RHODOSTROPHIA. By L. B. Prout. 
23 
We recognized 5 “tribes” {Rhodostropliiicae, Cosymbiicae, Gyllopodicae [Neotropical only], Scopulicae and 
Sterrhicae), besides a few outliers or doubtful links, the enigmatical Asellodes (Neotropical) and Rhodometra 
and perhaps the Asthenid element mentioned above. Dr. Sterneck, who has most kindly placed at my disposal 
a mass of valuable and highly suggestive notes, with free permission to publish so far as may be possible, 
has added another tribe by separating Galothysanis from the Cosymbiicae, though his studies have been con¬ 
fined to Palaearctic forms; in these the separation by subcostal venation of the forewing and perhaps by 
the formation of the valve is quite easy, but on a world-view there are many difficulties to face, particularly 
as regards Anisodes Guen. 
The Rhodostrophia group (containing genera 1—9, with the exception probably of Craspediopsis and 
possibly of Somatina) is characterized by the soft, pedunculate uncus (often bilobed distally), presence of gna- 
thos, special modifications of the 8th sternite and generally double areole; the Cosymbia group, sens. lat. 
(genera 10—14) by the generally truncate or divided uncus, absence of gnathos, generally divided valves, 
long pectinations of the $ antenna, etc.; the Scopula group (genera 15—22) by the substitution of two socii 
for the uncus, absence of gnathos, fused valves, development of mappa and nearly always cerata, complete 
armature of the hindtibia of the $ (except in Glossotrophia ) concomitantly with various modifications of 
that of the etc.; the Sterrha group (genera 23—28) by the simple uncus and valves, retention of gna¬ 
thos and loss of proximal spurs of the $ hindtibia. 
Naturally, in this prolific but difficult subfamily, there are very many new species and races to re¬ 
gister and corrections of determination and of synonymy. Of the biology of the species we have also learn¬ 
ed something further; but there is still an enormous amount remaining unknown, especially as regards the 
Asiatic and some Mauretanian members. 
1. Genus: Rhodostrophia 
(see Vol. 4, p. 36). 
Rh. xesta sp. n. (3 g). May be placed between terrestraria and dispar , in any case belongs to the same xesta. 
structure-group. In the extreme weakness of the markings and in the pink tinge of costa and fringes similar 
to the A °f dispar , but entirely without the ochreous colouring. Considerably more weakly marked above than 
terrestraria (which, moreover, lacks the pink fringes, etc.), somewhat less weakly marked beneath, where the 
hindwing shows a complete though indistinct postmedian line; cell-dot of forewing above slightly less sharp 
than in terrestraria. Afghanistan: Logar Valley (H. Roberts), a fresh A i n the British Museum. 
Rh. pudorata F. (3g). It has been entirely overlooked that Fabricius, so long ago as 1794, gave a pudorata. 
good description of the North African form of the species (or subspecies) which I named quadricalcarata. As 
his name has many years’ priority over the others, it must be used to designate the collective species, with 
sicanaria as the Sicialian race, unless the structural difference in the A hindleg be regarded of more than 
racial importance. We now figure a representative Algerian pudorata. — perezaria Ob. (3 g), is the oldest name perezaria. 
for the Spanish race and, although it was founded on a rare aberration with the transverse markings obso¬ 
lete, must take precedence of my quadricalcarata. Smaller, more weakly marked and less vividly coloured 
than the Moroccan and Algerian pudorata. — ab. quadricalcarata Prout, already figured in Vol. 4 (pi. 5 c), quadrical- 
may stand for the commoner Spanish forms with the bands indicated, though often (as in my type) quite weak. caraia 
Rh. calabra. Although the great individual variability obscures, in some measure, the racial characteri- calabra. 
sties, an ample series reveals enough to warrant a more detailed analysis than has hitherto been given. 
A few of the outliers —- or at least tabidaria, as Zeller and I already suspected —- have proved to be se¬ 
parate species (see below), but we are still left, with a considerable range of forms. — calabra Pet. (= tri- 
fasciata 'Cyr., rubrofasciata Dannehl) from South and Central Italy, is the most brightly coloured form, with 
the red markings broad, the postmedian band of the forewing containing no pale central marking, the terminal 
shade developed, typically broad. The type figure, from Calabria, shows just such a specimen as Dannehl 
has recently described from the Majella Mountains as rubrofasciata. Cyrillo’s bad figure shows a narrower- 
banded aberration, but his name was given solely as an emendation, because he opposed the use of the 
geographical name for a moth which occurred also in other parts of Italy. — The forms which occur occasion¬ 
ally among the type and become more general in the Tyrol, S. E. Europe, etc., distinguished by the presence 
of a pale line dividing the postmedian band lengthwise or at least indicated between the veins, which was 
assumed by Dannehl to be the name-type, may be designated subseparata ab. nov., as they begin to ap¬ 
proach the following race. — separata Tlx.- Alley. (3 g) the type from Drome, includes such a high percentage 
of the specimens from Spain and parts of France that I now consider it to have developed (or almost deve¬ 
loped) into a race; in addition to the reduction of the red markings (including the red at base of costa), it 
very generally shows a more or less strong cell-dot on the forewing, which deluded Staudinger into recording 
tabidaria from Spain. —- ab. punctaria Carad. designates the most tabidaria- like examples of the foregoing (very pundaria. 
rarely occurring in other races), with developed cell-dot on the fore- and often even on the hindwing. —- ab. 
subsepara¬ 
ta 
separata. 
