86 



H. STEMPFFER 



The venation is not entirely constant in all the species of Epitola. In carcina, leonina and 

 zelza vein 10 arises as a branch of 7 not far from its origin ; in other species vein 11 and 12 are 

 sometimes in contact. 



Male genitalia (Text-fig. 84, A, B). Uncus subtriangular, with rounded apex, joined to the 

 tegumen by a semimembranous piece which is translucid under the microscope ; subunci long, 

 gently curved, swollen in the middle, tapering towards the apex ; tegumen large ; vinculum 

 rather large and prolonged to form a long saccus, which is directed towards the genital orifice 

 and bears at the apex a tuft of long black scales ; lower fultura fused to the base of the valves and 

 sheathing the base of the penis ; valves oblong with widely rounded apices. Uncus clothed 

 with an abundance of long, fine hairs, upper process of valves pilose in its distal third. 



The penis is variable. I have dissected the genitalia of six specimens of " posthu- 

 mus ", all externally very similar. In four specimens (Text-fig. 84, B) the structure 

 agrees with the figures given by Talbot (1921, Bull. Hill Mus. Witley 1 : I, pi. 8, 

 fig. 7) that is to say that on the middle of the dorsal surface there are two rounded 

 expansions separated by a deep longitudinal groove and the ventral surface bears 

 only a few very fine spines ; and the distal part tapers regularly and is widely open 

 dorsally. In the other two specimens the general shape of the penis is the same 

 (Text-fig. 84A), and bears the same dorsal expansions but on the ventral surface 

 there is moreover in the middle a small protuberance which bears irregular teeth 

 followed by fine spines. I do not know whether we are here dealing with individual 

 variations or a pair of sibling species, but the second hypothesis seems to be the 

 more probable. 



The genus Epitola is numerous in species. I have studied the genitalia of only a 

 limited number of them, since they rarely furnish specific characters. The dorsal 

 elements and the valves are very much alike in all those I have examined. I have 

 only found appreciable differences in the form of the penis. The dorsal expansion 

 of the penis in posthumus recurs, strongly developed, in urania (c.f. Talbot I.e. fig. 



Fig. 84. Epitola spp., o* genitalia, [A , B) E. posthumus (Fabricius), (C) E. cercene Hewitson. 



