19, 2 
Wileman: Japanese Lepidoptera , VI 
229 
very strongly glossy, clumsy, stumpy at both ends, deeply incised between 
the segments, rounded at the abdominal end, the cremaster a short point. 
The moth appears in June in Eastern Asia. 
Imago. — Leech 33 remarks : 
This is a variable species both as regards ground-colour and markings. 
Thus the former may be white or grey, and sometimes tinged with green; 
then the number of ocelli in central band and “rounded internal spot” 
is not the same in any two individuals comprised in my series of 15 speci- 
mens. The spot referred to sometimes has three ocelli across its centre 
on one wing, but its companion on the other wing has four. In all cases 
the number of ocelli, both in the spot and central band, is greater on one 
side, than the other. Again the shape of the central band is subject to 
modification, and stages in the formation of the rounded internal spot 
from the lower portion of this band are exhibited in the specimens in 
my Japanese series; thus between an example in which the band is entire 
from costa to inner margin, and but slightly contracted below the middle, 
and a specimen with the rounded spot completely formed and quite in- 
dependent, there are all the intermediate stages. 
The Type of Brahmsea japonica, a male ?, is from Yokohama, 
Japan. The type of B. nigrans is from Japan. 
Seitz 34 remarks as follows : 
B. japonica Butl. (mniszechii Feld.) (35c). Smaller than the preceding 
[B. christophi Stgr.], more grey and often tinged with greenish. The 
median band of the forewing is strongly widened in the costal area; 
lighter and ornamented with small rings. These are nearly always asym- 
metrical; Leech did not find one symmetrical individual among 15 in 
Pryer’s collection and the same applies to four specimens collected by me. 
The original of our figure also has on the right forewing (not reproduced) 
much fewer rings than on the wing figured. The median band also 
varies rather strongly in its inner marginal portion. Now it is more now 
less constricted on the lower median vein; but nearly always it forms 
an ocellus-like disc-patch. The species also varies considerably in the 
whole scheme of colouring and nigrans Butl., unknown to me in nature, 
is probably only a dark specimen; japonica is also closely allied to the 
Indian conchifera Butl. and is only a Northern form of wallichii Gray 
(spectabilis Hope), which we figure in Vol. 10, its ground-colour shading 
into greyish green and that of rufescens Butl. into reddish. These latter 
are Indian forms, which perhaps vary slightly according to locality, but 
belong to one species. But if Leech places wallichii with certhia, he is 
in error. — Japonica is not rare near Yokohama; occurs also in other local- 
ities on Hont5, [(Honshu)] and is also found in Hokkaido. 
Local distribution. — Honshu, Musashi Province, Yokohama, 
March and April ( Pryer ) ; Tokyo, March and April (Wileman) : 
33 Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1888) 635, No. 257. 
34 Macrolep. Faun. Pal. 2 (1911) 228. 
