NORTH AMERICAiN LEPIDOPTERA. 



Notes oil the systematic position of some North Agnericaii 

 LEPIDOPTERA. 



BY JOHN B. SMITH. 



Very reguUirly when specimens of Eudryas are sent to European 

 collectors, word arrives tHat surely these insects are not Zygaenkh. 

 Moesehler and Snellen positively refer them to the Noctuidae and others 

 are not less certain that their position among the Zyyaniidae is erro- 

 neous, though less decided as to their proper systematic position. In 

 1854-1858 Dr. Herrich-SchaefFer in his magnificent work, the " Samm- 

 lung ausser-europaeischer Schmetterlinge," limits certain families of 

 Lepidoptera, carefully defining their characters, and among others the 

 Zygaenids are discussed. In 1862 Clemens, speaking of the same 

 family says : " I am convinced that the limit of the family under con- 

 sideration is much more restricted than is usually represented. It is 

 made to include a variety of incongruent forms, which it is extremely 

 difficult to unite under a common and satisfactory definition" 



Had Dr. Clemens been acquainted with the insects at present classed 

 as Zygaeaidae in our catalogues and lists, he would have written " im- 

 possible," for '' extremely difficult." 



. In 18G4: Dr. A. S. Packard, Jr., in the Proceedings of the Essex 

 Institute vol. iv, published his " Notes on the family Zygneaidde' in 

 which he carefully compares the structural peculiarities of European and 

 American genera. All the preceeding works on the group are noted, 

 and among them Herrich-Schaeffer's " Sammlung." Dr. Packard re- 

 gards this work with little favor, and evidently did not read the notes 

 appended to the synopsis of families, else he would hardly have criticised 

 the supposed arrangement of families, which Herrich-Schaeffer especially 

 says is proposed merely for convenience of determination. The Herrich- 

 Schaeffer system is largely based upon venation and his work is still 

 followed by the Grerman lepidopterists, and forms the basis of the ar- 

 rangement in Staudinger's Catalogue of European Lepidoptera. 



Dr. Packard gives very little weight to peculiarities of venation, and 

 his idea of the family Zygaenidae embraces the greatest possible diver- 

 sities in this respect to be found among the heterocera. His arrange- 

 ment has, however, been acquiesced in by subsequent workers, and Mr. 

 Grote's discussions of the family have added nothing to our knowledge of 

 the group, save several new genera and species. 



