1026 
HEMICERAS. By Dr. M. Drattdt. 
almothes. S. almothes Schs. is closely allied to lepidoides ; thorax and fore wing white, strewn with light brown; 
anterior transverse line fine, undulately excurved, with single blac kish-brown scales, an indistinct light brown 
oblique shadow at the cross-vein; the undulate-dent ate postmedian line arises from a chestnut-brown spot 
at the costal margin and extends to the centre of the inner margin, the marginal area behind it is light 
brown between 6 and the inner margin. Hind wing and stigma cinnamon-brown. Expanse of wings: 18 mm. 
Brazil (Rio Purus). 
147. Genus: Hemiceras Guen. 
This genus comprises a huge number of very homogeneous species which are often extremely similar 
and difficult to separate, and were formerly assigned to the “ Noctuae ”. Half or a little more of the $ antennae 
are pectinated, those of the $ plain or studded with ciliary tufts, or also pectinated. The smoothly scaled 
palpi with a long middle joint and a short terminal joint project a little beyond the frons. Vein 5 of forewing 
arises near the upper cell-angle, 6 from the centre of the long areole from the end of which the 4 lower sub¬ 
costal branches arise from a joint stalk. Hindwing without vein 5, vein 6 stalked with the subcosatl vein. 
The $ hindwing of a great many species exhibits a triangular area of modified scent-scales near the anal 
angle. The inner margin of the forewing is variably shaped, either straight or cut out, often with a long dent 
in the centre, often also with another dent at the anal angle. The larvae, as far as they are known, bear 
a wart-like protuberance on the 11th segment; judging from the figure by Cramer, the larva of meona has 
another one on the 4th or 5th segment. 
According to a recent statement by Carlos C. Hoffmann *), the larvae of several species of Hemiceras 
— especially H. subochraceum Wkr., transducta Wkr., muscosa Schs., and smaller numbers of alba Fldr., micans 
Schs., and cotto Dyar — have done great harm to Mexican coffee-plantations in a rather peculiar way, i. e. 
by stripping the trees of leaves, which are absolutely necessary for the growth of the young coffee-plants. 
These trees belong to the family of Leguminosae, especially a species of Inga, called “Chalu” in the district 
of Chiapas. As the Hemiceras develop as many as 3 generations a year, the trees having shot forth for the 
second time naturally decay on their being stripped once more, so that the young coffee-trees cannot develop. 
Unfortunately no descriptions of the larvae are given, which would have been very desirable ; it is only stated 
that the larvae are brown or green. The vast numbers of Hemiceras occurring there may be concluded from the 
great number of imagines captured on lamps, forming more than 30 percent of the total number, which means 
very much considering the enormous swarms of Moths flying to these lamps. 
In 1908, H. G. Dyar (Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. IX, p. 56) supplied a very serviceable table determining 
the species known at that time. As it is almost hopeless to find one’s way through the multitude of species 
solely by means of descriptions and figures, we have made use of this table as a basis on the following pages, 
and have added more than 60 species that have been newly described in the meantime. In this way we hope to 
have facilitated the determination of this extremely complicated and difficult group. 
Type of genus: H. pallidula Guen. 
Key of Determination. 
I. Transverse lines of forewing not dentate, at least the exterior one. 
A. Three transverse lines: a subbasal, interior and exterior one. 
1. Interior line marked by a white cellular spot. gortynoides. 
2. No white cellular spot present. 
a. Forewing clouded light and dark. plusiata. 
b. Fore wing unicoloured. 
a 1 Ground-colour from a light brown to grey. 
b 1 Undulate line marked whitish, dentate. 
c 1 Forewing with 1 discal dot. variegata. 
c 2 Eorewing with 2 discal dots. jejuna. 
b 2 Undulate line not or feebly marked blackish. 
c 1 Eorewing dark. beata. 
c 2 Forewing light. 
dHtindwing white. cadoca. 
d 2 Hindwing not white. 
*) An. Inst. Biol. Mexico, II, 2, p. 151, 1931. 
