154 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



median cell of both pairs of wings closed ; the transverse nervure of forewing 

 broken about in the middle, that of the hindwing before the middle. Forewin^s 

 with 12 nervines ; nervure 2 near the base, 3 and 4 free, starting from the hind 

 margin, 5 from the hinder angle of the median cell, 6 and 7 with short stalk, 8 

 free, from the front angle, 9 and 10 with a stalk, which is much shorter than 

 the free part of the nervures ; 2 — -8 running' into outer margin, 9 into apex, 10 — 12 

 into costa. Hindwings with 8 nervures ; 4 and 5 from one point, or united in a 

 short stalk (laeta) , 8 is at its base strongly bent, and only unites beyond the middle 

 of the ceil, by a long, oblique, transverse nervure, with nervure 7 ; the resultant 

 basal cell is broad, nearly as large as the median cell, and sends out 4 — 5 nervules, 

 of which the outermost is longest, straightest, and nearly parallel with the free 

 part of nervure 8; lb — 6 run into the hind margin, 7 into apex, 8 into costa. 



c? antennas long, reaching at least to middle of costa of forewings, straight, with 

 long pectinations, which become shorter towards the base. ? antenna built as in the 



c? , but with i short fpotatoria, albomacidata) or medium-length (laetaj pectinations. 



$ . Abdomen with broad tuft of hairs on the tip. ? . Abdomen at end somewhat 

 pointed, without anal tuft. Larva : Very characteristic and easily distinguished from 

 all other Lasiocampids. It is more or less densely clothed all over with soft hair ; the 

 2nd and nth segments have on the back a longer tuft of hair, and the 4th-ioth 

 fpotatoria, albomaculata) or 3rd-ioth (laeta) on each side of the back a longitudinal 

 row of 3-4 fpotatoria, albomaculata) or 5 small, short, dark tufts of hair. On the 

 sides stand on each segment (from 2-10) three silky streaks quite as in larva of 



Chilena. Pupates in a long cocoon. Pupa : Smooth, glossy, with some very fine 

 bristles on blunt anal end. 



Aurivillius' diagnosis shows clearly the differences existing between 

 the Palaearctic ( Cosmotriche ) and certain Indian ( ' Routledgia* ) species, 

 but he does not deal with the Australian nor African species as 

 enumerated by Kirby {Cat., pp. 821-822). Until these species are 

 thoroughly worked out, it is idle to suggest the true distribution of the 

 group. Cosmotriche, as represented by potatoria and albomaculata, ex- 

 tends from the extreme west of Europe to the extreme east of Asia. Rout- 

 ledgia is, perhaps, typical of certain of the specialised Indian genera, 

 the species catalogued by Kirby from this district being — /acta, 

 Walk. (Silhet), decisa, Walk. (N. India), pyriformis, Moore (Masuri), 

 divisa, Moore (Ceylon), signata, Moore, and lineata, Moore (Darjil- 

 ing), to which must be added castanea, Hamps., and isocymae, 

 Hamps. (India), all of which are evidently not congeneric, and pro- 

 bably not even to be placed in the same tribe. The Australian species 

 catalogued are — albigutta, Walk. (Tasmania), anstralasiac, Fabr. 

 (Australia), nana, Walk. (Tasmania), and interne rata, Walk. 

 (Australia). The African species noted are — directa, Walk. (Sierra 

 Leone), ? minima, Plotz (West Africa), ? aluco, Fabr. (Cape 

 Colony), reducta, Walk. (S. Africa), and niris, Druce (Lower 

 Niger), whilst one species, paupercula, Walk., is recorded from 

 Bogota. The subfamily as a whole, therefore, is widely distributed, 

 extending in few species over the Palaearctic region, but being 

 much better developed in the Endo-Malayan and Australian region, 

 extending also, if the characters on which the authorities have 

 grouped the species be sound, into southern and western Africa. 

 The Cosmotrichids appear distinctly allied to the Eutrichids (sensu 

 strict.) on egg characters, whilst, on the somewhat generalised 



'We are not quite clear that we have not here two tribes: (1) Cosmotrichidi 

 (typified by Cosmotriche— potatoria, albomaculata, and an unnamed genus — 

 pyriformis. Walker). (2) Routledgiidi (typified by Routledgia- laeta). Laeta is 

 very distinct, both sixes being extremely specialised. The 3 has less strongly 

 pectinated antennae, and the ? more stronglj pectinated antennae than have the 

 respective sexes of Cosmotriche. The ?s (from ECiukiang) in the British 

 Museum collection have an anal tuft to abdomen. 



