VII. — A Classification of Lepidopterous Larvae. 



BY HARRISON G. DYAR, S. B. 

 Read March 19, 1894. 



In a recent paper^ Professor J. H. Comstock has proposed a new 

 classification of the Lepidoptera based on the methods of uniting 

 the fore and hind wings, and on the modifications of the wing veins. 

 It has occurred to me to review, in a general way, the arrangement 

 and external structure of the setiferous tubercles of the larvae of the 

 Lepidoptera, to see how a classification based upon these structures 

 would compare with this new classification. For, if the new classi- 

 fication is a natural one, it should be corroborated by a study of 

 any set of organs, as Prof. Comstock points out; and it would seem 

 that the tubercles of the larvs are sufficiently different from the 

 wing veins of the adult to make the test severe. 



It is to be noted that the larvee of the Lepidoptera, on the whole, 

 live an exposed life, where they are subject to be preyed upon by 

 enemies of various kinds, many of which use the sense of sight to 

 find their victims. Therefore, it is not surprising to find these 

 insects modified in all sorts of ways for concealment or defence, 

 not only in color but in structure as well.^ And the setiferous 

 tubercles are among the most frequently modified structural ele- 

 ments. Moreover, this modification takes place, in part, indepen- 

 dently of any corresponding change in the adult insect. • And it 

 may even be reasonable to suppose that where the larva is highly 

 modified, we should find the adult in a generalized condition. This 

 would result from the consideration that it might be advantageous 

 to the insects in question to shorten the length of adult life and 

 lengthen that of the well-adapted larva. So, if the adults had but 

 a short time to live, it would be unimportant that specialization 

 should take place. Hence it is not improbable that a classification 



^ Evolution and Taxonomy, Wilder Quarter Century Book, pp. 37—113. 

 2 See E. B. Poulton's "Colors of Animals." 



Annals N. Y. Acad. Sci., VIII, May, 1894. 



