62 



MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



I. PALEOLEPIDOPTERA {Piipir lihenr). 



Tlio characters of the group arc those of Micropteryx, as this is the only genus yet kuowu. 



Its hir\a has a well developed spinneret; tliough it has no abdominal legs, the other features 



are so truly lepidopterous that the absence of legs may 

 be the result of reduction by disuse rather than a primitive 

 feature. 



The pupa (fig. .■>) has entirely free antenna', mouth- 

 parts, and limbs, and bears considerable resemblance to 

 that of a caddis fly. It is a impa libera. 



The mandibles (fig. 5 nid.) are enormous and, as 

 described by Chaj)mau, are adapted for cutting throagli the 

 dense cocoon. The maxilhe are seiJarate and curled up 

 on each side and ])artly concealed by the second maxil- 

 lary (labial) palpi (fig. 5 mx. p.), not extending straight 

 down, as in the Fiqjw incompleice and ohiectw ; the maxil- 

 lary palpi are situated just in front of the mandibles 

 and extend outward and forward, reaching to the anteun;ie. 

 The labrum is deeply cleft and strongly setose, as is the 

 epicranium ; the clypcus is square, with a singular white 

 delicate membrane projecting from it, the use of which is^ 

 unknown. The hind legs extend beyond the end of the 

 abdomen, which is sinqjle, not terminating in a cremaster^ 

 the sides of the segments bear a single large seta. 



The trunk characters of the imago are much as in 

 Eriocephala. The head is larger and S(iuarer; the eyes 

 very small; there are two ocelli present; the clypeus and 

 labrum are short and small. 



The prothorax is very much reduced, much as in Erio- 

 cephala ; the metathoracic scuta show an advance over those 

 of Eriocephala in being united on the median line instead of 



separated; the metascutellum is very large, longer and more scutellate than that of Eriocephala. 

 The shape and venation 



of the wings (fig. 0) are nearly 



identical with those of Erio- 

 cephala, being long, narrow, 



and pointed, both pairs nearly 



alike iu size, and except that 



on the hinder pair there is a 



'•jugum" or angular anal fold ; 



the scales are of generalized 



shape all over the wings, 



II. NEOLEPIDOPTERA. 



This series may be divided 

 into two sections, correspond- 

 ing in the main to the Pupcv 

 incompleUe of Chapman (the 

 Eriocephalidre and Mici-oji- 

 terygidie included by Chap- 

 man being removed) and his 

 Ptipce obtccta', for the first of which we would suggest the name Tiiieoids, and for the second, 

 comprising the large broad-winged forms, Macrolepidoptera or I'latylepidoptera. 



Fig. 5.— Pupa of Micropteri/x purpurella, front 

 TieWi md, mandibles; mx. p, maxilLary p.Tlpus; 

 mx'. p, labi:;l palpus ; lb. labrum, with its long seta*. 



Fig. 6. — Venation of fore and bind M'ingsof Micropteryx purpurella; j, jugtuu, on each wing; 

 (I. disoal vein. I. costa; II. subcosta; III. media; IV, cubitus, etc. 



