BY R. J. TILLYARD. 569 



Meanwhile the publication of the original description had 

 created considerable interest amongst entomologists, and discus- 

 sion soon became rife as to its true affinities. In August, 1916, 

 Mr. E. Meyrick, F.R.S., contributed a paper on the subject* (2), 

 in which he argued strongly against the admission of Diinstania 

 to the Order Lepidoptera, and suggested that its affinities might 

 rather be with the Homoptera. He reasoned as follows :— "In 

 order to appreciate the position, I looked up the record of 

 Palfpontina oolitica Butl., from the Jurassic, hitherto the oldest 



known Lepidopteron, ; T must express my opinion that 



there is little doubt it belongs to the Ilepialidce Now it 



is clearly proved on structural grounds that the Micropterygina 

 (the small group to which the Hepialidre belong, otherwise 

 termed Jugatse) were the primitive form of the Lepidoptera, and 

 the nature of Palceontina is in accord with this conclusion and 

 confirmatory of it. Parenthetically, I take occasion to notice 

 that Goss, Tillyard, and others are troubled as to what the early 

 Lepidoptera can have fed upon, when Howering plants were not 

 yet in existence, and honey was not available; it is a problem 

 easy of solution, since the more primitive forms (including the 

 Hepialidce) have in general no proboscis or feeding apparatus, 

 and, therefore, fed on nothing in the perfect state." 



" With the evidence recounted above, Dmistaiiia, if regarded 

 as Lepidopterous, is violently discordant As the hind wing 

 possesses neither frenulum nor prominent basal angle of costa, 

 it must be assumed that the forewing was furnished with a 

 jugum; all existing Lepidoptera exhibit one or other of these 

 structures. But all jugate Lepidoptera have the hindwing 

 similar in neuration to the forewing, with at least 1 1 veins, 

 whereas this wing seems to be of the modern 8- veined type, 

 though conspicuously different from any known form, and in fact 

 quite as highly specialised as any now existing. Finally, there 

 is the apparently corneous margin round the costa and termen, 

 which is altogether abnornial, no other Lepidoptera showing a 



* See also " Nature," No. 2488, Vol. 99, Sept. 28tli, 1916, p. 75, where 

 this paper is reviewed. 



44 



