Pnhl. 3. II. 1914. OCHODONTIA; RHODOMETRA. By L. B. Prout. 153 



which it is necessary to break up on the lines of classification suggested by Meyrick, Hampson, Dr. Turner 

 and other modern workers; and even there, Staudinger's sequence of species has been preserved except 

 where this separated species which needed to be placed together as congeners. Some of the genera here 

 recognized are perhaps not very sharply defined; but every biologist will recognize the absurdity of placing 

 in a single genus such diverse elements as pyraliata Schiff., cambrica Curt., hastata L., ohliterata Hufn., etc. 

 Some of these, indeed, are far easier to define generically than are some genera which Staudinger accepts, 

 such as his Ortholitha. It may be mentioned in passing, that the name Larentia, which that author has sub- 

 stituted for the Cidaria of his 1871 edition, is entirely misapplied, as it does not even include the type of 

 the genus {davaria Haw. = cervinata Schiff.). 



1. Genus: Ochodontia Led. 



Face smooth, not protuberant. Palpus rather short. Antenna in cf bipectinate. Hindleg slender, with 

 all spurs. Forewing with costal margin subconcave in middle, strongly convex near apex, distal margin with 

 a rounded excavation between apex and 3'''^ radial, toothed at the latter; areole double, the proximal usually 

 smaller; stalk of 3'''* to 5*'' subeostals arising at or near the apex of the cell. Hindwing strongly toothed at 

 3^*^ radial, concave between this and the anal angle, costal anastomosing with subcostal to about the middle 

 of the cell. 



A somewhat isolated genus, of which only a single species is known. On account, perhaps, of its 

 shape, Lederer placed it near Timandra, in the Acidaliinae, overlooking that the hindwing structure absolutely 

 contradicted his diagnosis of that group. 



0. adustaria Fisch.-Waldh. (= sareptanaria Frr) (7 b). Forewing light fleshy ochreous, sometimes adustaria. 

 brighter pink, the costal area more or less broadly shaded with olivaceous, the lines fine, consisting of a 

 single, straight antemedian and a pair of nearly straight postmedian, the first of them with some dark shading 

 distally; very feeble indications of further lines in distal area are sometimes traceable. Hindwing at inner 

 margin nearly concolorous with posterior part of forewing, the rest much lighter; antemedian line wanting, 

 the postmedian pair more widely separated, one at least of the distal lines somewhat less shadowy than on 

 forewing. Hindwing beneath more nearly concolorous with forewing above, the posterior part of forewing, 

 on the contrary, paler than above. I know of no striking aberrations or varieties. Occurs from S. E. Russia 

 and Transcaucasia to Eastern Turkestan. The larva, according to Hofmann, is remarkable for the thickening 

 of its anterior segments, which increase in width from the prothorax to the first abdominal, is then consider- 

 ably constricted and afterwards cylindrical, segment-incisions rather strong; head small; body red-brown with 

 yellowish lines, the dorsal double, subdorsal fine, emitting an oblique mark on the 2""* abdominal, lateral line 

 broken into oblique streaks from the 2"'' to the 6"' abdominal. Feeds on Euonymus europaeus. The moth is 

 double brooded. 



2. Genus: Rhodometra Meyr. 



Face with rounded prominence, appressed scaled. Palpus moderate, rather stout, third joint small. 

 Anteima in cf bipectinate. Legs normal. Forewing triangular, smoothly scaled; areole single. Hindwing 

 somewhat amygdaloid, the angles being more or less rounded off, the distal margin pretty regularly convex; 

 costal vein anastomosing with subcostal to about or beyond middle of cell, second subcostal arising from 

 apex of cell or very shortly stalked with first radial. 



A small African genus, of which two species, one of migratory habits, extend into Europe and Asia, 

 in the warmer parts no doubt permanently established, but further north only occurring as an accidental 

 visitor. Its nearest relatives {Pseudosterrha Warr. and perhaps Anthemoctena Warr.) are also exotic. 



This genus was long called Sterrha Hbn., on account of a mistake of Herrich-Schaffer's, but not (as 

 Meyrick supposed) of a confusion between the names sericeata (the type of Sterrha) and sacraria. In his early 

 and immature work ("Deutschlands Insecten") p. 104, Herrich-Schaffer formed a very unnatural genus con- 

 sisting of interpunctaria, jacidaria, sericeata, sacraria and rosearia (three non-Larentiid and two Larentiids) and 

 to this he correctly apphed the name of Sterrha. Later he redistributed these among more natural genera 

 but, forgetting which was the type of Sterrha, retained the name for the wrong section. Hampson and Swinhoe 

 have united Rhodometra with Pseudosterrha Warr., which has not the protuberant face, has much narrower 

 wings with longer cells and shows some other differences. 



R. sacraria L. (6 a). Forewing yellow, costal margin usually narrowly rosy at base, a bright rose-coloured sacraria. 

 line or stripe from the apex to somewhat beyond middle of hindmargin ; usually also with a minute discal dot and 



IV '" 20 



