, 70 



groups of long barbed spines and setae arising from small eleva- 

 tions; dorsum of abdomen never with a deep furrow between the 



ninth and tenth segments Pterophoridae. 



aa. Maxillary palpi usually present, if not, then the dorsum of the abdo- 

 men with a deep furrow between the ninth and tenth segments; 

 body surface seldom roughened with spines or setae. 

 b. Epicranial suture never present; fronto-clypeal suture visible for 

 about half the distance between the proximal end of the antennae 

 and the meson ; seventh abdominal segment free in the male and 

 fixed in the female ; dorsum of abdomen never with a furrow 



between segments nine and ten Attevidae. 



bb. Epicranial suture usually present, if not, then the dorsum of the 

 abdomen with a deep furrow between the ninth and tenth seg- 

 ments ; fronto-clypeal suture never indicated ; seventh abdominal 

 segment fixed in both sexes Pyralididae. 



Family Pterophoridae 



This family possesses a curious combination of generalized and 

 specialized characters which make its position rather difficult to deter- 

 mine. It has lost the maxillary palpi, the femora of the prothoracic 

 legs are seldom visible, and the epicranial suture is present in but one 

 genus, Pterophorus, where only a small portion of it is visible. On 

 the other hand the seventh abdominal segment is free in the male and 

 fixed in the female. This is clearly seen at dehiscence, for none of 

 the abdominal segments possess much power of motion. The 

 appendages (Fig. 70) are only slightly soldered to each other and to 

 the body wall, and generally separate very readily. The wings are 

 slender and pointed and, together with the other appendages, project 

 slightly beyond the margin of the fourth abdominal segment. The 

 clypeus, labrum, and sculptured eye-piece each bear tw^o prominent 

 setae in Pterophorus and Oxyptilus but in Platyptilia they are very 

 small. There is usually a seta near the caudal margin of each gena. 

 The proximal portion of each antenna is usually considerably widened 

 and ridged and in Pterophorus and Oxyptilus bears long spines. The 

 prothoracic legs are exceptionally long in this family and reach nearly 

 to the caudal margin of the wings. The maxillae are often overlaid 

 by the prothoracic legs for a part of their length, and sometimes are 

 only visible for a short distance at their proximal and distal ends, the 

 entire mesal portion being concealed. The location of the genital 

 openings is unusual, appearing to be always on the tenth abdominal 

 segment, which extends very far cephalad and forms a sort of ventral 

 plate on the fixed caudal segments. In Platyptilia the plate is not so 

 prominent and the dividing sutures between the segments may be dis- 



