■~ PTYCHOPODA. By L. B. Prout. 123 



Pt. circuitaria Hbn. (= chimaeraria Mill.) (4e). A very distinct species. May be known at once circuHaria. 

 by the bright sand-coloured areas which alternate with narrow or broader whitish stripes. The lines are fine 

 and somewhat sinuous, darker than the sandy areas which they bound; the median shade is wanting, or rather 

 is represented by the broad central sandy band; the first line is also, as usual, wanting on the hindwing; 

 subterminal line whitish, often broadened so as almost to reach the distal margin; cell-spots wanting. Under 

 surface similar, forewing with the first line absent, both wings with the median shade a little darkened in pla- 

 ces, with the suggestion of a dark discal lunule on both wings. ^J antennal ciliation short; hindleg short but 

 not thickened, tarsus not greatly abbreviated, chimaeraria Mill, was named from specimens which were dwarfed 

 through breeding, and therefore does not represent a genuine aberration. — ab. mimosaria H.-Sch. is a mimosaria. 

 whiter form, the stripes or bands being broadened and of a pure white. It occurs with the type in several 

 localities but is, according to Staudingee, the only form known from Northern Asia Minor. — The larva is 

 slender, tapering somewhat anteriorly and carinated laterally, but is singular in the form of the head and 

 prothorax which, as in so many Hetnitheinae, project in a double point above ; the colour is reddish brown, 

 with a fine, geminate, uninterrupted brown dorsal line, a rather broad, much interrupted subdorsal and 

 a fine, pale, interrupted lateral line; the spiracles are extremely minute, black, ringed with whitish. It 

 appears to be poly3)hagous and shows a decided preference for decaying leaves. It is difficult to rear. The 

 pupa is clay-yellowish, dorsally spotted with brown. The moth appears in June and July and is local and 

 rarely abundant. It inhabits S. W. Europe, Sardinia, Corsica, Italy, Dalmatia, Syria and Northern Asia Minor. 

 Also in dry mountains near Philippeville, Algeria (Dr. A. Seitz). 



Pt. effusaria Chr. (= obtectaria Leech) (3 i) may be regarded as having the same scheme of markings effusaria. 

 as circuitaria, but less sharply defined, the ground-colour being pale ochreous or, at lightest, an impure, yellow- 

 ish white and the rather darker areas somewhat shadowy; the postmedian line makes a very strong distal 

 curve between the third radial and second median, otherwise it is placed rather far from the distal margin, 

 especially on the hindwing. Under surface paler with the markings still weaker, c? antennal ciliation short ; 

 midtibia fringed with long hairs ; hindtibia strongly hairy, hindtarsus aborted. Originally described from the Ussuri 

 district. I have before me a single (^ from thence, perhaps a pale aberration but apparently slightly worn 

 or faded. The Japanese examples are slightly larger and more ochreous, but as both Christoph and Leech 

 indicate this as the ground-colour I do not feel justified, without further material, in separating the two 

 races. In any case there is no doubt as to the specific identity. The original examples were taken in the se- 

 confl half of July; in Japan it continues on the wing until mid August. 



Pt. auricruda jBifr. (= plumboscriptariaC/tr.) (3 i) is quite distinct from e//wsana in its darker colouring, auricruda. 

 etc., although it still has, in common with that species, a rather strong gloss which prevents the markings 

 from standing ont quite as sharply as in our figure. The ground-colour is of a more brownish ochreous than 

 in effusaria, the bands (on forewing 4, on hindwing 3) of a peculiar, indefinite chocolate-brown tone, angled, 

 varying in width, sometimes (as in our figure) fully as wide as the bands of the ground-colour, sometimes 

 considerably narrower. Underside much paler, the markings more blurred. ^ antennal ciliation rather short, 

 hindtibia short, strongly tufted with hair, tarsus about one-half as long as tibia. S. E. Siberia, Korea and 

 Japan, end of June — July. — insuavis Btlr. (= remissa Wilem.) is in my opinion nothing more than an ex- insuavis. 

 treme form of auricruda. It was described and figured from Dharmsala by Butler and seems to constitute 

 a local race in N. India; but remissa Wileman is in all respects identical with it and at Yoshino in the pro- 

 vince of Yamato this occurs together with typical auricruda. insuavis differs from the type form in being 

 of a duller, more purplish-leaden tone, the pale ground-colour being reduced in width so that it ms.y rather 

 be described as 3 (on the hindwing 2) broad sinuous lines on the otherwise uniformly dark wings. Mey- 

 RICK and Turner record this species (under the name of plumboscriptaria) from N. Queensland; according to 

 the very brief description given, it would appear to be a form slightly different from both those here described, 

 or possibly a very close ally. 



Pt. herbariata F. (= pusillaria Hbn. nee pusillata Schiff. = microsaria Bdv.) (4e). As a thorough herbariaia. 

 study of the literature has necessitated a few changes in well-known names among the Acidaliinae, it is so much 

 the greater satisfaction to find that in the present species no alteration is necessary. Although Hubner's 

 name of pusillaria is now almost certainly known to date from 1796, two years prior to herbariata, it was 

 founded on a misidentifieation of Schiffermuller's pusillata and has therefore no standing according to 

 the rules of nomenclature. It is, however, possibly the inquinata of Scopoli, as Wernebueg thinks. A small 

 species, moderately variable, but not difficult to recognize. The wings are rather broad, apex of forewing 

 not acute. Ground-colour whitish ochreous, rather strongly and coarsely dusted with fuscous. Forewing 

 with both lines well developed, the antemedian curved, the postmedian angled near the costal margin, both 

 with an inward bend near the posterior margin, the antemedian often thickened at the posterior margin ; me- 

 dian shade much more variable, almost always dark and thick at the posterior margin, but seldom distinct 



