MACROLEPIDOPTERA 131 



also occurs in New Zealand. It therefore stands on quite the same footing as 

 Homoeosoina. 



Promylaea is clearly an offshoot of Mestolobes. 



Protaulacistis is undoubtedly closely allied to Orthomecyna, but is in some respects 

 more primitive, and may therefore be regarded as a collateral development. 



Excluding the doubtful one, 4 of the above are therefore of native origin, i 

 Australian, and i American. 



(_^) Endemic genera, with 14 — 30 species. 



These number 3 genera and 72 species. 



Scot oryt lira contains 30 species. It is distinguished from all genera of the 

 Selidosemidae known to me (except its derivative Sisyrophyta) by the peculiar antennal 

 character; in other respects it has a general alliance to the cosmopolitan genus 

 Selidosema, but is of a somewhat more primitive type, and without the characteristic 

 fovea. It is therefore probably earlier in origin than Selidosema, but I cannot indicate 

 any nearer relationship with other genera. 



Mestolobes includes 28 species, and Orthomecyna 14. They are collateral genera, 

 obviously nearly allied together, yet with differences which imply that they were derived 

 not one from the other, but from a common ancestor. They belong to the group of 

 Scoparia and Heliothela, more especially approaching the latter and Eclipsiodes, but 

 I consider that they cannot properly be regarded as derived from either of these, 

 but rather from an earlier ancestral form. The monotypic Malayan Dasyscopa resembles 

 them in the presence of a subdorsal hairy groove in the hindwings, but appears not- 

 withstanding to be only an offshoot of Scoparia. Heliothela contains only a very 

 few species, but is almost cosmopolitan, though with a leaning to the Southern 

 hemisphere ; Eclipsiodes is Australian. 



The origin of the three large endemic genera is therefore unknown. But if, 

 as inferred above, Scoparia originated in the South Pacific, there is presumptive 

 evidence for supposing that the other genera collaterally derived from its parent form 

 must have originated there too ; and the distribution of Heliothela and Eclipsiodes 

 rather tends to confirm this supposition. If this be granted, why should not Scoto- 

 rythra, whose origin cannot be traced elsewhere, but may be presumed from its 

 specific development to date from about the same period, be descended from an 

 extinct form inhabiting the same region ? For it must be clearly understood that 

 these large endemic genera could not have originated in the Hawaiian Islands 

 themselves, for want of possible ancestors ; they must be derived from apodemic 

 forms, but such as from competition of improved types, or other causes, have not 

 survived elsewhere. 



M. F. H. 18 



