Publ. 4. X. 1926. 
NYCTEMERINAE; SEGTfSIO. By M. GaedE. 
111! 
A. pactolicus Btlr. (18 a). The whole body is orange-yellow with some black spots on the thorax; pactolicus. 
apex of abdomen black. Wings orange-yellow. On the forewing 3 uniformly bent continuous bands. Before 
them an incomplete one at the base, behind it an interrupted band. The black marginal spots are partly fused. 
Hindwing with a continuous broad marginal band which is but rarely interrupted or yellow-spotted. All the 
bands with a blue reflection, only the edges purely black. 62 to 72 mm. East Africa, Cameroon, Togo. 
A. bellatrix Dahn. (18 a). Orange-yellow. Abdomen with intense black dorsal and lateral spots, beneath bellatrix. 
quite black. The bands on the forewing are more irregular, particularly the third being very angular and mostly 
touching the second at the median vein. Hindwing with a median band, an intense spot on the cross-vein, 
and an interrupted marginal band. Colouring of bands as in ‘pactolicus, frequently outside yet edged with a 
light colour. 50 to 65 mm. Natal, Helagoa Bay. 
A. tign's Btlr. (18 b). Forewing mostly somewhat paler than in bellatrix. The bands are narrower, tigris. 
the third more feebly angled. Hindwing typical without a median band. A spot on the cross-vein and 2 long 
submarginal stripes. Abdomen above mostly spotless, beneath black. -— thelwalli Drc. (= incomparabilis thelwalli. 
Mab.) (18 b) has the third band on the forewing rather somewhat more angular. On the hindwing the spot 
at the cross-vein is very large, the marginal band being very broad. Apparently only the $ occurs. — zebra zebra. 
Rghf. differs in the third band of the forewing being interrupted in the submedian fold; it is probably to be 
regarded as a synonym. — piceosignata Brtl. (18 c) is a very extreme form. Forewing light yellow, whereas in piceosig- 
all the thelwalli in the Berlin Museum it is as dark as the hindwing. The 3 bands are merely represented by riatc 
small black spets at the costal margin, the first being sometimes more complete. A normal basal spot and one 
on the cross-vein. The fourth band is composed of 3 spots as in typical tigris. Margin rather more intensely 
black. Hindwing in the $ as in tigris, in the $ as in thelwalli. The abdomen is also above intensely blackened 
except at the base. The marking of the wings exhibits only a slight blue gloss. 55 to 70 mm. East Africa. 
solai Drc. is probably a synonym of piceosignata. 
A. kostlani Strd. (18 c). Body as in tigris. Forewing yellow. Bands shaped like those in tigris, but kostlani. 
very much broader, at the costal margin they are joined in pairs. Hindwing paler than in tigris but otherwise 
similarly marked. Marking with a slight blue gloss. $ 68 mm. Abyssinia. It may be an extreme form of tigris. 
A. quagga Strd. (18 c). By the broad bands and the light colour it resembles kostlani. The third is quagga. 
as strongly angled as in bellatrix (18 a). Colour and marking of hindwing similar to thelwalli, but besides with 
an intense spot at the base of vein 2; marginal band at vein 4 not indented. Marking with a slight blue gloss. 
1 $ 72 mm. East Africa. It may be an extreme form of bellatrix. 
VIII. Subfamily: Nyctemerinae. 
As to the Nyctemerinae, which are very closely allied to the preceding subfamily, we refer to Vol. II, p. 102, and 
Vol. X, p. 266. Very many of the Ethiopian forms closely approximate the colouring generally represented by the Indian 
forms on the plates 29 and 30 of Vol. X. Nevertheless single African species are inclined to mimicry, as for instance acraeina, 
fuscipennis etc. which have copied the wide-spread habitus of an Acraeida. Besides the blackish-white colouring of most 
of the Indian Nyctemerinae we also find the dark red hindwings in some species {j idler i, sulphureovitta), which we had also 
found in the palearctic region with Hipocrita jacobaeae, and in the Indian fauna with Curoba sangarida (Vol. X, pi. 26 e). 
With respect to the habits the Ethiopian species probably differ little from their Indo-Australian allies; they are often found 
swarming in the day-time, though some 4 . also fly at night. In New South Wales I found the species Nyct. arnica (= conica 
whirling there around the skirts of the forest in quite the same way as the Cieometrid males of Bupalus piniarius with us 
use to swarm in May, whereas the Indian N. plagvjera exhibits a straight fluttering flight which makes it difficult to discern 
it from Pierids flying at the same habitat. Whether the exterior of Planema exhibited by some forms of the African N. apicalis 
is due to mimicry or whether it is merely a casual resemblance, mightbe decided by the ascertainment whether the imagines 
have also assumed the characteristic Planema- flight. As most of them are provided with a very strong proboscis, they probably 
drink from the honey of blossoms, in contrast with the Hip. jacobaeae which never goes on blossoms and even has an entirely 
stunted proboscis. 
As this group is denominated as Nyctemerini in most of the catalogues and monographies (Kirby 1891; Pagenstecher 
1901), and also the later authors such as Butler, Hampson etc. used the name Nyctemera, we have also kept to this conception 
(Vol. II, Vol. X), in spite of Swinhoe (1903) having changed the name into Deilemera (type: evergista) owing to a misun¬ 
derstood interpretation *) of Hubner’s genus. (S..itz.) 
1. Genus: Secusio Wkr. 
Proboscis strong, palpi very long, porrect, antennae of bipectinate. In the forewing vein 6 rises from 
the upper cell-angle, veins 7 + 8 + 9 on a long stalk, vein 10 forming with 7 a short accessory cell. In the 
hind wing veins 6 + 7 on a short stalk, vein 8 almost as far as the middle fused with the cell. Type: strigata Wkr. 
*) Hubner’s genus Nyctemera was founded upon the three most common species coleta, tripunctaria (atralba), and 
lacticinia which, in fact, are the representatives of the most polytypical species of this genus. The fact that he did not range 
. his types in front is due to the custom of his time. The diagnose which Swinhoe declares to be incorrect, is in fact as 
correct as other two-lined diagnoses of Hubner are, too. There was no urgent reason for Swinhoe’e change. (Seitz.) 
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