442 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



being lost stage I would decide ; the third to tubercle iv ; the 

 fourth to tubercle vi. The first stage is needed to confirm these 

 homologies. 



Coloration. 



This is, in effect, not Sphingid, but Ceratocampid. The head 

 and cervical shield are conspicuously striped with black ; the anal 

 plates are red with black borders ; the body is green, the spines 

 black with yellow bases, the foot shields black. A white or yel 

 low bar extends between the second and third spines on the first 

 to seventh abdominal segments. 



Conclusion. 



The larva of Lophostethus dumolinii is a true Sphinx, not 

 more nearly related to the Ceratocampids than any other Sphinx, 

 since it possesses true Sphingid tubercles, iv above v and before 

 the spiracle, not united with v as in all the Saturnian phylum. 

 Functionally, indeed, it is a Saturnian like the African Saturnians 

 with thorn-like tubercles ; but the character is evidently adapta- 

 tional, an irregular hypertrophy of the tubercles superimposed on 

 the phylogenetic characters of the Sphingidae. 



With the exception of tubercle ii on the abdomen, vii on 7th 

 and 8th abdominal segments and viii on all the apodal segments, 

 all the primary tubercles are represented by spines. I am in 

 clined to refer the fifth spine of first and second abdominal seg 

 ments to tubercle vii rather than to vi. Stage I, when at hand, 

 will decide the point. 



As to the subprimary tubercles, there is no indication of their 

 presence on the thorax, and on the abdomen tubercle vi only on 

 second to fourth segments. I am not yet fully clear as to the sig 

 nificance of this unexpected condition. Apparently the Sphin 

 gidae are descended from forms possessing the subprimary tuber 

 cles, though the character holds but weakly in the group at present. 

 On the other hand the apparent weakness of the character maybe 

 due to the irregulaiity of the spine formation which has affected 

 only a part of the tubercles. 



A full account of all stages of this curious larva is much to be 

 desired. 



The paper excited much interest and a number of questions 

 were asked as to the important differences between the larvaB of 

 Ceratocampidas and Sphingida3 and as to the value of certain lar 

 val characters. Among other questions, Mr. Ash mead inquired 

 as to the exact characters separating Lepidopterous larvae from 

 Tenthredinid larvae, stating that he understood that the absence of 



