158 A. WATSON 



NIDARA Mabille 

 (Text-figs. 253-270 ; PL 17, fig. 340, PL 18, figs. 343-348) 



Nidara Mabille, 1897 : 222. Type-species, by monotypy, Nidara croceina Mabille, 1897. 

 Nidara Mabille ; Gaede in Seitz, 1927 b : 292. 

 Nidara Mabille ; Gaede, 1931 : 52. 



Description. q\ Head, palp and antenna yellow, orange, or dark brown ; antenna uni- 

 pectinate, A.P.R. 21-45. 



Thorax yellow or orange, legs yellow or orange, sometimes with dark brown front surface. 

 Costa of fore wing slightly convex ; outer margin of both wings convex, entire. Venation of 

 fore wing as in Text-fig. 254 ; hind wing with Sc + R 1 anastomosed with Rs for short distance 

 distal to end of cell. Ground-colour of both wings yellow or orange, non-lustrous. Upper 

 surface of wings with dark brown markings in three species, and white spot or spots at the end of 

 the cell in all except calligola. Under surface of both wings paler than upper surface ; markings 

 usually reduced in extent and clarity. (See Plates 17 and 18.) 



Abdomen similar in colour to ground-colour of upper surface of wings dorsally and laterally ; 

 much paler ventrally. 



<J genitalia (see labelled Text-fig. 267) : uncus simple, toothed posteriorly in marcus ; tegu- 

 men narrow transversely ; saccus strongly developed, with flat lateral continuations into inter- 

 segmental membrane ; valve robust, variously shaped ; valves united medially at base ; 

 diaphragma membranous posteriorly, somewhat dilated ; aedeagus variously shaped ; apo- 

 demes of eighth sternum short, long posterior processes present in pumilla, calligola and multi- 

 versa (extremely attenuate and reflexed in latter). 



$ (known only from one specimen of calligola and one specimen of multiversa) . Similar to male. 



$ genitalia : ostium shielded ventrally by paired acuminate processes of eighth segment ; 

 ninth tergum forming large hood-like structure over ovipositor valves ; bursa copulatrix with 

 pair of scobinate, externally concave signa. 



Discussion. Nidara, the only known genus of the subfamily Nidarinae, was 

 established by Mabille, 1897, for a single new species croceina. In the present work 

 four new species are described, all of them from Madagascar. 



As the male of croceina is not known and the females of only calligola and multi- 

 versa have so far been taken, it is difficult to assess relationships within the genus. 

 The absence of long, posterior, eighth sternal processes, and the peculiarly shaped 

 aedeagus of marcus separates it from those remaining species whose males are known. 



The most striking morphological feature in the genitalia is the pair of extremely 

 elongate, reflexed, eighth sternal processes in multiversa. 



The species calligola and marcus are polymorphic in wing pattern and coloration. 



Distribution. Madagascar. 



Key to Species (except croceina) 

 Males 

 The male of croceina is not known. The female has yellow wings without striations but has 

 two white spots distal at the end of the cell on the upper surface of the fore wing. 



1 Ground-colour of both surfaces of wings orange ; dark brownish grey terminal band 

 present at outer margin of both surfaces of both wings (sometimes absent on upper 

 surface of fore wing) (Plate 18, figs. 343, 344) ; A.P.R. 24 ; uncus and valve dis- 

 tinctive (Text-fig. 257) ; aedeagus without longitudinal carinae (Text-fig. 258) ; 

 forcipulate eighth sternal processes setose apically (Text-fig. 259) calligola (p. 159) 



