PvhJ. 7. IV. 1936. 
OPHTSMA. By M. Gaede. 
23!) 
median vein and vein 1. Two black dots at the cross-vein. Exterior line double, brown, excurved as far as 
vein 4, then inward. Submarginal line indistinct, pale, undulate, dark behind it at the anal angle. Hindwing 
bluish grey, browner at the margin. Exterior line indistinct, oblique, whitish. Margin bluish white with a 
bluish grey spot near the anal angle. 55 mm. Central Africa. 
A. violascens Hmps. Body and forewing bluish grey with a violet reflection. Basal area pale violettish 
red, bordered by the pale brown faded interior line, slightly excurved below the costal margin. Two black dots 
at the cross-vein. Distal area olive brown. Median line double behind the cell, slightly undulated, pale red- 
brown, slightly incurved below vein 4. Exterior line close behind it, edged with bluish grey outside. Dark 
violettish red before the margin, the submarginal line in it pale, slightly undulated, edged wdth pale brown 
on both sides. Hindwing bluish white at the base, then browner near the narrow exterior white band, the s])ace 
behind it black. Apex and margin bluish white. 06 mm. Mashona Land. 
3. Middle tibiae of S not tliickened, without a groove and hair-pencil. 
A. Henardi Bsd. (= zabulon Chi., hilaris Plotz, locra Plofz) can hardly be described owing to its extreme 
variability. Somewhat constant is only the hindwdng which is blackish, with a large white spot at the apex 
and behind the cell at the margin. A small marginal spot at the submedian fold, a small dot above it and a 
faded bluish white median band only in the centre of the wing. Forewing red-brown. Interior line indistinct, 
oblique, almost straight. Two dots at the cross-vein. Median line faded, outward as far as behind the lower 
cell-angle, bent inward in the submedian fold. Exterior line dentate, dark, edged white outside, oblique as 
far as vein 6, bent inward below vein 4. Costal margin somewhat darker before the apex. Submarginal line 
dark, slightly undulated, ending near the apex and the anal angle. — The denominated forms are: — oliva- 
ceotincta Strd. is greyish brown on the forewing, with an olive hue on it. — cerbera Chi. shows a chocolate brown 
spot at the apex of the forewing, and a small one at the anal angle. — partita IPAt. has a dark red-brown basal 
area, and some red-brown also before the submarginal line. — partitana Strd. is a iiartita with the spots of cerbera. 
— In antemedialis Strd. the interior line is black and inwardly faded. — In spectatura IPAt. (28 d) almost the 
whole basal area is blackish, the reniform macula black or edged with black, the space around the submarginal 
line dark. — chatnaeleon Gn. (28 e) is similar, but the median area more or less blackish. — Henardi Bsd. (28 d) 
has beside the black median area also a black apical spot. — lienardiana Strd. has besides yet a black band 
before the interior line. — In ophismoides IPAt. (28 e), however, the median area is more or less white. The 
number of these names could easily be doubled, but fortunately nobody has cared to do so. 50—55 mm. 
Throughout Africa and in Madagascar. 
A. catella Gn. (28 e). Forewing greyish brown. Interior line black, slightly double, somewhat intrc- 
angular at the median vein, more sharply inward at vein 1. The reniform macula is a yellowish white spot. 
Median line dark, faded, dentate, parallel with the exterior line which is distinctly black, uniformly excurved, 
feebly incurved at vein 2, dentate, with black rays at the veins. A black streak at vein 6 from the costal margin 
near the apex to the exterior line. Submarginal line indistinct, wdiitish, undulate, parallel with the margin. 
Hindwing blackish brown, median band bluish white. Three white spots at the margin, besides a small one 
at the anal angle. — rulotincta Strd. is red-brovm at the base and behind the middle. — nigrosuffusa Strd. is 
faded blackish before the interior and exterior lines. — medioalba Strd. is whitish inside in the median area. 
—.40—55 mm. Throughout Africa. 
A. oedipodina Mab. (= semiluna Saahn.) (28 f). is persumably only a large form of catella, confined 
to Madagascar. Interior line somewhat more uniformly bent, less sinuate at the median vein, scarcely intro- 
angular at vein 1, behind it as far as the cross-vem with a bluish white hue. Exterior line more distinctly 
double, with a more distinct white spot in the submedian fold. The brown apical spot is more conspicuous, 
the margin narrowly bluish white. Hindvdng as in catella. 60—65 mm. Madagascar. 
A. joiceyi E. Prout differs entirely from the other species. Thorax brownish white, abdomen yellow. 
Forewing white with a brown marking. Interior line composed of three spots and a smaller one at the inner 
margin, edged outside by a fine white line. The ring-macula is a small ring, the reniform macula with a dark 
centre and edge, vertical. Close behind it a dentate double median line from the middle of the costal margin 
to the middle of the imrer margin. Exterior line likewise double, dentate, finer, uniformly bent behind the 
cell, then parallel with the margin. Blackish spots behind it, the most intense ones near the costal margin. 
Hindwing yellow with a dark brown margin grovdng narrower towards the anal angle, small yellow areas at 
the apex. $ 48 mm. Ivory Coast. 
37. Genus: Ophiisma Gbt. 
This genus is composed of about a dozen of mostly large Noctnae with an enormous power of flight; 
only three of them, among them the smallest, inhabit the Ethiopian Region. They are so closely allied to the 
Acliaea, Ercheia and Grammodes, that single Opliisma had been ranged by their abhors under these genera, 
whilst others were placed to the genus Ophiusa. One species, 0. gravata Gn., distributed over nearly the whole 
of India as far as Australia, has been ascertained in Central China, where, however, it scarcely traverses the 
XV 31 
VKjhm’cuH. 
oViraccotitic- 
iii 
cerhcra. 
partita, 
partita mt. 
antemedialis. 
spectatura. 
chamaelcon. 
Henardi. 
lienardiana. 
ophismoides. 
catella. 
rufotincta. 
nigrosuffusa. 
medioalba. 
oedipodina. 
fnicegi. 
