HEPIALUS. By R. Pfitzner f and M. Gaede. 
827 
by the larva is felled, a rather troublesome and expensive work. This is also the reason why the price of 
these species is exorbitantly high. Some species may be captured on the light, hut mostly by chance, still 
more rarely in repose in the day-time, owing to their living concealed like all the other Heterocera and to the 
protective colouring which is more or less green in the species of Gharagia. Hudson reports (in his New 
Zealand Moths): when he had once chanced to discover a specimen of the large Gharagia virescens, which 
had settled on a trunk, he was forced to leave the place just for a moment and returning had the greatest 
difficulty to find the insect again, although he exactly remembered the place where it was. Owing to the 
difficulty of obtaining authentic specimens, the author is frequently dependent on repeating the literature 
dealing with these species. But even this is scattered all over the globe and sometimes not easy to pro¬ 
cure. I am therefore all the more indebted to Prof. Karsch, Berlin, as well as to the officials of the Berlin 
Museums, and to Dr. Jordan (Tring), all of whom assisted me in this respect. — The Hepialid genera oc¬ 
curring in the Indo-Australian region are: Hepialus F. with the subgenus Gharagia Wkr., Oncopera Wkr ., 
Trictena Meyr., Abantiades H.-Schdff., Leto Hbn., Porina Wla\, Perissectis Meyr., Hectomanes Wkr., Phassus 
Wkr., Phassodes B.-Bak., Palpifer Pimps., Gasana Wkr. (Pfitzner). 
1. Genus: Hepialus F. 
Head and thorax quite hairy. Antennae shorter than thorax. Eyes bare, no accessory eyes. Palpi 
diminutive; without a tongue: 2 round knots instead of it. All the wings with 12 veins and an inserted cell 
between veins 4 and 5. Characterized by the hindwing also having 2 or 3 branches proceeding from the an¬ 
terior median vein and extending into the costal margin. Legs short, shaggy, without spurs. Shape of wings 
oblong-oval with a flatly rounded interior angle. The lepidoptera fly in the dusk and, in repose, keep 
their wings very steeply roof-shaped. Distributed over the district with its centre in the Indo-Malayan region. 
— For further particulars cf. Vol. II, p. 433/4, and Vol. XIV, p. 554. 
H. umbrinus Mr. (74 e). Semi-transparent, pale umber, with a claret tint distally, fringe dark reddish- unibrinus. 
yellow at the base of the wing. Wings distally speckled with dark brown scales. Costal margins and fringes 
dark purple brown, a darker row of lunules at the distal margin of the forewing. Beneath as above. Body, 
legs, palpi, antennae deep umber. Base of thorax with dark reddish-yellow fringe. 50 mm. Darjeeling. 
H. thermistis Lotver (76 b). This species and the two following form a group distinguished by a com- thermistis. 
mon style of colouring: forewing brownish ochre, hind wing red of various shades, thermistis from Queensland 
(Mackay) has an expanse of 108 mm ($). The Coll. Peitzner contains a specimen from the Trobriand Is. 
with an expanse of 88 mm. Thorax, forewing brownish ochre, an indistinct dark macular band from the apex 
into the inner margin; the Kiriwini-specimen exhibits only three feeble central spots. Hindwing rosy red, 
abdomen brownish ochre, with reddish hair above in the Kiriwini-specimen. All the wings beneath rosy red. 
H. ombroloma Lower. Much smaller, G 50 mm. Body and legs dark brown, anterior half of ab- ombroloma. 
domen with bright orange-red hair. Antennae ochreous. Forewing brownish ochre, without any marking, 
darker inside. Hindwing reddish orange. A dark brown band at the distal margin, broad at the apex, nar¬ 
rowing towards the centre where it ends. Margin dark blackish-brown, reddish orange at the inner margin 
and anal angle. All the wings beneath reddish orange. Forewing with a broad dark brown band at the 
distal margin, hindwing with a similar band interrupted above in the middle by the ground-colour. South 
Australia (Fort Lincoln). 
H. tegulatus Pagst. (74 b). Forewing above yellowish-brown with numerous dark latticed lines and tegulatus. 
imbricated stripes. Hindwing brick-red. All the wings beneath brick-red without any marking, hindwing with 
a yellowsh tint. Thorax yellowish, abdomen reddish, legs reddish, antennae short, brownish. 90 mm. Amboina. 
H. rosatus Pag. (74 b). This species introduces a small group of more or less greenish Hepialus forming rosatus. 
the transition to the Gharagia. rosatus from Amboina is whitish leek-green with a brownish, lighter spotted 
head and a reddish tint of the anterior abdomen, as well as of the costal margin of the hindwing. An¬ 
tennae very short. With remarkably large eyes which makes the insect look like an Odonata. 60 mm. 
H. cyanochlora Lower (73 d, 76 b) is near rosatus, larger, of a brighter colouring. $ distinguished from cyanochlora. 
rosatus Pagst. by the more curved course of the median stripe of the forewing. Forewing leek-green. Costal 
margin brownish, with light spots, an irregular white, darker edged transverse stripe to the apex. Hindwing 
milky blue, reddish at the costal margin. Legs and thorax olive green, thorax lighter at the base. Two thirds 
of the abdomen pink, its apex green, scent-tufts pink. 80 mm. $ larger, forewing green, hindwing red, al¬ 
most corresponding to the $$ of the Char, eximia- group. — A closely allied species is 
H. sordida R. A J ., from British New Guinea. Head and Collar olive green, the rest of the thorax sordida. 
and the legs dull greenish olive. Abdomen greenish. Forewing narrower than in cyanochlora. Apex pointedly 
produced, the distal margin below it somewhat concave, dull greenish olive with the usual olive brown striae. 
