62 THE entomologist's eecord. 



and in different species of the same genus, and at what nymphal instar 

 it is first apparent — these researches would, conducted with care and 

 method, undoubtedly lead to discoveries of the highest importance in 

 the mysterious biology of the Rhynchota. 



Progress in the classification of the Sphingides during a century and 



a half. 



By W. J. KAYE, F.E.S. 

 The growth of our knowledge of the Sphingides has not, except 

 quite recently, made great strides, and, to obtain an idea of this fact, 

 we may start with Linne, who, in 1758 {Syntenia Naturae, 10th ed.), 

 diagnosed the group as follows : " Sj)Jii}u\ Antennfe medio crassiores 

 s. utraque extremitate attenuate, subprismaticfe. Alte deflexje (volatu 

 graviore vespertino s. matutino)." Only two other groups of lepidoptera 

 were diagnosed by Linne at this time — Fapilio and Phalaeua. Linne 

 subdivided Sphinx into four sections : 



(1) Legitimse, alls angulatis — ocellcita, populi, nerii, &c. (2) Legitime, alls 

 integiis ano simplici — convolvitli, celerio, atropos, &c. (3) Legitimse, 

 integiis ano barbato — fucifornm, apiformis, culiciformis, &c. (4) 

 Adscitse habitu etlarva diversa — -filipendidae, pliegea, cerbera, statice,^, &c. 



Seventeen years later, Fabricius {Syatenia Entotnoloijiae, 1775) 

 made use of other imaginal characters, and defined Sphinx, as : "Palpi 

 duo reflexi pilosi, lingua spiralis plerisque exserta. Antennae squam- 

 mataB," and separated and named the following groups from the Linnean 

 Sphinx : 



(1) Sesia. — Palpi reflexi, lingua exserta truncata. Antennae cylindricse, 

 extrorsum crassiores — Jiylas, fadtis, stcllatarum, culiciformiti, vespi- 

 formis, &c. (2) Zijgaena. — Palpi reflexi, lingua exserta testacea. 

 Antennas ssepius medio-crassiores — filipendulae, pugione, phecjea, &c. 



Esper, also, in 1779, followed Linne in his classification, but 

 evidently suspected that some of the groupings were not satisfactory 

 as he mentions certain day-flying insects as being included in the 

 same group as some night-flying species. The attitude of the SjjJiinx 

 larva was now taken into account as a suitable character for 

 classification, but the old arrangement was still adhered to. It was 

 not, however, until 1816, when Hiibner's Ter::f'ichniss hekannter 

 SrhmetterUwn' appeared, that a real step was made at subdivision. The 

 SjiJiini/ides are to be found in this Avork in the third tribal section termed 

 the ScKiac. This tribe is divided up into five stirpes with subdivisions 

 of each into families and still farther subdivisions of genera, the 

 limitation of the tribe being as follows : " The antennae thick, blunt ; 

 the palpi broader in front, short and leaf-like, at the tip almost bent 

 back. Body thick and wings strong." The characters used by 

 Hiibner for the stirpes are those of the imago, in which frequent 

 reference is made to the structure of the palpi, the shape 

 of the body, the outline of the wings, &c. The family sub- 

 divisions are based on outline of wing, shape of abdomen, and even 

 colour, whilst for generic characters, colour is almost invariably used. 

 Viewing Hiibner's knoAvledge of the Sphingides one sees that, although 

 great strides were made by separating into smaller subdivisions, very 

 little as yet was known of the real relationship existing between them. 



Stephens, in his llhistmtiuus in 1828, made the Sphiwjidai' one of 



