HETEROCERA COCYTIIDAE NOTODONTIDAE 



333 



the rarest of Insects. Nothing is known as to their life-histories. 

 In appearance they somewhat remind us of the Bee-hawk moths and 

 Zygaenidae. Butler says l the family is characterised by the palpi, 

 which differ much in the two sexes, and by the antennae resem- 

 bling those of Castniidae or Hesperiidae. The form; transparency, 

 and coloration of the wings reminds one vividly of the Sphingid 

 genus Hemaris ; the nervuration is somewhat like that of Hemaris, 

 but has certain features of Zygaenidae. Butler places the family 

 between Agaristidae and Zygaenidae. 



Fam. 11. Notodontidae (Prominents, Puss-moths, etc.). This 

 is one of the most extensive of the families of Bombyces ; it con- 

 sists in larger part of obscure-coloured moths, somewhat like the 

 ordinary Noctuidae of temperate regions; to which family the Noto- 

 donts are indeed considered to be very closely allied. The family 

 contains, however, some very remarkable forms. Tarsolepis has 

 an elongate body, 

 terminated (in the 

 female of T. ful- 

 yurifera) bya very 

 conspicuous tuft 

 of enormously 

 long, battledore 

 scales ; while in 

 the male of T. 

 sommeri the hind 

 legs are provided 

 with an append- 

 age of beautiful, 

 roseate hairs. A 

 few of the larger 

 kinds bear a con- 

 siderable resem- 

 blance in form and 



proportions to the Sphingidae. Some of the larvae are most inter- 

 esting objects ; the Puss-moth caterpillar, the Lobster, and the 

 Dragon larvae are of such strange forms that they have already 

 interested several generations of observers. The Puss-moth is 

 common in the southern half of England ; its caterpillar (Fig. 192) 

 has, instead of the elaspers, a pair of tubes in which are concealed 



1 Tr. cut. Soc. London, 1884, p. 351. 



FIG. 192. Cerura vinula (Puss-moth) caterpillar. A, Moult- 

 ing ; B, the same individual a few hours after the moult. 



