MEMOIRS UF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



79 



Fig. 45.— Pupa of Xola ovilla; A.eaA of body of J ; H, 

 lioad; 2i, paraclypeal piece; mx.' p. labial or second max- 

 illary palpi. 



This group (Eiu^miii, (J3ta, and Tautura) aliuo.st directly iiitoigrade, Judging by tbe venation, 



with tlie Lithosiidfe ; By.ssojiliaga, Cistheiie, and Crocota connocting tlicin witli Litbosia, tbougli tbe 



laiva' of tbe latter are iiiuch more specialized and Arctiilbrin. lleiiee tbe Hue of de.^cent from 



tbe generalized Tiueiiia to tbe gnmp represented by Ena'iuia, <Eta, and Tantiuato tbe Litbo.siidib 



and from tbese to tbe Arctiida; i.s more or les.s direct. 

 It is interesting to note tlie gradual widening of tbe 

 wings, especially tbe fore wings, as we pass from Litbosia 

 to Arctia; also to notice tbe gradual cliaiige in tbe 

 larval and pu|)ai characters, tbose of the Arctiiau 

 l)upa' being sliglitly less jiriinitive than in tbe moie 

 generalized Litbosiida'. 



It is also interesting to note tliat in ascending from 

 the Tmeoid precursors of the Litliosiida^ to tbe mem- 

 bers of tbe latter family 

 we pass from iiicom]ilete 

 to obtected ]iupa', show- 

 ing that the division into 

 pupw im-ompletw a.\i(\. pnjHV 

 obfcctw may be at times 

 artificial, tbese divisions 

 ]ilacing arbitrary inetes 

 and bounds to series jiass 

 ing from the more geiier 

 alized to the more special- 

 ized forms, and iierbaps 

 representing unbroken 

 lines of descent. 

 Family Xoliila: — Tbe structure of tbe pupa of Nola (lig. 45, A. 



ovilla), besides its larval and adult characters, convinces me that 



tbe genus is tbe type of a distinct family, and forms a line of descent 



somewhat parallel with and near to the Lithosiidiv. The pupa has 



tbe labial i):'lpi well developed and tbe paraclypeal pieces large. 



Tlie end of Uie abdomen is rounded and uncovered, in ada]itatioii 



to its inclosure iu a dense cocoon. 



Family Syntomida: — Tbe position of the Syntomida' is difticult 



to determine. The pupa is obtected, though it has 



in Scepsis retained tbe labial palpi. .Judging by 



tbe larval and pupal characters, the family stands 



much nearer the Arctiida' than the Zygienidie, but 



yet is more generalized than the former. In the 



venation the group stands near the Arctiida', i. e., 



tbe venation of tbe generalized Cteuucba approxi- 

 mates that of EpicalUa, virf/inalis, while in Didasys 



and Syntomis the venation is more aberrant and 



modified: so also are tbe long-tufted larv;e of 



Syntomis and Cosmosoma, compared with that of 



Cteuucba, in which tbe tufts are shorter, less 



developed, and less specialized. 



A clew to the origin of the (leometrid mothx. — In 



examining the pupa of Phn/f/auidia californicn, and 



tinding tbe more essential features to be as much like those of the geometrid moths as any other 



group, I came upon results entirely unexpected to myself and which give a clue to the origin of this 



great group of moths. It has become evident that Phryganidia can neither be placed among the 



Zygienicbe or Syntomicbe, though possessing some pterogostic features like those of the latter group. 



T\a. i&. — Vwiy.x n( Phrygatiidia californica; a. aaus: 4, end 

 of body, aide view, witb creuiaster. 



