OCR Text |
Show 1890.] NEW MOTHS FROM INDIA. 381 the cell, the second and third from a point considerably beyond it. The vein dividing the cell, as shown in the Plate, differs from Mr. Moore's drawing, which does not, as in the specimen figured and in A. moorei, fork near the end of the cell. It will be seen that in both my new species the venation differs in the fore wing, showing that in this as in other genera of Chalcosiidae venation cannot be considered as a good generic character. This species was taken by Col. Lang in Gurhwal, North-west Himalayas, where it is found in July flying heavily by day among high trees of Pavia indica. In 1887 Dr. Staudinger described A. nelcymna (sic) in Romanoff's Memoires, vol. iii. p. 192, figuring the only specimen received under the name of Chalcosia palaarctica (Stgr. I. c. t. x. fig. 3, $ ) ; taken on the Ussuri river, N.E. Asia, by Dorries. I have examined this specimen, which is a much paler insect than A. nelcinna, and has the prothorax and tegulae black, with a yellow collar, which is not visible in A. nelcinna, the breast also is yellow ; the abdomen has a black dorsal stripe marked with narrow yellow bands and four rows of spots, two of them lateral and two ventral. The venation also differs in the branches of the subcostal being all emitted beyond the cell. This species must therefore stand as Atossa palaarctica, Stgr. Mr. Leech in 'Entomologist,' vol. xxiii. March 1890, describes A. nelcymna (sic), var. chinensis, as follows :- " $ . In this form the neuration is broadly bordered with blackish ; the outer third of all the wings is much suffused with the same colour and sprinkled with greenish-grey scales. " Expanse *79 m m. " I received one female taken at Changyang (Central China) in June by Mr. Pratt." Mr. Leech having kindly lent m e this specimen to examine, I have compared it with Mr. Moore's figure, and should say that it as well as a male, obtained in 1889 also by Mr. Pratt at Washan, in the province of Szechuen, and now figured (Plate X X X I V . fig. I), is apparently not separable from A. nelcinna even as a variety, Mr. Leech's comparison having evidently been made with A. palaarctica, which I have shown to be distinct. They agree in their venation, size, and colour, except that they have not so much of the yellow tint as Moore's figure shows. The female has the hind wing rounder than the male, but not so round as in A. palaarctica. A third specimen, S , also taken by Mr. Pratt at Huang Machung near Ta-tsien-lo in West Szechuen, has a decided yellow tint on both wings and surfaces, and much less of the dark marking below. It agrees in venation with the other two. In neither of these males is the abdomen banded above ; in the female it is inconspicuously so. The thorax in all is black, but in the last-mentioned specimen is a yellow spot on each side of the prothorax. If this is found to be constant and not present in any specimens of A. nelcinna, as I suspect to be the case, it may belong to a distinct species, for which I would suggest the name A. leechii. |