A REVISION OF THE LEPIDOPTEROUS FAMILY SATURNIIDiE. 

 Br JOHIV B. «ltIITII. 



(With tbi'ee plates.) 



The family Saturniidw as limited by me is sharply separated from all 

 the other Lepidoptera by the structure of the antennae. These organs 

 are always pectinated in the males, and usually also in the females. The 

 branches or pectinations are arranged on each side of the middle of the 

 joints, and there are, in the males always and the females usually, two 

 on each side, or four branches to each antennal joint — a character found 

 in only one other family, the Ceratocampidce. The latter family is 

 sharply separated from the present by having the pectinations extending 

 only half the length of the antennae, while here they extend to the tip. 

 In life habits they are also very distinct, for while the Saturnnd larvae 

 are all spinners and make more or less perfect cocoons, the Ceratocam- 

 pid larvai all go under ground to pupate. The habitus is also an en- 

 tirely different one, and thus, though closely allied, the famil}^ is abun- 

 dantly sei)arated from the one here considered. In addition to the 

 distinctive antennal character, the species placed here agree in the re- 

 tracted head, obsolete tongue (sometimes barely a discernible rudiment), 

 small, often aborted palpi, want of ocelli, no frenelum, no spines to the 

 tarsi, legs sub-equal, the hind pair with small terminal spurs to the 

 tibia only — median tibia usually without spurs. The venation varies 

 somewhat, as do also the male genitalia, and these afford good bases 

 for subdivisions. 



As deflued above, the family is a very natural one, and includes the 

 species classed in Mr. Grote's most recent list as Attaci, and part of 

 those placed as Hemileucini. 



Most if not all the characters above enumerated apply as well to the 

 Ceratocampidie, and including them, the Lepidoptera with doubly pec- 

 tinated antennae are separable as follows : 



Pectinations of anteuuse extending to the tip saturniid.^. 



Discal cell of both wings open < sub-family attacln^. 



Discalcell of both wings closed subfamihj saturniin^. 



Pectinations of the antennae extending to the middle only, simple or serrate beyond, 



CE EATOCAMPID^. 



The Atfacince and Saturniince are also very sharj^ly separated by the 

 venation of the wings, and it would hardly be doing violence to system- 

 atic entomology to rank both as distinct families. Mr. Grote places 

 part of my Saturniincc with his ^'■Attaci" while he places another series 

 in his ^^ IlemileucinV^ All of his Attaci belong to the Saturniidw as here 

 limited, while of his Hemileucini, Hyperchiria, and Goloradia also belong 

 here. Of the remaining genera Quadrina seems to be a Cossid, and does 

 not differ very much in structure from Gloveria — in fact, this latter 



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