41 



Atreiis. Grote. 



i 



Smaller and approaching Sphinx in appearance; the head 

 prominent; eyes salient; antennae slender at tip where they 

 are bent; fore tibiae spinose as (according to Fernald) are 

 those of P. celfH*. The type is, I think, not congeneric 

 with the European P'mastri, nor can I find an Hubnerian 

 genus for its reception; I should leave it in Phlegethontius, 

 as Fernald seems to suggest, but it differs in the 12-veined 

 primaries, the want of an antennal seta, in the fusion of 

 the tongue-case in the pupa and in the general style of 

 markings no less than in the structure of the labial palpi. 

 Seqiwiae, Boisd., may belong to Hylmcus and be congeneric 

 with the European P'mastri, which this is not.*) 



Plebeius. Fabr. Forewings gray, with a white discal 

 spot ringed with black, heavy black dashes between the 

 veins and crossed by faint, partly incomplete lines. Hind- 

 wings dark smoky brown, grayish towards base and on the 

 anal angle ; fringes brown and white. Larva somewhat rough 

 with a caudal horn curving only towards its tip, blue, with 

 irregular black tubercles; the caudal horn will be found to 

 play an important part in the classification, as it varies so 

 much in length and appearance. It rises from the top of 

 the hind segment and is a prolongation of the skin itself, 

 stiffened by chitine. It is sometimes discarded, replaced 

 by an eye-spot. It is very curious in this species and there 

 is a slight approach to Acherontia. Atreus plebeim, feeds on 

 Trumpet Creeper (Fernald) and Syr'mga, where I have found 

 it, The moth appoaches the section of Sphinx called by 

 Butler Lintneria, but differs much more strongly in structure. 

 We have, then, in Eastern North America no equivalent to 

 the European Hyloictis pinaftfri. A second species of Atreus 

 probably occurs in Cuba, described by myself, but I have 

 now no types to compare. 



*) I have used for study larvae of the European P'mastri, beauti- 

 fully prepared according to the method explained by Karl "Wingelmiiller 

 in his interesting book : Der Kiifer- und Schmetterlings-Sammler, Magde- 

 burg, Creutz'sche Verlagshandlung. 



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