727 
AUTOMERIS. By Dr. M. Draudt. 
light green, above pinkish-grey, the magnificent spots velvety black, the thorns on the 4 first rings red, at the 
end black and yellow and ending in a white hair, the other spikes being yellow with black tips. The pear-shaped 
cocoon between leaves. Chile. 
7. Genus: Autoiueris Hbn. 
An immensely large genus of rather homogeneous species which have hitherto not yet been exactly 
differentiated and therefore offer many difficulties, especially since the denomination is very confused. They 
are mostly large beautiful lepidoptera with brightly coloured hindwings provided with a large discal ocellus. 
Antennae of C broad, bipectinate, in the $ different, mostly filiform or feebly serrate, with bristles. Palpi 
rather well developed, reaching the frons or projecting beyond it; eyes rather large; proboscis sometimes 
recognizable as a feeble thin thread. Shape of wings mostly rather broad, apex of forewing more or less pointed, 
often falcate. Forewing with 3 subcostal branches, 7 and 8 on a long stalk, 10 shortly before it. 5 is removed 
down almost into the centre of the cross-vein; also on the hindwing 5 proceeds from below the upper cell-angle; 
6 almost equidistant from 5 and 7, the costal vein terminates into the apex or before it, 7 into the distal margin 
or right below the apex. Larvae cylindrical with star-like bristled or spiked knob-shaped tubercles. The 
thorns produce a very severely burning sensation: nevertheless the larvae seem to be very much exposed to 
the attacks of ichneumonicls. Pupation in cocoons with wide meshes. 
Type: A. janus Cr. 
A. janus Cr. is a well-known large species, forewing greenish-brown, finely strewn darker, the antemedian janus. 
line very strongly undulate, feebly darker, the median area generally somewhat lighter, more violettish-grey, 
discal spot very large, in its proximal half darker, in the distal half lighter with single black vein-dots around 
it; postmeclian line in the nomenclatural type undulate, shortly produced distally on the veins, blackish-brown, 
inside bordered with a lighter shade, the light subterminal line of the usual shape, marginal area distinctly 
greyish-violett. Hindwing in the disc yellowish-grey, basal area with rosy red hairs; ocellus very large, mostly 
somewhat oval, jet-black, towards the centre lighter yellowish-grey, in the centre dusted white, with a white 
angular transverse line; behind it follows a black thick line feebly dentate on the veins, then after a short 
distance a broad rusty red band. Margin violettish-grey. Ecuador, Venezuela, Eastern Colombia, Guiana, 
metzli Salle (= mestli Bsdv.) (106 a) is the more northern form from Mexico and Guatemala, mostly smaller metzli. 
on an average, the antemedian line less undulate, the postmedian line quite straight, the black dots in the 
surroundings of the discal spot much stronger, the discal spot in the middle often parted by a black transverse 
streak, the submarginal band of the hindwing of the same rosy red colour as the basal area. Ground-colour 
generally somewhat lighter, more yellowish-brown. — collaterals Hamps. is an aberrative form frequently collateralis. 
occurring in both the preceding forms, in which the black arcuate line of the hindwing touches the very large 
ocellus; hardly worth while denominating it. Larva described to be so profusely set with strong tufts of spikes 
that it looks like a cluster of moss. The burning effect is uncommonly severe, so that it may produce dangerous 
injuries. Pupa in a very coarse and widely meshed reticidate cocoon. 
A. beckeri H.-Schdff. (106 a) is somewhat like janus on the forewing, but the colour is more loamy beckeri. 
brown, the antemedian line forms only 2 large bows and a very small one above the inner margin, the post¬ 
median line is more distinctly double. Hindwing without any pink, basal area with long greyish-yellow hair, 
the very large eyespot loamy grey in the disc, almost blind, very scantily strewn with white in the centre, 
extended to the inner margin by black dusting. Both the transverse lines behind it broad, the interior line 
black, undulate, the exterior line composed of spots, in the $ mostly also black, in the $ sometimes reddish- 
brown. Abdomen loamy brown. Brazil. 
A. egeus Cr. The A is purple brown, the $ much lighter red-brown, in the median area and at the egeus. 
margin lighter violet; markings rather indistinct except the blackish brown postmedian line which is bordered 
with whitish-blue inside; eyespot of hindwing with a large iris of the ground-colour with a small black pupil, 
behind it the usual 2 black lines, the interior one near the ocellus, turning strongly analward before the inner 
margin, the exterior one very broad, smoky grey. The orange abdomen shows blackish rings at the base of 
the segments. Guiana to Southern Brazil. hoops Flclr. (106 b) is the form from Venezuela and Colombia, hoops. 
Discal spot much broader and larger with a blackish central dot, in the distal border with thick black triangles; 
marginal area somewhat narrower. Hindwing with more reduced though brighter orange basal hair. Ocellus 
larger, the yellowish-grey iris smaller, the black pupil larger, hardly strewn with white; thorax lighter red-brown. 
The figured Colombian specimen from the Berlin Museum matches it very well. zelleti Gri.d • Rob. (106 a) zelleri. 
is said to originate from North America; it has never been heard of again from that country. In the Berlin 
Museum a § was found exactly matching the diagnose, with a green label as '‘zelleri” found in ''Texas”, 
apparently written by Grote, presumably the type which we figure. Basal and marginal areas dark brown, 
median area much lighter, suffused with violet, the large brown discal spot outside with 3 dents and a white 
