METARBELIDAE; SAALMULLERIA. General Topics. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
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21. Family: Metarbelidae. 
This family as well as its Indian representatives, the Lepidarbelidae (— Arhelidae Mr.) were only grouped 
as a separate family at the end of the last century. The few species that were known before were formerly 
treated as Gossidae, Limaccdidae, or also as Lasiocampidae, many of them were also in different collections 
without having been determined or described. Hamfson first comprised them as “ Arhelidae ” by combining 
the Indian species (with 3 inner-marginal veins) with the African ones (with 2 such veins). Beside a loam-coloured 
or dull greyish-brown colouring the species show few common external features; many are of the habitus of 
certain Notodontidae, such as the Metarhela ochracea (78 g) and M. latifasciata (78 g) which do not only exhibit 
the shape and attitude of the wings of a Pygaera but also quite a similar anal tuft ending in two lateral 
pencils as in the Pygaera. The largest species, Saalmulleria stumpfi (78 a), has a colouring and marking similar 
to the American Crinodes bellatrix, with the same glossy, wood-coloured brown wings and a remarkably darkened 
front body, peculiarly pointed abdominal combs, and a large anal pencil. Moreover the Notodontidae resemble 
the Metarbelidae in the bark-colour of the wings, a convergency produced by copying bark to such a degree that 
even glossy spots on the bark, produced by dew or rain-drops, are found in African Metarbelidae in exactly the 
same way as for instance in the palaearctic Spatalia argentina ; and like the latter, also the African Aethiopina 
argentifera (78 c) exhibits beside the silvery spot of the forewing a pointed anal tuft parted into 2 lateral tips. 
Many Metarbelidae have the wing-contours of Gossidae, as for instance those of Cossus (Lebedodes 
nigeriae, 78 b), of PLolcocerus (Salagena cLscata, 78 e), or of Dyspessa (Arbelodes meridionalis, 78 h), to all of which 
they are presumably allied. The few larvae known of this family live in wood according to the habits of the 
Gossidae, some probably also in the roots of bushes and trees, and like all the borers they have the disagreeable 
property of becoming slightly oleous in the collections. —- The imagines are absolutely nocturnal and are 
probably taken only on the lantern. They seem to lack any internal protection, whereas the allied Gossidae 
seem to be sometimes protected by a disgusting smell and some Zeiizeridae even exhibit a distinct warning colour 
(Gallocossus auroguttata,'Zeuzera pyrina). 
The range of the said group is absolutely Ethiopian. The genus Metarbela containing a great number 
of species has numerous representatives in the rainy tropical zones, whilst most of the other genera prefer 
more the steppe districts and countries with a long dry season, such as Natal, the Boer countries, and Cape 
Colony. None of the almost 120 forms hitherto known traverse the Sahara to the north, and the Indian allies 
— genus Lepidarbela Dali. (Arbela Mr.) — are separated from the Africans by the above-mentioned difference 
in the veins. A number of American forms seem to be more closely allied to the Indian group than to the Africans. 
Proboscis absent. Palpi short or very short. Antennae of pectinate to the tips. Hind tibiae with 
1 or 2 pair of spurs which are often very feeble. In the forewing but 1 inner-marginal vein, except in the first 
genus where the interior portion of a second vein is recognizable. Hindwing without frenulum, only with 2 
inner-marginal veins whereby it is distinguished from the Indian Arhelidae with 3 inner-marginal veins. By 
the short parted cell on both wings and the almost invariably absent frenulum approximated to the Lasio¬ 
campidae, separated from them by the position of vein 2 in the forewing arising far basad in the Lasiocampidae. 
In the scheme of markings the species are partly similar to the Gossidae, partly to the Limacodidae, less to the 
Thyrididae. 
I. Genera without an accessory cell in the forewing. 
1. Genus: Saalmulleria Mab. 
Antennae of $ as long as % of costal margin, strongly pectinate. Abdomen with basal tuft and fan- 
shaped anal tuft. Veins 3 and 4 in both wings near together, 5 and 6 from % and % of the cross-vein. In 
