Art. XV. — Bevislon of Australian Le'picl,optera. 

 Family Geumetridae. 



By a. JEFFERIS TURNER, M.D., F.E.S. 

 [Read 8th October, 1903.]. 



Since Mr. Edw. Meyrick publislied a revision of the Au.stral- 

 ian Geometridae a little more than a decade ago, the number of 

 new species described has been very lai-ge, and the group appears 

 to be relap.sing into confusion. Even in the first .sub-family, the 

 Hydriomeninae, in which there have been fewer additions than 

 in the others, the number of recognised sjDecies has in the present 

 revision been increased by one-half, and there has been a corres- 

 ponding increase in the number of synonyms. This must be my 

 excuse for this attempt, which is of course very largely founded on 

 Mr. Meyrick's work. I have however endeavoui'ed to exercise my 

 own judgment on as much of the material as has been accessible 

 to me, and the few instances in which I have been led to different 

 conclusions are indicated in the text. I have examined the types 

 in the British Museuiu collection described by Walker, and those 

 in the Rotliscliild collection described by Mr. Warren. Many of 

 the latter I have been able to identify, but some are unknown to 

 me, and the time at my disposal did not permit of a thorough 

 structural examination. Mr. Lower has kindly lent me the types 

 described by him in the first two sub-families, which has been a 

 most valuable help. Dr. Lucas's species I have identified to the 

 best of my ability. 



The names which should be attached to some of the larger and 

 most widely distributed genera still remain in doubt ; and the 

 question can only be adequately settled by an historical inquiry, 

 for which I have not the opportunity. This state of things, 

 though unfortunate, may not be an unmixed evil, if it leads the 

 student to concentrate his attention on the definitions, which are 

 the real genera, and not wholly on the names, which are merely 

 their tickets or labels. 



