230 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Tribe Caradrini. 



In this tribe, in which the body is still smoothly scaled, or with very 

 slight tufts, the eyes naked, the tibiae unarmed, the two principal European 

 genera are represented in North America. In Caradrina. twenty-eight 

 European species are described, while but eleven have so far been dis- 

 covered in North America. Of these, Miranda seems to be exceedingly 

 near the rare and local European lepigone, while others have the European 

 facies. The species of Fyrophila ( =AmphiJ>yra) are interesting as 

 affording one identical species, tragopogonis, and one representative, 

 pyraftiidoides. Whether the former is a survival or an importation is 

 uncertain, I have been inclined to beHeve the latter is the case. The 

 species of Pyrophila are large and so exceedingly like the flat species 

 of Agrotis, that (when in the south away fro m my microscope) I mistook 

 tragopogonis, communicated to me by Prof. Saunders as injurious to grape, 

 for an Agrotis. The unarmed legs separate the present genus ; but the 

 habit is similar, as I have observed pyramidoides beneath the bark of 

 decaying trees in the woods. Upon the loose bark being removed the 

 moths endeavored to escape by running. Like cockroaches, the smooth 

 greasy-looking vestiture, and the flat shape, evidently facilitate their 

 movements in such places of concealment ; I have observed species of 

 Agrotis saucia, etc., in their company. The question of whether we 

 should not bring in the Agroti?ti, between the Caradritii and the 

 Orthosini, is yet, perhaps, an open one. No reasons are given by Lederer 

 for not following the arrangement of older authors ; but it is better to 

 conform in such cases to Lederer's example, as it is followed in Europe, 

 and since my main object has been always to bring the two faunae under 

 the same artificial system, so that they can be compared, the differences 

 and resemblances taken note of In the present tribe the derivation of 

 one part of our fauna is very clear. The European pyramided, and our 

 pyramidoides, are descended from one stock. We have apparently failed 

 to take over the other large and showy species of Pyrophila found in 

 Europe, as I have seen nothing like them in any North American collec- 

 tion. In the west is found my Fotella notalis, a moth apparently allied 

 to Acosmetia ; this latter, with the other European Caradrinid genera, 

 I have not recognized in North America. I am uncertain as to whether 

 Adipsophanes and Crambodes should not be included in this tribe ; the 

 former genus includes my miscellus and terminellus, the latter Guen^e's 

 talidiformi^. 



