BQROCERA. By Dr. C. Aurivillius. 
267 
B. madagascariensis Bsd. (37 f). The first descriptions and figures of this species were published madagascu 
in 1833 by Boisduval. The descriptions are brief and the figures of a rather inaccurate finish, but they were 
correctly determined as reproductions of the well-known silk-moth of Madagascar. This importance, however, 
was evidently unknown to Boisduval, and probably he had only one couple at hand, since he does not mention 
anything about the great variability of the two sexes. — <$. According to Boisduval, the wings are dark reddish 
cinnamon-coloured without any marking; head, thorax, and abdomen are similarly coloured. A single specimen 
of this exterior is before me from Fianarantsoa; I only wish to remark that the forewing shows a dark streak 
at the end of the discal cell, and the hindwing is darker brown and less reddish. The other CS differ more or 
less in their colour or marking. All of them, however, exhibit the same shape of the wings and very finely 
white-edged fringes. The distal margin of the narrow fore wing is uniformly curved between the apex and vein 
5, at vein 5 or between 5 and 4 very feebly emarginated and then straight or slightly bent as far as the anal 
angle; anal margin somewhat curved, directly passing over into the distal margin. Hindwing almost triangular; 
the costal margin being convex at the base becomes straight distally and, at the apex of vein 7, it forms a distinct 
angle with the straight or even somewhat concave distal margin; anal angle roundish. The following races 
(hybrids or species ?) of the $ can be distinguished for the present. — cervina var. n. <$. Wings and body light cervina. 
fawn-coloured or reddish fawn-coloured, thorax sometimes almost grey; forewing above without any markings 
or with a small dark discal dot and faint traces of a sub marginal line. Hindwing above and both wings beneath 
in the centre darkened. — signata var. n. <$. Thoracal dorsum varying between reddish-grey and grey. Forewing signata. 
above reddish-grey or greyish-brown, at the apex strewn with violet scales; the discal dot (black, sometimes 
centred with whitish), the distal transverse line (oblique, almost straight, brown), and the submarginal line 
(formed of small spots or lunae) distinct, though not very prominent; the first, subbasal transverse line indistinct 
or absent. Hindwing above dark brown or blackish. Both wings beneath red-brown, centre darkened. — cineras- cinerascens 
ceils var. n. <§ (35 b) has an expanse of 50 mm and is thus somewhat larger than the three other forms showing 
an expanse of 40 to 43 mm. Head, thorax, and upper surface of fore wing mouse-coloured; forewing between 
the discal line and submarginal line and at the hind-margin feebly reddish or brownish. Forewing above marked 
exactly as in signata. Hindwing above blackish grey with somewhat lighter veins. Both wings beneath dark 
greyish-brown, in the centre blackish. Abdomen red-brown. — A. Conte, in his work (Essai de classif. cles 
Lepid. producteurs de soie, 6. t. 12 f.l, 10, 11, 1909), figures three forms of the $ ; but I have not seen any similarly 
coloured or marked species. — The 9? are much larger and show a ground-colour varying between almost 
white, light grey, blackish-grey, reddish-grey or light fawn-coloured. The discal dot, the distal transverse line, 
and the submarginal line of the forewing above are always distinctly brown or blackish; the subbasal transverse 
line, however, is often indistinct or absent in the whitish or grey forms, but in the fawn-coloured or reddish forms 
thick and distinctly brown, as also Boisduval has figured them. The hindwings are either on both sides 
unicoloured without markings, or they exhibit a dark median shadow or transverse band. As it is impossible, 
without studies in nature, to decide which forms of the CS and 9$ belong together, I preferred not to 
denominate the female forms. — striata Conte is described as a <$, but according to the figure it is surely a striata. 
small 9- ,,Forewing divided by two dark transverse lines, one of which is oblique and divides the wing into 
two zones as in var. vinsoni ; the proximal transverse line is somewhat less distinct [not so in the figure]. The 
distal somewhat lighter zone exhibits a dark, irregularly undulated transverse line. Hindwing unicoloured 
dark [in the figure bright red-brown, at the costal margin lighter!]. Expanse of wings: 60 mm.“ — The eggs 
are somewhat flattened, whitish. The larva is somewhat flattened down, laterally with longer hair, and on 
each side of the decorative spots armed with a group of crowded black needles which can be turned out. The 
body is dark, dotted black [according to a specimen in alcohol] and shows on the dorsum of the eleventh segment 
a light, oblong, triangular spot. It lives on various plants of Madagascar and is cultivated in the open air. 
Those being desirous of full particulars about the silk-culture of the inhabitants of Madagascar may be recom¬ 
mended to read a statement of Sikora in Societas Entomologica 6 p. 179 (1892), and the reports by Conte 
in the work mentioned above. 
B. castanea sp. n. <§. Body and wings above and beneath intensely chestnut-brown; palpi a little castanea. 
lighter. Antennae black with yellowish grey pectinations. Forewing somewhat broader than in the C3 of rnada- 
gascariensis and with a feebly though uniformly bent distal margin; subbasal transverse line indistinct; a hardly 
noticeable dark dot at the end of the discal cell; distal transverse line distinct, straight, dark red-brown; 
marginal portion outside of that line a little lighter, greyish-brown, without sub marginal spots. Apex of hindwing 
’ rounded, distal margin only between the veins 6 and 2 quite straight. Fringes brown, very finely bordered 
with white. Both wings beneath in the centre with a joint dark nebulous transverse band. Expanse of wings 
50 mm. 9 unknown. Madagascar: Majunga. 
B. bibitldatidy ( Camb .) Conte is, according to Conte, the species being the most frequently used as bibindandy 
silk-moth. In what way the <$ differs from those of madagascariensis , is not stated, but judging from the very 
inaccurate figure it differs in the rounded distal margin of the hindwing. The 9= however, is recognisable by 
