﻿26 Journal New York Ent. Soc. [Vol. hi 



second, the Saturnia (Bombyces) with specialized wings, robust 

 bodies and frenulum tending to disappear, the larvae with tubercle 

 ii disappearing by abortion by the first moult. 



Second division. The super-families established on larval 

 characters in this division seem to be quite corroborated by the 

 imaginal ones.* It remains only to unite the Noctuidae, Geome- 

 tridte, Arctiidce and a few minor families under the term Noctuina 

 to render the classifications identical. Indeed it will be seen that 

 the only reason for giving such families as the Noctuidae and Geo- 

 metridai greater than family rank has been the great number of 

 species in each, and the consequent impression they have produced 

 of a large and definite aggregation. Their differential characters 

 do not warrant such a position. 



We have then the super-families Noctuina, Sphingina and 

 Rhopalocera, named in ascending order. 

 Antennre filiform, pectinate, or rarely sliglitly thickened before the tip. 

 Larval tubercles iv doi sad to v except in a few instances when iv 



and V are in line Noctuina. 



Antennte fusiform, body robust, wings elongate, with distinct inter- 

 costal cell. Larval tubercles v dorsad to iv Sphingina. 



Antennre clubbed or knobbed at tip, or if simple, the anterior pair of 

 feet partly aborted. Larval primaiy tubercles soon aborted, iv and 

 v in line or iv dorsad to v when the mature armor is secondary. Rhopalocera. 



I have not combined, as a third classification, Dr. T. A. Chap- 

 man's arrangement on pupal characters! because I have not under- 

 taken to examine the subject personally and because I expect that 

 Dr. Chapman will modifiy his arrangement somewhat before it is 

 fully completed. As it stands, there are many things in corre- 

 spondence with the views expressed here, but also many disagree- 

 ments. I shall not attempt to analyze these at present. 



* Contraiy to the statement which I have formerly quoted from Weismann's 

 " Studies in the Theory of Descent ". 



t Trans. Ent. Soc, London, 1893, pp. 97 — 119. 



