SMERINTHUS OCELLATA. 429 



have the ocellated spot larger than those from Europe, but 

 this is not invariably the case." Pryer says of S. planus : " Closely 

 resembles S. ocellata. The larva feeds on willow, is green, with a 

 green horn instead of a sky-blue one as in S. ocellata!'' 



e. \ox. atlanticus, Aust., " Le Nat.," xii., 1890, p. 190 (1890); x\\, p. 72 (1893); 

 Kirby, "Cat.," p. 711 (1892); Stdfss., "Handbuch," &c, p. 55 (1896); Bartel, 

 "Palaeark. Gross-Schmett.," ii., p. 178 (1900); Staud., "Cat.," 3rd ed., p. 99 (1901). 

 Ocellatus, Luc, "Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr.," 3rd ser., iv., p. xcii (1856).— Near S. ocellata, 

 but perhaps resembles especially argus, Men., from eastern Siberia. Compared 

 with ocellata, the following differences are observable : The size is much larger, 

 varying- according to the sex from 92mm. — 103mm. like that of medium examples 

 of Amorpha austauti, Staud. The dominant shade on the upper side is a dark, 

 somewhat brownish, olive- green, the pattern and the ordinary spots clearly marked 

 in greyish-white. The basal line is less markedly interrupted than in S. 

 ocellata. The extra-basal line, which succeeds it, throws out, as in 5*. 

 ocellata, "a pale streak, which is, however, much elongated, and gives off towards 

 the outer angle two black spots, of which one occupies the normal position, and 

 the other is placed further behind at the extremity of the transverse wavy lines. 

 This streak, otherwise, is twice broken, first near its point of origin, in consequence 

 of the intersection of the two brown oblique lines, which mark the path of the 

 extra basal line ; secondly, further on by meeting another blackish-brown, quite 

 straight, line which crosses the wing transversely from one side to the other. One 

 observes that this last line does not touch the discoidal spot as in ocellata, but 

 that it is placed equidistant from the spot and the transverse or median lines, in 

 a manner similar to that occurring in argus. These median lines, being nearer 

 the outer margin, bring about the lengthening of the white streak which has 

 its origin in the extrabasal line, and they are also more strongly sinuate, and 

 particularly more deeply waved than those of our European form, and one notes 

 that the median nervure, which intersects the dark space in the middle of the 

 wing, is marked in grey as in kindermanni from Asia Minor. The posterior 

 wings of atlanticus present even more striking characters than the forewings. 

 The ocellated spot, situated towards the anal angle, is more rounded, never 

 angulated, and is very wide. The black ring which surrounds it is especially 

 thick on the basal side. It throws out from one point a streak or " liture " towards 

 the anal lobe, analogous to that of ocellata, and from another a straight ray that 

 terminates in a point towards the centre of the wing. It results from this dis- 

 appearance that the ocellated spot appears to be bounded by a circular arc of 

 which the ends coincide with the "liture" and ray just mentioned. The basal 

 tint of a brilliant carmine-red extends narrowly above the ocellus almost to the 

 base, but does not descend so low as in ocellata, along the abdominal margin; 

 it dies out abruptly towards the centre of the wing in the form oi a prominent mark, 

 tinged with black, and leaves the whole ol the anterior margin pure white (Austaut). 



Staudinger diagnoses (Cat., p. 99) this form as: "Major, al. 

 ant. minus (in $ fere non) cervino-tinctis." 



. £. var. gen. 2, aestivalis, Aust., " Le Nat.," xii., p. 191 (1890); Kirby, "Cat.," 

 p. 711 (1892}; Bartel, "Palaeark. Gross-Schmett.," ii., p. 180 (1900). —Rather smaller 

 than typical var. atlanticus, darker, more like a dead leaf in colour, not olive-green, 

 and rather inclining to a yellowish tinge ; markings as in atlanticus (Austaut). 



Towards the end of July, 1880, a large green Sphingid larva 

 with shiny blue head, and with ordinary dark ferruginous-brown 

 subdorsal lines, was received from Morocco. This pupated and 

 produced towards the end of August, a fine imago, very near S. 

 ocellata, but with a sufficiently characteristic appearance to in- 

 duce Austaut to regard it as a new species. This specimen 

 is the type of the var. aestivalis. After ten years he obtained 

 three others at the commencement of May, 1890, in the mountains 

 of the province of Oudja at about 1 200m. elevation. These were 

 the larger individuals described as atlanticus. Bacot notes that the 

 larval characters indicated, viz., "the blue head and ferruginous- 

 brown subdorsal line," appear more distinctive than are any of the 

 imaginal characters available, 



