490 
DYSODIA. By M. Gaede. 
intermedia. 
flavidula. 
subsignata. 
consiellata. 
jcnestratella 
flammaia. 
This reticulation on the mostly brownish ground probably is to represent the wrinkles of a shriveled leaf. 
Cramer, moreover, reports of a dark brown, whitish-spotted and reticulate Thyridida, Draconia peripheta, which 
is said to keep its forewings lowered like a roof, when the insect is at rest, so that the hindwing projects far 
beyond the costa of the forewing. This would be the same position occupied by Gastropacha populifolia and 
Amorpha populi copying a small dry leaf. Unfortunately I am not able to judge whether this statement is 
correct or not, because I captured all the Thyrididae collected by me, when they were swarming, mostly on the 
lantern, and could not observe their resting position; when they settled down for a short time, all of them kept 
their wings half open. 
Several attempts have already been made by former authors dealing with the Thyrididae to divide the 
family into different groups, for instance by Guenee and Pagenstecher. As the first and chiefly distinguished 
subdivision, the Dysodia (better known as Varnia) have been detached. Owing to a remarkable resemblance 
of the shape to the Eutelia, many were placed as Noctuids to the Eutelianae. This resemblance, however, exists 
only in the expanded insect in the collection; the Eutelia are known to exhibit such a peculiar resting position 
that in the living insect every resemblance disappears'. Instead of keeping their wings half spread, the abdominal 
end raised, and clinging with their head down to the place they are resting on, like the Eutelia do, the Dysodia 
sit upright, with their wings folded though horizontally, similar to a Malacosoma, on blades or branchlets. The 
division formed by this genus, the somewhat Aegeriid-like Hyperthyris and the stout Glanycus was detached 
as the subfamily Pachythyridinae . As the second division, Guenee denotes the Striglininae, about 50 mostly 
palaearctic forms some of which are so very similar to Noctuids from the Thermesia- group that they were formerly 
placed next to them. The third division is chiefly composed of the genus Rhodoneura which alone contains 
more than 250 species, and of all the other genera; about 50 forms of the Rhodoneura (Siculodes Gn.) are known 
from the Ethiopian district. 
1. GeilUS: I SI Clem. (Varnia Wler.; Pachythyris Fldr.) 
Strongly built. Palpi long, uptured. Antennae filiform. Forewing with an excurved or angular distal 
margin at vein 3, costal margin straight or indented behind the centre. All the veins free, 4 and 5 from the 
lower, 7 and 8 from the upper cell-angle. Hindwing angled at vein 3, sometimes also more feebly so at vein 2. 
Veins 4 and 5 from the lower, 6 and 7 from the upper cell-angle. Type: vitrina Bsd. from North America. 
I. Costal margin of forewing slightly incurved. 
D„ intermedia Wkr. (= crassa Wh\) (76 e). Ground-colour reddish ochreous with dark reticulate lines 
and two dark, black-edged bands, the exterior one bifurcated. The anterior portion of the distal margin feebly 
darkened. Hind wing with a median band forming the continuation of the exterior band of the fore wing. 
(Described after a specimen determined by Hampson as intermedia var.) 24 mm. Natal. flavidula Wrr. 
Ground-colour more yellow without any red admixture. The 2 is suffused with dark brown. Beneath on the 
forewing the costal margin and exterior band are olive green. Natal. Larva yellowish-grey, black-checquered, 
with subdorsal black spots. Tubercles with short bent thorns. The head and 2nd segment in front black. 
B. subsignaia Warr. (76 e) differs from intermedia in a large, somewhat cordiform hyaline spot on the 
hindwing. The exterior band on the forewing is less broad at the costal margin, its exterior edge is more irregular. 
Beneath this band terminates in a triangular black spot in the submedian fold. The ground-colour corresponds 
in the A with flavidula , in the $ with intermedia. The same is the case with the size. Natal. In the figured 
specimen from East-Africa the exterior edge of the band on the forewing is quite straight. Of the band on the 
hindwing of intermedia only the border-lines are present, the rest having vanished in the violettish-brown 
ground-colour. 
D. constellata Warr. Forewing from the base to the dark olive brown exterior band pale olive brown 
and fused with the interior band. The exterior band from behind the centre of the inner margin to the costal 
margin near the apex widened, before the apex a dark line branches off to the centre of the distal margin. Before 
the latter between veins 2 and 5 pale yellow, the border around it pale olive brown. Hindwing behind the cell 
somewhat yellow, with distinct transverse lines and a broad dark median band which is forked at the anal end. 
In the upper cell-angle an oval small hyaline spot. $ 28 mm. Rhodesia. 
D. fenestratella Warr. Forewing olive green, the marking dark olive brown. Costal margin with 4 dark 
spots. From the last spot a narrow exterior band extends parallel to the distal margin as far as vein 2, where 
it meets a short hand from the inside. Before this V-shaped marking 2 small hyaline dots, behind the exterior 
arm 3 such spots between veins 2 and 5. A streak from the band to the distal margin as in constellata. Below’ 
vein 2 the band is more expanded, anal angle dark. Hindwing with a large anvil-shaped hyaline spot, surrounded 
by small hyaline dots and dark spots. Margin lighter. 20 mm. East Africa. 
D. flanimafa Warr. (76 e). Colour of forewing deep red mixed with leaden grey and blackish brown. 
Transverse streaks brown. Below the costal margin broadly, and at the base of the inner margin narrowly leaden 
