CLEAR-WING MOTHS OF FAMILY AEGERIIDAE 



seta Ao much closer to Ai than to A3 ; posterior seta Pi on or very near 

 the level of Adfo; setae of anterior, ocellar, subocellar, and lateral groups 

 crowded well forward on head. 



The aegeriid larvae are all borers in the trunks, bark, stems, or roots of 

 trees, shrubs, or vines, or in the stems or roots of herbaceous plants. A few 

 are inquiline borers in galls on trees or shrubs. None is known to attack 

 any of the grasses. They are easily distinguished by the peculiar arrange- 

 ments of their ocelli and crochets from other lepidopterous borers having 

 three setae on prespiracular shield of prothorax and setae IV and V 

 approximate to each other on the first eight abdominal segments. A similar 

 arrangement of crochets occurs in some Cossidae (notably Cossula), but 

 there the ocellar grouping is different. 



Based on the aforementioned adult characters and especially those of the 

 antennae, venation, and genitalia, the family Aegeriidae falls first into two 

 main divisions, which might well be considered of subfamily rank. The 

 one to which the great majority of genera belong has a club-shaped 

 antenna with the apex ending in a minute hair tuft, whereas in the other 

 the antenna tapers toward the apex and does not end in a tuft. The former 

 division falls, both on venation and genitalia, into the following groups, 

 beginning with what we consider the highest forms : The Synanthedon 

 group, consisting of 14 genera, and the Paranthrene group, consisting of 

 5 genera, both groups derivable from forms similar to Aegeria. Besides 

 these large groups there are found single genera with possibly the same 

 origin but highly developed along separate, diverging lines ; such are 

 Cissiivora, Signaphora, and Calasesia. Finally there is Melittia, an early 

 separation from the Aegeria group. In the other main division fall 

 Bembecia and Zenodoxus, which otherwise are not closely correlated. 



These nine concepts may be separated by the following synoptic table 

 based on the genitalia and antennae : 



KEY TO GROUPS OF AEGERIIDAE BASED ON ANTENNAE AND MALE GENITALIA 



1. Antenna dilated toward apex, ending in minute tuft 2 



Antenna tapering toward apex, tip without tuft 8 



2. Uncus large, flaring, soft lobes with bifurcate hairs Synanthedon group 



Uncus without bifurcate hairs 3 



3. Harpe long, elongate-ovate 4 



Harpe short, angular 5 



4 Harpe with apex produced or angular Melittia group 



Harpe with apex rounded Paranthrene group 



5. Harpe with triforked or multiforked hairs Cissuvora group 



Harpe with undivided hairs or spines 6 



6. Uncus and gnathos divided at apex Aegeria group 



Uncus and gnathos not divided at apex 7 



7. Gnathos inverted-spoon-shaped, harpes with heavy armature Calasesia group 



Gnathos pointed harpe without heavy spining Signaphora group 



8. Uncus divided into 2 short hairy papillae Bembecia group 



Uncus not divided Zenodoxus group 



