Balacra haemalea Holland, 1893

Holland, W. J. (1893). Descriptions of new species and genera of West African
Lepidoptera. Psyche 6: 393-400; p. 397.

37. B. haemalea, sp. nov. Male. Antennae and eyes black. The entire body deep
crimson. The fore wings are dull bluish-green marked with crimson. There is a
crimson streak at the base near the costa, a spot at the end of the cell and
one below it, a spot beyond the end of the cell, and the entire outer margin
shades into crimson between the nervules, which are blue-gray. The fringe is
blue-gray. The posterior wings are rosy, palest on the costa. The wings on the
under side are pale red with the fringe and the apex of the primaries dull
blue-gray.

Expanse, 45 mm. This splendid species is allied to B. flavimacula Walker, but
is totally distinct.

Hampson, G. F. (1898). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, vol. 1, Catalogue of the Syntomidae. British Museum, London; pp.
150-151, pl. VI fig. 12 (haemalea treated as Ab. 1 of Pseudapiconoma
flavimacula).

295. Pseudapiconoma flavimacula. (Plate VI. fig. 12.)

Balacra flavimacula, Wlk. vii. 1722 (1856); Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 221.
Pseudapiconoma testacea, Auriv. Ent. Tidskr. ii. p. 46, f. 1 (1881); Kirby,
Cat. Het. p. 222.
Balacra haemalea, Holland, Psyche, vi. p. 397 (1893).

Male. Head, thorax, and abdomen orange-red, the last with traces of segmental
black lines and dorsal series of blue-grey spots; antennae fuscous with a blue
tinge except at base. Fore wing red suffused with brown; a crimson streak on
subcostal nervure and some crimson at base of inner margin; crimson spots in
and below end of cell, beyond the cell above and below vein 6, varying much in
size and often with more or less developed yellow centres; the interspaces of
terminal area red. Hind wing yellow tinged with crimson.

Female. Abdomen with the segmental black lines and dorsal series of blue-grey
spots well developed; antennae minutely serrate.

In one specimen veins 4, 5 of fore wing are separate instead of from a point.

Ab. 1. haemalea: hind wing crimson.--Cameroons, Mus. Stockholm; W. Africa,
Ogove R. and Bule Country, type in Coll. Holland.

Hab. Ashanti (Wesleyan Mission), 1 male type; R. Niger, Onitsha (Wesleyan
Mission), 1 male; Cameroons; Gaboon, type female testacea in Mus. Stockholm.
Exp., male 46, female 60 millim.

Hampson, G. F. (1914). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, Supplement, vol. 1, Catalogue of the Amatidae and Arctiadae (Nolinae
and Lithosianae). British Museum, London; p. 78 (as Balacra haemalea).

295 c. Balacra haemalea.

Balacra haemalea, Holl. Psyche, vi. p. 397 (1893); Roths. Nov. Zool. xix. pl.
xiii. ff. 17, 18.

Male. Head, thorax, and abdomen crimson; antennae except towards base brown
with a bluish tinge, the extreme tips white. Fore wing grey-brown; a crimson
streak below costa to beyond middle; the basal inner area crimson; a crimson
spot in end of cell and a spot with yellow centre below base of vein 2;
crimson spots above and below base of vein 6 and a slight spot below vein 5,
the spot below vein 6 with yellowish centre; the interspaces of terminal area
suffused with crimson, rather narrowly towards apex, below vein 3 extending
almost to the cell. Hind wing pale crimson.

Hab. Cameroons; Gaboon, Ogove R., type in Coll. Holland, Bule Co.; Congo,
Yakusu. Exp. 52 millim.

Seitz, A. (1926). Balacra. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of the
World, vol. 14, The African Bombyces and Sphinges. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart;
p. 55, pl. 7 b.

B. haemalea Holl. (7 b) chiefly differs from testacea in the deep hemochrome
colour of the whole body; apical part of hindwing tinged with yellowish.
Cameroon, Gabun, Congo.

The species testacea, to which Seitz compares haemalea (p. 55):

B. testacea Aur. (7 a) is of a bright ruddle-red colour; forewing with 3
(male) or 4 (female) red discal spots which are light-centred in the female.
Abdomen of male with dark bands. In an aberration the female may also lack the
light centres of the discal spots. West Africa, Uganda. -- In ab. micromacula
Strd. the spots are smaller and without yellow centres.