ARCTJA. — METACRIAS. 4f)7 



Eziprepia villica, var. sicula, Zell. Isis, 1847, p. 433. 



Arctia villica, var. fulminans, Staud. Cat. p. 57 (1871). 



Arctia villica, vai-. co7iflue.ns, Rom. Mem. i. p. 87, pi. 4. f. 9 (1884). 



Head and thorax black ; tegula) with triangular white patches ; 

 some crimson behind the eyes ; pectus mostly crimson ; coxae mostly 

 and femora above crimson ; abdomen scarlet, orange-yellow towards 

 base of dorsum ; dorsal and lateral series of black points and sub- 

 lateral stripes. Fore wing black, with triangular white patch at 

 base in and below cell ; antemedial and medial rounded spots 

 in and below cell ; a quadrate postmedial patch below costa, some- 

 times with one or two points beyond it, and a somewhat triangular 

 patch from below vein 4 almost to termen above tornus ; a quadrate 

 subterminal spot on vein 5. Hind wing orange-yellow, with ante- 

 medial black spots on costa, median nervure, and vein 1, the two 

 former sometimes conjoined ; spots at angles of cell ; a subterminal 

 band from costa to vein 4, more or less strongly confluent with spots 

 on termen at apex and middle ; subterminal rounded spots on vein 2 

 and on vein 1 nearer termen. Underside of fore wing with scarlet 

 postmedial spot on costn, or the apical part of costa scarlet ; hind 

 wing with the costal and more or less of terminal areas scarlet. 



Ab. 1. angelica. The white markings replaced by sulphur-yellow. 

 — Prance, Spain, Greece. 



Ab. 2. coneucai. Fore wing with the spots more or less conjoined 

 into bands. — Italy, Spain, Persia. 



Ab. 3. Fore wing with the markings more or less conjoined 

 longitudinally. 



Ab. 4. Fore wing yellow, with the costa, termen, an apical patch, 

 three spots below cosl-a and one at lower angle of cell black ; hind 

 wing with some black on termen only. 



Ab. 5. Hind wing more or less suffused with brown, sometimes 

 wholly so except basal inner area. 



Ab. 6. fulminans. Hind wing scarlet. — Syria. 

 Hah. Europe except extreme north, Germany, Zeller Coll., 

 Switzerland, Frey Coll., Corsica {Yerhury), Greece {Merlin) ; Asia 

 Minor, Syracuse, Zeller Coll. ; Armenia. Exp.., c? 66, $ 70 millim. 

 Larva. Meyr. Brit. Lep. p. 42 ; Barrett, Lep. Brit. p. 272, pi. 73. f. 1. 

 Black ; hairs dark brown ; spiracles sometimes white ; head deep 

 red. Food-plants : Myosotis, Plantago^ Rumex, Ulex, etc. 8-5. 



Genus METACRIAS. 



Type. 

 Metacrias, Meyr. P. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. (2) i. p. 749 (1886) ... erichrysa. 



(S- Proboscis aborted; palpi minute, buried in long hair which clothes 

 the head, thorax, and abdomen ; antennaa bipectinate with moderate branches ; 

 fore tibige with slight curved claw at extremity on inner side ; hind tibite with 

 one pair of spurs. Fore wing with vein 3 from before angle of cell ; 6 from 

 above angle ; 6 from upper angle ; 9 from 10 anastomosing with 8 to form the 

 areole ; 11 free, the costa slightly lobed near base. Hind wing with veins 3 and 

 o from close to angle of cell ; 6, 7 from upper angle ; 8 from before middle of 

 cell. 



2h2 



