G8 
SYNTOMIS. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
cyssea. 
cysseoides. 
georgina. 
edwardsi. 
hydatina. 
hicincta. 
sperbius. 
number of families, mostly for the Africans, which Hampson has not preserved in his catalogue, the latter being 
used as a groundwork for our work. The latter enumerates 150 forms, which have been considerably added to 
up to now; about 100 belong to the Indo-australasian region 48 forms to the palaearctic, of which many 
do not deserve names and about 30 African. If one was to treat these and the Indo-australasian in the same 
way as the European have been treated, and give a fresh name to each new constellation of spots, the 
number of named forms would grow into the indefinite. 
Many Syntomis live in colonies, like the Trichaeta and swarm in their districts, but are always local. 
It is therefore reasonable to suppose, that a large number still remain to be discovered, as many a valley at 
present unexplorable, will prove to contain new Syntomis; a proof of this is to be seen in the numerous 
discoveries of Doherty, Waterstradt, Meek and others. Further a large number of undescribed Syntomis are 
to be found in Museums, which have not been carefully examined in this direction and it is to be hoped, 
that the following short synopsis with its rich illustrations will result in the descriptions of these undescribed forms. 
Syntomis differs from the other old-world genera of the family as follows: it differs from Psichotoe in 
the well developed tongue; from Callitomis, whose wings are more finely haired, than scaled, in the thickly 
scaled wings with distinct and well defined hyaline or yellow spots; from Ceryx through the presence of vein 
3 in the hindwings; from Strephtophlebia through the absence of the median cushion in the male; from Eressa 
it differs owing to vein 5 of the hindwings arising from beneath the angle of the cell, which arises 
above the angle of cell in Eressa and from Trichaeta owing to vein 3 of the forewings arising far from the 
angle of the cell and not close to it as it does in Trichaeta. Finally from Euchromia, the finest represen¬ 
tatives of the old-world Syntomidae, Syntomis differs at the first glance on account of their comparative insi¬ 
gnificance; a glance at. our Euchromia PI. 12 will immediately shew this. 
Head small, forehead broad, eyes semicircular, very small, comb high and broad and frequently highly 
colored, face square, palpi short, turned upwards and thickly haired, 3 rd joint pointed, smoother, antennae 
thread like, generally with a white end; secondary eyes wanting. The thorax has frequently a brightly colored 
collar and frequently orange spotted patagiae, very soft and elastic; behind the nape two small lateral openings, 
from which under pressure a frothy yellow juice exudes. Legs fairly long, frequently wasplike yellow and 
black, occasionally the tibia and tarsi thickly haired. Abdomen roller shaped, blunt, in the ? frequently with 
thickened end forewings mostly pointed triangular, in the ?? of some species reduced so that they are incapable 
of flight. Hindwings often very small, sometimes reduced to mere rudimentary scales, and again sometimes 
drawn out to long transverse flaps. The ova as far as is known are laid in masses, the larvae feed on low 
plants and are covered with thick short tufts of hairs; they change in a slight web to stumpy pupae; the 
moths fly in the sunshine and suck flowers especially composite flowers; the females of some species (grotei , 
passalis) I found exceptionally at night at lamps. 
S. cyssea . Stott (= collaris F., schoenherri Bsd., cuprea Prittw.) (Vol. 1 , PI. 9e, not cypsea). Fore wings 
with five, hindwings with two hyaline spots; abdomen with yellow rings on segments 1 and 5. Looks like a 
small phegea and is common in the whole of Hindustan, from Karachi to Calcutta and from Cashmir where 
it enters the palaearctic region to Ceylon. In ordinary specimens the forehead is bright orange, but it is 
occasionally darker. — In the ab. cysseoides Btlr. the hyaline spots are larger, in ab. georgina Btlr. reduced. 
S. edwardsi Btlr. (10 g). Very like the former, the spots somewhat larger, similar to cysseoides, but 
on the hindwings the hyaline spots are coalesced to form a large transparent basal area, which is tinged with 
yellow at the base; moreover the collar is bright yellow, hot black as in cyssea. It also differs through the 
yellow collar from the otherwise very similar fortunei from Japan. Island of Formosa; recently has been sent 
to Europe in large numbers. 
S. hydatina Btlr. (10 g). Very like the former, smaller, not so shining, without the yellow collar, the 
spots somewhat larger, but in the apical portion of the forewings still considerably removed from the outer 
margin; the hindwings transparent with black apex. North and Central India. 
S. bicincta Koll. (Vol. 2, PI. 9b). Resembles phegea and doubtless only the Indian representative of this 
palaearctic form. (See Vol. 2, p. 38). Hindwings with two hyaline spots. No yellow collar. From Cashmir, throughout 
the Himilayas and their outrunners to beyond Central China, southwards deep into Hindustan and to Assam. 
S. sperbius F. (= atkinsoni 'Moore) (10 g, h). One of the commonest Indian Syntomis, from Sikkim to 
further India and extending eastwards from Burmah to Tonkin and Hainan, north eastwards as far as Yun-nan. 
Very like hydatina but the spots very inuch'larger, those in the marginal region nearly reaching the outer border, 
the basal spot being a regular square, about half the hindwings are transparent. In Hainan specimens of 
which a long series is before Yne, the black apical portion of the hindwings forms the greater portion, 
