14(5 
OMPHALUCHA. Bv L. B. Proft. 
ir’i^rctd. 
Jiilif/hiosa. 
kataiif/ac. 
tiKii iirnarhi. 
crcnaJald. 
hirta. 
scales, as in the Palaearctie Jlegabisfon (Vol. 4, ]n 358). Legs in largely hairy; hincltibia with terminal spurs 
only. Forewing in with cell rather long, 1st and 2n(l snbcostals shortly stalkecl. $ semiapterous. The only 
known African genns of definitely the Biston group, the cj genitalia, according to Harrisojv' of a somewhat 
])rimitive ty])e. Only one s]jecies. 
P. trisecta IFarr. (15 f). Unmistakable on accoimt of its structure, shape, the almost wingless $, etc. 
The latter, ^vhich was unknown to Jaj^se, has been bred by G. T. Leigh at Durban and by Miss F. Barrett 
in Transkei and has the wings reduced to very short thick stumps. The larva has not been described. Trans¬ 
vaal to the north-eastern jjarts of Cape Colony, the ty])e from Natal. — ab. fuliginosa IFarr. is merely a much 
darkened, almost melanic form, not a species as A\Arren supposed. Another aberration has the median area 
of file forewing greatly narrowed. From the recorded dates (late October to January), it apjiears that trisecta 
is not, like nearly all its Palaearctie relatives, a winter or early spring species; hence some of the theories which 
have been advanced concerning the evolution of apterous $$ in the group would be inapplicable. 
18. Genus: Omplialiiclia Warr. 
Presumal)ly one of the links between the Biston, Hyijosidra and Boarmia groups, perhaps related to 
some of the heterogeneous assemblage to which the generic name of Hemero'pliila is still applied in Africa, but 
the build is more robust and the tongne rndimentary (short even in Sect. 11) and in fact it shows most of the 
characters which are generally attributed to Biston vera (type strataria Hujn., see Vol. 4, p. 358), though the 
cells are somewhat less long and the hindwing usually more crenulate, while the d possesses a fovea, though 
it is rarely strong. Less shaggy than Palaeonyssia, the $ fully winged, the face rather fiat, roughened with 
hair-scales, the hindtibia Avith 4 sjuirs. Antennal ^pectinations of the d never really long, generally very charac¬ 
teristic, being stiff and almost vertical in relation to the shaft. Snbcostals of forewing variable, the 1st and 
2nd generally more or less stalked, sometimes in the d separate; in the $ coincident. So far as is knoAvn, ex¬ 
clusively African; the anomalous Indian ''Hybernia” hibernaria Swinh. has much in common Avifh some of 
its less ty])ical species, but AAith long pectinations. Genotype: crenulata Warr. 
Section T. 0 p h a I u c h a (vera,). 
0. katangae Front aaus proAusionally placed here on account of the paljms, shape and pattern, but is 
only knoAAU from a $ AA’hich has lost its hindlegs and has the tongue someAAdiat too aafII deA^eloped to remain 
satisfactorily here. 38 mm. ForeAAing A\dth 1st and 2rd snbcostals coincident; “pecan broAAn'“ (Ridgaa'AY), 
AAith black irroration. an anterior part as far as the postmedian AA’hite (similarly irrorated), in the central area 
reaching the median A^ein and the base of its branches, betAveen the radials encroached upon by a projection 
of the broAA'ii distal area AAhich nearly reaches tlie long, black cell-mark; lines black, the antemedian right- 
angled (outAvard) in front of cell-fold, irregularly oblique iiiAvard posteriorly, AAdth a s])ot on median vein; post¬ 
median sinuous, its long, shalloAA' inAA'ard cni’Am at the fold slightly macular; median shade indicated by a costal 
spot; subterminal AA'hite, interrn])ted. conspicuous and black-bordei'ed from tornus to 2nd median; terminal 
line slightly interrupted; fringe AA’hite, black-spotted. DindAA’ing sidicrenulate, AA’ith a shalloAv sinus betAA’een 
the radials; scarcely any AA’hite except at base; markings indistinct, the postmedian dentate. AA’ith 2 marks (on 
3rd radial and 1st median) more conspicuous. F'^nderside much more blurred, only the postmedian of the hind- 
AA’ing more distinct. Katanga ; Kipushi. 
0. maturnaria Moscht., founded on a $ from Bazeia, Caffraria (Tembidand), is one of the broAA ner 
s]iecies of the genus, but does not seem to belong to any of the forms Avhich I have seen; to judge from the 
careful description, AA'hich makes more of the sinuosities and angles of the lines than does the original figure, 
the latter cannot be quite accurate, but it is impossible to see in it the characteristics of the folloAAung sj)ecies, 
AA’hich 1 haA’e hitherto sunk. Antemedian of foreAV’ing at hindmargin less close to the base than in crenulata, 
line of hindAA’ing Avith the the tooth at the fold then “strongly" (in the figure scarcely!) arcuate, but apparently 
AAdthout tooth at radial fold. 
0. crenulata Warr. (— maturnaria Janse, nec Mosch.l.) (15 f). Fovea strong. Variable, especially in 
colour, but generally distinguishable (unless from albosignata, q. v.) l>y the postmedian line of the hindAA’ing, 
AA’hicli is angled at both folds, rather deeply curA’ed iiiAA’ard betAveen the angles and approximated to the distal 
margin at its posterior end. The median shade of the foreAA’ing is generally slight and ill-defined, sometimes 
obsolete. The type, a 2 from Natal, represents a fairly frequent form (es])ecially, I think, in that sex) in AA’hich 
both AA’ings are heavily irrorated and suffused AA ith fuscous, the clear (broAA’u or buff) subapical s]iot of the fore¬ 
AA’ing standing out rather conspicuously. — hirta Warr., founded on a is also from Natal (Durban) and is 
more variegated, AA’ith paler broAA nish hindAA’ing, anteriorly AA’ithout markings, making a near appiroach toAA ards 
albosignata Janse; indeed it may jmssibly prove to supplant that s]iecies. - The recorded range of crenulata 
