368 RHOPALOCERA MALAYANA. 



inconspicuous. In the Astijci, on the other hand, the male is generally furnished with a discal 

 patch of peculiar scales crossing the median interspaces of the fore wings, usually in an oblique 

 direction ; but sometimes the wing of the male is as simple as that of the female. In the male 

 Hcspcndt's, again, the posterior extremity of the alimentary canal is protected beneath by a 

 corneous sheath, which extends beyond the centrum or body of the upper pair of abdominal 

 appendages, carrying the vent beyond the centrum ; while in the Astijci, the extremity of the 

 canal is not protected by any extruded sheath, but opens at the very base of the inferior wall 

 of the centrum."* In 1876 Mon. Paul Mabille, who has considerably and speciahy studied 

 the Hesperiida- commended this classification, t and in the following year enumerated and 

 described the species contained in the Brussels Museum under these main divisions, which he 

 again subdivided into several tribes. 



In 1878 a thoroughly exhaustive and model contribution to this problem appeared from 

 the pen of Dr. A. Speyer, + who notices, but does not altogether follow, Mr. Scudder. In the 

 revision of the European Hesperiidce, Dr. Speyer places considerable value on the presence or 

 absence of an appendage to the anterior tibiae as a character to be used in grouping the genera. 

 Dr. Speyer thus describes this structural character :— " The appendage to the anterior tibiae 

 (epiphysis cruralis, schienblattchen) , a bare, mostly reddish-yellow, blunt thorn-shaped, or lancet- 

 shaped. Glutinous plate projects, in the Hesperiidce, from the middle of the inner side of the 

 tibiae and reaches to their end. It lies quite close to the tibiae, and its free surface is clothed 

 with a flat tuft of hairs, so that the structure is sometimes not readily recognised." In his 

 diagnostic table of the genera. Dr. Speyer uses the presence or absence of this character as a 

 means of sectional division. 



Herr C. Plotz, in 1879, gave a synopsis of genera, § and has since followed that paper by 

 the publication of a list of the species contained in many of those genera, whilst Mr. F. Moore 

 has further studied the family, and described many new genera, some of which embrace species 

 found in this fauna. 



Although reference has thus been made to much recent work devoted to the Hesperiida, it 

 is only too apparent that no natural classification and arrangement have yet been formulated 

 which are applicable to the whole family. As, however, in a work of this nature, some system 

 must be adopted, the writer has followed the same scheme of classification as was used with the 

 Lijcanida, and has divided the genera into two groups : — 



Posterior wings more or less elongate, distinctly longer than broad. - - - - Ismenabia. 

 Posterior wings more or less convex, about as broad as long. Ebionotaeia. 



Group ISMENABIA. 



This group is widely distributed, and it is ni Tropical America, that the utmost elongation, 

 combined with caudate prolongation of the posterior wings, are found. 



=■= Bull. Buff. Soc. Nat. Sci. vol. i. p. 197. t Ann. Soc. Eut. Fr. (5), vi. p. 251 et seq. 



I Stett. Ent. Zeit. 1878, pp. 107—193, and Engl. Trausl. Cauad. Eut. vol. x. pp. 121, 14-1, and lOo. 

 § Stett. Eut. Zeit. 1879, p. 175. 



