481 



AFRICAN MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA. 



Lord Walsiugbam read a paper at a recent meeting of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of London entitled "African Micro-lepidoptera.-^ In 

 this paper nine new genera were described, viz : Autochthonus, type A. 

 chalybielhis, Wlsm. ; Scalidorna, type Tinea horridella, Wkr. ; Barharos- 

 cardia, type B. fasciata^ Wlsm.; Odites, type 0. natalensis, Wlsm.; 

 Idiopteryx, type Cryptolechia obUquella, Wlsm. ; Microthauma, type M. 

 metallifera, Wlsm. : Lionocera, t3'pe L. lyonetiellaj Wlsm. ; OxymachseriSy 

 type 0. niveocervinajWlsm. ; Micropostegaj type M. cvneofasciata, Wlsm. 

 Several European genera were recorded as new to the African fauna. 

 The American genera PhcccasiopJiora, Grote ; (Eta, Grote ; Polyhymno, 

 Chamb. ; Strohisia, Clem.; Anorthosia, Clem.; Ide, Chamb. ; and 

 Zarathra, Wkr., were described as occurring in Africa. The genus 

 Philobota, Megr., hitherto confined to the Australian region, was also 

 recorded. The Indian genus Timyra, Wkr., was represented in Africa. 

 Nigilgia, Wkr., was identified as a synonym of Phycodes, Gn. Poly- 

 hymno, Chamb., had been redescribed as Copocercia by Zeller. Tera- 

 topsis, Wlsm., was a synonym of Cacochroa, Hein, 



Seventy-one species were described as new. The paper when pub- 

 lished will be accompanied by colored figures of all the new species and 

 structural drawings of the new genera and other genera which have 

 hitherto not been figured. 



The part of the paper which deals with Cryptolechia, Z., and its allies 

 will especially interest American entomologists, for, as Lord Walsing- 

 ham possesses the majority of the types of Zeller's genera he has been 

 able to clear up the confusion that surrounded this group, owing to Zeller 

 having changed his original types in his subsequent work. 



EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON THE COLORING OF LEPIDOPTERA.* 



In part I of the Trans. Ent. Soc. London, Mr. Merrifield publishes 

 the details of a series of temperature experiments in pedigree moth- 

 breeding, begun in previous years, on the pupa of Selenia illustraria 

 and Ennomos autumnaria. 



By careful and long continued experiments he has demonstrated the 

 possibility of producing artificially from a single brood of a moth, sub- 

 ject to seasonal dimorphism, four distinct " temperature " varieties, viz. : 

 summer markings with summer coloring, summer markings with an 

 approach to spring coloring, spring markings with summer coloring, and 

 spring markings with spring coloring. The conclusions reached as a 

 result of this series of experiments are, that the coloring and markings 

 of the moth are affected by the temperature to which the pupa is ex- 

 posed, the markings being chiefly affected by long continued exposure ; 



* Conspicuous effects ou tlie uuirkiugs and coloring of Lei)idoptera caused by ex- 

 posure of the pup;e to different temperature conditions. By Frederic Merritield, 

 F. E, S., Trans. Ent. Soc. Loudon, 1891, part i (March), pp. 155-1G7. 



