Publ. 24. VIII. 1936. 
ACASIS; NOTHOCASIS. By L. B. Prout. 
89 
23. Genus : Acasis Dup. 
(See Vol. 4, p. 181.) 
The present constitution of this genus, and indeed of all those which are comprised in the Lobophora 
group, is by no means perfect. As Prof. W. T. M. Forbes says: “In this variable mass practically every species 
has some distinctive structure, often confined to one sex, and there is some individual variation of structure, 
with the result that a large number of genera have been made.” I have, however, found it necessary to con¬ 
stitute sertata the type of a new genus; comments on affinities or divergences can now be offered, but 1 shall for 
the most part confine myself to the task of bringing together the principal addenda of the past 20 years. 
A. viretata Hbn. (Vol. 4, pi. 6 g). The given distribution (Vol. 4, p. 181), though wide, was not com¬ 
plete; it occurs also in the Khasis, Upper Burma and W. China and shows, on the whole, so little variation 
that it seems to have altogether escaped the attention of the variety-namers. A sexual variation in the vena¬ 
tion of the hindwing has given rise to some comment; in my experience (and I see that Forbes’s agrees, both 
for viretata and its North American representative viridata Pack.), the 1st radial is stalked with the 2nd sub¬ 
costal in the $, but separate in the (J; but Dr. Sterneck (Iris, Vol. 42, p. 143) has found these veins separate 
in both sexes in Europe, though stalked in the Tatsienlu and Kwanhsien Perhaps the ^ is beginning, as 
in some other Lobophorine species, to inherit the $ characters. 
A. muscigera Btlr. (Vol. 4, pi. 12 b). Sterneck identifies with this a $ from Wassekou (W. China) 
and one from Korea, rightly assuming that the yellov r ground-colour in our figure is the result of discoloration. 
He gives the characters of these which include: palpus very long, the 2nd joint in particular strongly 
elongate; hindtibia wdth only terminal spurs and with a hair-tuft at its base; areole double, the distal essen¬ 
tially larger; hindwing with discocelhdars biangulate, submedian wanting, pocket well developed. 
23a Genus: ISTothocasis gen. nov. 
Palpus in both sexes rather short. Antenna simple. Hindtibia with terminal spurs only. Wings rather 
broad; $ hindwing without lobe at base, merely with a small pocket; frenulum vestigial, evidently non-func¬ 
tional. Areole double, the proximal one sometimes minute, perhaps in process of atrophy. Hindwing in both 
sexes with costal anastomosing to near end of cell, 2nd subcostal well stalked with 1st radial, discocelhdars 
biangidate, the 2nd somewhat curved and strongly oblique, 2nd radial nearer to 3rd than to 1st, both medians 
present, submedians wanting. Genotype: sertata Hbn. (1808—17, as Geomet.ra). I know of no other species 
nearly agreeing in structure with this; in Vol. 4 (p. 182) it w r as forced into Acasis in spite of the shoi't palpus; 
the loss of the frenulum, rare in this subfamily, seems to have remained hitherto unnoticed. 
N. sertata Hbn. (Vol. 4, pi. 6 f). As regards the distribution, M. L. Bray has added Belgium, a spe¬ 
cimen taken in September 1919 near Virton. On the ecology and biology, Culot has shown, from its abundance 
in a locality where there is no sycamore, that it must have some other foodplant. Dr. A. Binder, who made 
a special study of it on the foothills of the Erzgebirge, where it occurs at altitudes of 400—800 m, says that 
it lasts well into October, even after severe night frosts have set in; it emerges in the morning, likes to rest 
on tree-trunks in shady places and is very shy, flying high when disturbed; copulation in the evening. He 
gives a good analysis of the variation, but abstains from naming the forms. Hofer adds that in southern 
localities it appears some weeks earlier than in the Vienna district, i. e. in August, and calls attention to 
an abnormally early record from Carniola, 14 July (J. Hafner). — ab. tangens Wehrli (nom. coll.), charact¬ 
erized by the confluence and subsequent divergence of the two median bands of the forewing, is said to be not 
rare in the Aargau and Basle Jura. — ab. hilariata Dannehl , pure white, the blackish central lines sharply 
expressed, etc., has been received repeatedly and in numbers from the Black Forest and its author suggests 
that it has perhaps developed, or is in course of developing, into a distinct race. The type from Pforzheim. 
— ab. dissoluta Hofer. This and the next two names refer to the conditions of the median area (sens, str.) of 
the forewing, that is, the normally grey or whitish area in which the cell-dot stands. In ab. dissoluta this 
is so much narrowed in its posterior half that the lines meet (or are connected by short black dashes) on the 
veins, dividing the pale colour into separate areas. Doubtfully separable from ab. tangens. — ab. costimacu- 
lata Hofer is a much rarer form, with this grey or whitish area restricted to the anterior half of the central 
band, the posterior half being wholly dark. Founded on a $ from Hadersfeld, Lower Austria. — ab. rseofas- 
ciata Hofer (= nigrofasciata Ostlielder ) has a solid dark median band, with only a small whitish spot surroun¬ 
ding the cell-dot; compare carpinata ab. fasciata Prout (Vol. 4, p. 184). A fine $ from Klosterneuburg. —- ab. 
viridulata Trti. is a large form from the Modena Apennines of a delicate moss-green colour, in the life said to 
be as green as Cidaria miata, median band blackish brown; one specimen. It should be mentioned that Hofer 
disputes the statement (Vol. 4, p. 182) that freshly bred sertata are (necessarily) greenish, but regards such 
a tone aberrational; Herrich-Schaeffer believed the green in Hubner's figure of the (type) <$ to be evol- 
Supplementary Volume 4 12 
viretata. 
muscigera. 
sertata. 
tangens. 
hilariata. 
dissoluta. 
costvmacu- 
lata. 
neo fas data. 
viridulata. 
