86 john b. smith. 



Macroglossin.e. 



This subfamily is at once separable from all the other Sphingidw 

 by the distinctly clavate anteunre, furnished at tip with a minute 

 recurved hook. In some species, the majority in fact, the males have 

 the joints lamellate inwardly, while in the females they are ciliate or 

 entirely smooth. The only genus that at all approaches this sub- 

 family in antennal structure is Deilephila, belonging to the Chcero- 

 campbue, and to that some forms of Leplsesia are closely allied. The 

 body is, as a rule, short, stout ; the wings comparatively small, often 

 hyaline in part ; abdomen tufted, laterally or at tip, or both, some- 

 times inconspicuously so ; head small ; eyes small, round, usually 

 lashed ; the legs are moderate, subequal, rather sparsely clothed with 

 fine hair. In habit the species are diurnal, flying in the hottest sun- 

 shine and hovering over flowers like the humming birds, to which 

 they bear a resemblance when on the wing. 



This characterization restricts the subfamily much more than has 

 been done by })revious authors. As the subfamily now stands in 

 lists the only feature uniting them is the tufting of the abdomen, 

 while in all other respects they vary widely. 



As here restricted two genera belong to the subfamily, — Hemaris 

 and Lepisesia, the latter term embracing the species listed as Lepisesia, 

 Eiipi'oserpinus and Pogocolon. 



The genera are easily distinguished ; Hemaris contains the clear 

 winged species, in which also the fore tibise are unarmed, while Lepi- 

 sesia contains opaque winged forms in which the fore tibiae are heavily 

 armed outwardly and at tip w'ith long stout spines or claws. 



The species taken as a whole are not common, and as I could not 

 get material enough under my control to make such dissections as I 

 should have liked, the information in regard to genital structure is 

 incomplete. 



HEMARIS Dalm. 

 Vetensk. Akad. Hand. 1816, 207. 



Head narrow, small, not retracted, untutted. Tongue as long as 

 the body, stout, corneous. Palpi closely scaled, oblique, sometimes 

 forming a more or less complete cone in front of the head. Eyes of 

 medium size and lashed. Antennae about two-thirds the length of 

 costa, clavate, outwardly abruptly terminating in a minute and bent 

 seta, biciliate in the males, simple in the females. Thorax smooth, 



