590 On Synthetic Types in Insects. 



Art. XV. — On Synthetic Types in Insects. — By 

 A. S. Packard, Jr. 



[Communicated March 4, 18G3.] 



While studying the Hepiali with reference to their 

 standing and connection with the main body of the family 

 of Bombyces, and striving to overcome difficulties that 

 arose as to the importance of certain structural features, 

 which, taken in connection with their habits, render their 

 location in this family very difficult, I was throughout 

 struck with the great resemblance of the genus Gorgopis 

 of HLibner to the neuropterous genus Polydcechotes, and 

 made a detailed comparison of the two which is given 

 below. The close resemblance of many small Phry- 

 ganeids to the small moths with long antenna, is familiar 

 to every entomologist, and has caused the Lepidoptera 

 to be placed by some writers very near to the Neuroptera, 

 though in fact these groups are very widely separated ; 

 and it was only by confounding mere transient analogies 

 of outer form with that more fundamental likeness of 

 the young and adult stages of two beings to each other, 

 whereby we are enabled to arrange them in some sort of 

 series, that the error was made. 



Some remarks in this connection on the well-known 

 analogous forms existing in the different sub-orders of in- 

 sects, will serve as an introduction to more special obser- 

 vations on those stronger analogies which we find in nearly 

 every family of the Neuroptera to every other sub-order 

 of insects. 



If we consider the Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Dip- 

 tera by themselves, in the order in which Latreille has placed 

 them, we shall find these three groups full of reciprocal 

 analogies. Certain forms in the one sub-order leap over 

 their neighboring sub-order to find their analogues in one 



Junk, 1863. 



