﻿March 1895.] DyAR. CLASSIFICATION OF LePIDOPTERA. 17 



A COMBINATION OF TWO CLASSIFICATIONS 

 OF LEPIDOPTERA. 



By Harrison G. Dvar, A. M. 



The present article is the third in a series of papers on the 

 classification of lepidopterous larvaj.* I believe that I have now 

 brought out the characters exibited by. the larval tubercles suffi- 

 ciently so that they may be considered to be known. The next 

 thing in order is to combine the classification derived with this 

 given set of characters with other classifications derived from 

 other characters, in order to approximate to a natural classification. 

 It so happens that the only classification sufficiently worked out 

 for my purpose, is the old one founded upon the venation of the 

 wings. That suggested by Mr. V. L. Kellogg on scale structure, 

 as well as Prof. J. B. Smith's idea of using the general body 

 structure or Dr. A. S. Packard's special head characters have never 

 been completed, nor even well outlined with tangible points of 

 contrast. 



In the first place, I regard the suborders of the Lepidoptera, 

 the Jugatas and FrenatK, to be established. All lines of research 

 have tended to confirm this conclusion, with perhaps the exception 

 of the pupal characters. But this is scarcely to be regarded as an 

 insurmountable exception. In the following, then, we will confine 

 our attention to the divisions of the Frenatce. 



The divisions which I propose to consider are of greater than 

 family rank. The families of the Frenata^ are reasonably compact 

 and well defined. A few intergrade, others are scarcely of family 

 rank and again other genera may be entitled to a higher positiqai 

 than they now occupy. But these objections will right themselves 

 as our knowledge of the complete life histories of all the species 

 advances, for I believe the system of family classification and 

 definition is not at fault. 



To return to the higher divisions, the superfamilies or tribes. 

 It is clearly the function of a natural classification, one founded 

 by a synthesis of special classifications, to so expound the various 

 characters used in the several classifications that they do not tend 



* The first appeared in the Annals of N. Y. Acad. Sciences, Vol. VIII, p. 

 194 (1894) ; the second in Transactions of N. Y. Acad. Sciences, Vol. XIV, p. 49 

 (1895)- 



