44 A. WATSON 



Known from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Peru and 

 Brazil (Amazonas state). 



Material examined. 



Automolis priscilla Schaus, lectotype $, Costa Rica: Juan Vifias, 3500 ft, vi. 



(USNM). 



Costa Rica: i <J, Juan Vifias, vi. (USNM); 1 $, Sitio, v. (USNM); La Florida, 500 ft, iii.1907 

 (USNM); 1 9 (USNM). Guatemala: i J 1 , 2 $, Cayuga, i.-viii. (USNM: 1 <J, 2$). Colombia: 

 3 (J, Villavicencio, 400 m (Fassl). Venezuela: 2 <$, Aragua, Rancho Grande, 1100 m, iii.-viii. 

 1967 {Poole) (USNM). Trinidad : 1 <J, Curepe, xii.1969. Peru : 1 <$, 'La Union, R. Huacamayo, 

 Carabaya', 2000 ft, xii.1904 (Ockenden). Brazil: 2 $, Amazonas, Fonte Boa, ix.-x.1906 

 (Klages); 1 $, Amazonas, Codajas, iv.1907 (Klages). 



SELENARCTIA gen. n. [Gender: feminine] 

 [Automolis Hiibner sensu auct. Partim.] 



Type-species: Automolis elissa Schaus, 1892 : 277. 



(J. Palp extending upwards to less than one-third length of clypeo-frons ; apical segment 

 minute. Antennae uniserrate; each segment with transverse row of numerous fine setae. 

 Head with raised scales between antennae; orange, with or without dark medial markings. 

 Patagia, tegulae and rest of dorsal surface of thorax pale yellow or yellowish white; patagia 

 with dark markings, tegulae with markings only in some specimens of schausi ; rest of thorax 

 with dark, medial marking in pseudelissa and schausi. Ventral surface of thorax chiefly 

 dark brown except in elissoides in which it is orange. Midleg with one pair of spurs, hindleg 

 with two pairs; fore-coxa deep orange; legs otherwise variously dark brown and yellowish 

 white. Wing venation as in Text-figs 11, 12. W r ings pale yellow or yellowish white, without 

 markings. Outer margin of hindwing concave. Wings without recognizable scent organs. 

 Dorsal surface of abdomen weakly iridescent dark brown and dark blue anteriorly, otherwise 

 orange with dark medial and lateral markings; ventral surface mainly orange, with dark, 

 lateral markings in pseudelissa and schausi. 



§. As $, but hindwing relatively greater in area, its outer margin less strongly concave, 

 straight, or weakly convex ; and with terminal (7th) abdominal segment iridescent dark brown 

 and blue dorsally. 



(J genitalia. Eighth abdominal sternite and tergite with short apodemes. Saccus small or 

 absent. Valve broad proximally; heavily sclerotized and narrower distally; its apex rounded 

 or acuminate. Uncus with dorsal carina (best developed in flavidorsata) ; uncus flattened 

 laterally in pseudelissa and schausi, its apex hook-shaped in these two species. Apex of aedeagus 

 with spinose apical process in elissa, flavidorsata and elissoides, without such process in pseudelissa 

 and schausi; vesica variously lobed and scobinate. 



§ genitalia. Corpus bursae with pair of small, ovate, invaginate, scobinate signa. Ductus 

 bursae short ; sclerotized for whole of its length in elissa, elissoides and flavidorsata ; sclerotized 

 near ostium in schausi and pseudelissa. Seventh sternite with lateral carina in schausi and 

 pseudelissa. Lamella postvaginalis moderately well developed in schausi and pseudelissa, 

 poorly developed in remaining species. Anterior apodemes shorter than posterior apodemes. 

 Single pair of scent tubules opening dorsally at base of papillae anales. 



Similarities in the wing shape, the coloration and the genitalia suggest affinities 

 between this genus and Viviennea. However, the colour-pattern of the thorax 



