66 ME. E. T. ^VATSO^' ox THE nESPEiiiiD.T: . [Jan. 17, 



All the species of this genus in which the male has a tuft of hairs 

 on tl.e hind tibife also are provided with a " pair of scabbard-shaped 

 scalv and hairy appendages, springing posteriorly from the breast at 

 the base of the hind legs and about one third the length of the 

 abdomen." These appendages will be found to be present in the 

 males of all genera which are provided with tufts on the hind tibise, 

 and when the hind legs are drawn up the tuft is inserted between 

 the appendage and the base of the abdomen. 



This is a genus which needs splitting up ; but a further knowledge 

 of the earlier stages is necessary to do it satisfactorily. 



Hesperia geron, sp. nov. 



Upperside dark brown, almost black, spotted with white. Fore 

 wing with a few grey scales at base of wing and along inner margin ; 

 a longitudinal white spot at base of cell, a broad square spot extending 

 across the centre of cell, and a crescent-shaped spot closing cell ; an 

 oval spot on submedian ; a submarginal row of eight white spots 

 across wing beyond cell, the upper four coalescing, the first three 

 large, the fourth small, the fifth triangular, equal in size to and 

 immediately below the fourth, the sixth square, twice the size of the 

 fifth, nearer the base of the wing, the seventh and eighth rectangular, 

 almost equal in size, larger and nearer to the base of the wing than 

 the sixth, the eighth placed immediately below the seventh, which 

 is immediately below the crescent-shaped spot closing cell; a mar- 

 ginal row of eight white dots. Hind wing with a large rounded 

 spot closing cell and three more snots coalescing with it and with 

 each other extending towards the inner margin as far as the sub- 

 median ; a small spot at base of cell and a marginal row of six white 

 dots ; inner margin clothed with long whitish hairs ; all above spots 

 white. Cilia of both wings chequered. Underside : fore wing as 

 above, the costal margin and apex suffused with greenish white ; 

 hind wing : ground-colour ocbraccous yellow ; spots as above, but 

 with an additional large spot in the marginal row, situated at the 

 apex of the wing, and an extra s^ ot in the discal row situated between 

 the costal and subcostal nervures just above the subcostal bifurcation. 

 Thorax and abdomen above black ; last few segments of abdomen 

 whitish. Palpi and abdomen beneath greyish white. Antennae : 

 shaft grey above, white beneath ; club black, tip white. 



Expanse 31 millim. 



Nearest to H. phlomidis^ H.-S., from which it differs in its smaller 

 size, more extended white markings on the fore wing above, but 

 chiefly in the colour and markings on the underside of the hind 

 wing; m phJomidis the ground-colour is sap-green, in geron ochraceous 

 yellow : in the former tlie large spot above the subcostal bifurcation 

 unites with the discal row and also is broadly diffused above the 

 costal nervure along the costa to the base ; in the latter the large 

 spot above the subcostal bifurcation is well separated from the spot 

 at end of cell and dOes not extend above the costal nervure. 



Described from six specimens collected by me at Quetta, Biluch- 

 istan, in June. There is also a single specimen in the collection 



