joined to internal vein at a short distance beyond the lower 

 branch, a short cross branchlet also runs from base of lower median to middle of the 

 submedian and thence aci-oss to internal vein above middle of the lower branch : 

 hindwing almost as long as forewing ; first subcostal emitted at one-half before end 

 of the cell, second at one-fourth, bifid at two-thirds from its end, fourth from 

 immediately before end of the cell ; discocellular, discoidal, radials, and medians 

 disposed as in forewing, except that the discoidal and median, which are joined 

 together near the base and run into the subcostal, the lower median branch being 

 free and its end starting from base of the subcostal; a submedian and two internal 

 veins. Body very long, slender, head and thorax laxly pilose, abdomen almost 

 smooth, thorax narrowed in front, head small ; palpi not visible ; antennge short, 

 slender, setulose ; foi-e and middle legs rather long and laterally pilose to end of the 

 tarsi, hind legs short, less pilose. 



PHASSUS PURPTTEESCENS (Plate 143, Fig. 4). 

 Male. Pale purplish greyish-brown : forewing with some pale-bordered dark 

 brown spots along middle of the costal border; a medial dark brown irregular 



