268 PORPHYRINIA. By W. Warren. 



compuncta. P. compuncta Led. Forewing chalk white; lines brownish; the inner obscure, the median oblique and 



straight; the outer oblique outwards at costa and incurved below middle; terminal area ferruginous, tra- 

 versed by a whitish subterminal line, which is externally marked by a row of black dots; a dark point 

 in middle of cell and two black points at end; hindwing white, the termen tinged with ferruginous; traces 

 of outer and subterminal lines. Recorded from Syria and Persia. The extent of rufous suffusion is variable ; 

 rufata. in ab. rufata ab. nov. (= ab. 1. Hmps.) the base to median line and the terminal area are both rufous, 

 the black subterminal dots absent. 



ephimera. P. ephimera Hmps. (51 h). Forewing creamy white, the terminal area with a faint rufous tinge; lines 



rufous; the inner curved and faint; the median shown only below middle; the outer excurved to vein 7, 

 then oblique and indistinct; subterminal white, minutely dentate, with black striae on outer edge; a dark 

 diffuse cellspot; hindwing with diffused brownish subterminal line. Described from Hi, E. Turkestan. 



albida. P. albida Dup. (51 g, h). Forewing cream white, grey-tinged towards the termen; the median line pale 



reddish, nearly straight; outer line close to subterminal and parallel; a reddish streak from apex, containing 

 a black dash below, and often continued along outer edge of subterminal line as a series of black dots; a 

 dark dot in base of cell and another on discocellular ; fringe rufous at tips ; hindwing white with a grey mar- 

 gratissima. gin. Algeria. The ab. gratissima Stgr. (51 h), from Asia Minor, Kurdistan, Syria, Mardin, Pontus, is smaller 

 infuscata. and flushed with yellow; — ab. infuscata Stgr., from Syria only, is suffused with brownish, and has a broad 

 fransmittens. white band beyond the middle and a narrow white line before termen; — ab. transmittens Chr. (51 h), describ- 

 ed from a single £ from Armenia, has a broad whitish grey band externally. 



This moth is comparatively rare in Collections, owing to the fact that it never or rarely flies by 

 day; should it, however, take flight, if disturbed, it is immediately attacked and devoured by a large 

 species of Asilus. During the day therefore it remains concealed under the lower leaves of a species of 

 thistle (Echinops), and, if these be examined, one or two pairs of the insect will almost without exception 

 be found on each plant. For these novel and interesting details — the result of his own personal obser- 

 vations in Algeria — I am indebted to Dr. Sbitz himself. He further remarks that ,,the moth is really 

 quite abundant in Eastern Algeria, in the neighbourhood of Batua, where the brown form infuscata is 

 equally common with the type, while transmittens also occurs though more rarely"; and with regard to its 

 foodplant adds that ,, scarcely a plant of the particular thistle can be found that is not inhabited by the 

 larva, which feeds in the interior of the stems". 



munda. P. munda Chr. Differs from albida in being very much smaller, 16 mm against 25 — 30 mm. Statj- 



dinger queries it as a small form of albida, with his gratissima from Asia Minor as an intermediate form; 

 it is equally probable that both are distinct species; the locality for munda is Turcomania. 



jocularls. P- jocularis Christ. (51h). Forewing yellowish white, the termen slightly brownish; median and outer 



lines oblique, brownish, very indistinct ; fringe pure white ; hindwing pure white, with the lines as in forewing. 

 Armenia, Persia. 



caduca. P. caduca Christ. Forewing pale rosy grey, the terminal area and fringe ochraceous, with both trans- 



verse lines and the discocellular spot rosy grey; hindwing luteous grey slightly darker terminally. Described 

 from a $ from Ordubad, Armenia. 



viridis. P. viridis Stgr. (52 a). Forewing dull pale green, mixed with whitish; median band whitish, broad 



and curved, outwardly diffuse, before which the green is deeper; an oblique whitish line from apex to inner 

 margin beyond middle; sometimes a faint dark line is traceable between the two; terminal line green; fringe 

 with white tips; hindwing pale grey, with slightly paler band before middle. Samarcand, Ferghana. 



chlorotica. P. chlorotica Led. (51h). Forewing dull greyish green, as in Megalodes eximiaFrr., with the median, outer, 



and submarginal lines paler, obliquely sinuous and parallel; hindwing pale grey. Syria, Kurdistan, Mesopota- 

 mia, Armenia, Persia, Turcomania. 



deseHi. P. deserti Roths. (51 i). Forewing white, faintly rufous-tinged before the vertical rufous median line, 



which is excurved at middle and incurved below costa and on submedian fold; subterminal area also tinged 

 slightly with rufous ; a few black scales below apex and beyond cell; hindwing pure white. Mraier, S. Algeria. 



wollastorii. P. wollastotii N. C. Roths. (51 n). Forewing yellowish white, with slight black dots in and beyond 



end of cell, and a few scattered black subterminal scales; hindwing pure white. Shendi, Egypt. 



conislrota. P. conistrota Hmps. (51 i). Forewing white, tinged, except at costa, with brownish ochreous, the costal 



edge towards base blackish; the two folds, except at base, and the intervals beyond cell to near termen, irrorated 

 with black ; hindwing white faintly flushed with brownish ; the brown suffusion is much stronger in the $ ; the 

 interspaces all dark, except at costa, leaving the veins whitish ; hindwing and abdomen strongly brown-tinged. 

 Quetta, Beluchistan. 



