Annals oe the Tkansvaal Museum. 
20 
E. Meyrick, B.A., states in his “ Handbook of British Lepidoptera,” 
that the posterior tibiae have no middle spurs in Dasycliira , and he also 
mentions the concealed third joint of the palpi, which I believe to be the 
most reliable character. 
Prof. Aurivillius, in “ Ark. for Zool. Bnd,” II, No. 4, p. 68, takes the 
spreading hairs of the fore tarsae as distinctive for Dasychira. 
Dr. A. J. Turner, in his “ Australian Lymantriadae ,” p. 473, takes 
the dense hairs on the abdomen as characteristic for Dasychira , but, 
though this may hold good for the Australian species, it certainly does 
not hold for the South African species. The dense hairs of the fore tarsae 
he takes as being peculiar to Psalis. 
Perhaps it is hardly possible to draw a distinct line between the 
species of the genera Dasychira and Lcelia, but I think that the third joint 
of the palpi and the process of the fore tibia are most reliable when taken 
together ; next to these come the spreading hairs of the fore tarsae of 
Dasychira , which are, as a rule, short and depressed in Lcelia. 
The shape of the fore wing is very misleading, especially the oblique 
termen, which is often as erect as in Lcelia in an otherwise distinct 
Dasychira , e.g. fusca, $ of municipals, £ of extorta. 
The venation of the wing is very similar in both genera, only the stalk 
of 8 and 9 of fore wing is J or over \ in Dasychira and usually less in 
Lcelia i. L. subrosea and L. diascia have that stalk, over J, however ; 
12 is as a rule approximate to 11 in Dasychira , but sometimes this vein 
is parallel, which is always the case in Lcelia. In Dasychira the stalk 
of 6 and 7 of hind wing is not more than J, except in D. octophora, where 
the two veins come from a point, and in D. georgiana, where the stalk is 
rather long ; in Lcelia the stalk is about J, in L. subrosea even J ; vein 8 
is approximated to upper median before 4 in Dasychira , except in D. muni - 
cipalis and D. extorta , where it is at \ ; in Lcelia 8 approximates the upper 
median just beyond except in L. diascia, where it is at J. 
The process of the fore tibia of Dasychira is short, a little less than 
the tibia, thick and bluntly pointed, nearly straight or gently curved, but 
never projecting over the tibia towards the outer side (in fusca, munici- 
'palis, lunensis, and vilis it is long and thin, but not curved). In Lcelia 
this process is a little longer than the tibia, thin and pointed, and at the 
end well curved outwards, sometimes even projecting well over the tibia. 
The fore tarsae of Dasychira have, as a rule, long spreading hairs, 
especially the first joint, but in D. vilis, D. lunensis, and D. octophora the 
hairs may be very short and do not spread. 
The palpi of Dasychira have the second joint elliptical, about 2 times 
longer than broad and in front covered with very dense long hair ; the 
third joint is short (about J of second joint), and as a rule hidden in the 
hairs of the second joint and a little oblique; in D. fusca, however, the 
thud joint is a little longer and somewhat exposed ; while D. municipals 
has the palpi as in Lcelia, and D. whitei almost so. 
The palpi of Lcelia have the second joint more elongate, about 3 times 
longer than broad or even more ; the third joint is about half the length 
of the second joint, thin and porrect, and with a pointed tuft of hair. 
In this key I had largely to follow Sir Hampson’s key, l.c. p. 397, as 
