RATARDIDAE; RATARDA; DIVERSOSEXUS. By Dr. E. Strand. 
389 
8. Family: Ratardidae. 
This family consisting of but one genus certainly belonging hereto, was yet in Hampson’s Fauna of 
British India, Moths I, p. 493 (1892) in an offhand way united with the Lymantriids, but later on it has quite 
justly been dealt with by him as a separate family which he even enumerates separated afar from the Lyman¬ 
triids*). We do not wish to dispute this remote separation, but for practical reasons we enumerate it near the 
Lymantriids, from which they differ chiefly by the following marks: frenulum absent, in the forewing vein 1 c is 
present, in the hindwing there are 3 dorsal veins. — As doubtful belongs hereto the Papuan genus 
Diversosexus B.-Bak. which is quite unknown to me in nature. 
1. Genus: ltatardii Mr. 
Beside the marks already stated in the diagnose of the family, this genus is distinguished by long, narrow, 
rounded wings, small and porrect palpi, doubly combed ($) or serrate ($) antennae, and by the presence of a 
rather incomplete partition-vein in the cell of both wings. In the forewing vein 3 rises remote from the angle, 
4 and 5 from the angle at a short distance from each other, 6 about from the middle of the discocellular, 7 
is absent, 8 +9 + 10 on a long footstalk, the base of 10 being equally distant from the cell and from the 
apex of the wing. In the hindwing 3, 4 and 5 are as in the forewing, 6 and 7 are separated at the base. 
R. marmorata Mr. (51 c). Body smoke-black, legs yellowish. Forewing blackish-brown, speckled marmorata. 
with white scales, and with many white spots in the disc, some of which are connected. Hindwing in the 
basal area white, speckled with black, in the marginal area the reverse. Expanse of wings: 54 mm. $ with 
short and plain antennae. Sikkim. 
R. furvivestita Hmps. (51 c). $ body reddish-yellow. Forewing dark brown, lined reddish, the veins furvivcstita. 
streaked grey, traces of numerous grey streaks. Hindwing lighter brown with a reddish hue and grey veins. 
Expanse of wings: 52 mm. Assam. 
R. tertia Strand. (51a). $. Black, quite indistinctly striped lighter, with a faint bluish-green reflection, terlm. 
the costal area of the hindwing towards the base somewhat reddish-violet. Head and collar yellowish-red, 
the anus with long red hair. Antennae below brownish, above black. Expanse of wings: 47, length of forewings 
27 mm. Formosa. — ab. monstrosa Strand (51 c). Length of forewings only 19 mm, in the hindwing 9 veins! monstrosa. 
2. Genus: Diversosexus B.-Bak. 
Antennae in the <$ with long, in the $ with short double combs. Palpi of diminutive size. Proboscis 
absent. Legs short, feebly haired. -—- forewing with 2 dorsal veins. 1 b forked at the base, 3 and 4 from the 
angle, 5 from the middle of the discocellular, 6 from the angle, 7 +8 +9 + 10 on a footstalk, 11 
from the cell. Hindwing with 3 dorsal veins, 3 and 4 from the angle, 5 about from the middle of the discocellular, 
6 + 7 on a footstalk, 8 separate beginning from the base. $. In the forewing 3 rises behind the angle, 
4 and 5 from the angle, 6 to 11 as in the but 10, 11 and 12 less closely together than in the <$. Hindwing 
with 3 below the angle, 4 and 5 from the angle, 6 and 7 on a footstalk, 8 anastomoses with 7. — It is 
not stated whether there is a frenulum or not, and it is therefore doubtful whether they are genuine Ratardidae. 
D. bicolor B.-Bak. (46 f). <$ head and extremities brown, thorax brownish-black, abdomen black, bicoler. 
above with lighter semi-rings and a yellowish apex. Wings brownish-black. Forewing with a broad, whitish 
median transverse band being curved convex towards the margin. Hindwing with the basal half of the posterior 
margin white. $ like the <$, but the white part does not form a transverse band reaching to both the margins, 
and the veins are more or less white. Expanse of wings: $ 52, $ 55 mm. British New Guinea. 
D. aroa B.-Bak. (51 c). $ body blackish, abdomen with a white apex. Forewing black with a broad, aroa. 
white postmedian band from the costal margin to the anal angle. Hindwing white with a broad black marginal 
band. Expanse of wings: 56 mm. Aroa River (Brit. New Guinea). 
*) In Cat. Lepicl. Phal. 1, p. 19 (1898). 
