( 2:5:5 ) 



^>(.«(V/J,■ Ouunix. ill V■lIl^s., I"//. MaiUi,;. \>. :!0 (^l«ll.".) (^ii'im. irtiL). 



Awlmlyx Walkei- ( /- ,„ id., 18ol"i), /'/•<«;. xV. //. Soc. Glmyoir i. p. :«8 (18l)St). 



Trwmini. B .istliival (».,» Walker, 185!)), .S/>c<-. (7f«. Lcp. llel. i. p. 280 (I87.o). 



I'xi-mlnsmnhdhii^ Butler, r/((«.s. ;?'<;o/. S<tr. Ltiml. ix. p. 5'.t;5 (1877) (type : nuitntihi -^nbwanj'niK'W). 



Tiiptorjuii id. {w,„ id.. 1877), CV.v/. Eitt. ii. p. 393 (187',l). 



IktiUia Hdllatid, 7Va«.s. .1//(P/'. /:;«/. Soc. xvi. p. Ik") (18^(',I) (includes rniilnditi). 



Dnoitda (!) id. Eitt. AVros iv. p. 341 (1803). 



Mariimha, Kirby (»(-« Moore, 18S->). Cdl. L^p. Hd. i. p. 70S (1802). 



cJ ? . Joint of first and secoml palpal segiuents move or less open. Tiijiae all 

 spiiiose ; two pairs of spurs to hindtibia : pnlvilliis, pamnychium, frenuluiu and 

 retinacnliim i)resent. 



Closely allied to t'/'Oi/g, ilistinguisliablL" by the open joint of the palpus, or a 

 \ery weak tongue, or a scalloped distal margin of the wing, or the absence of 

 spinules from the abdominal tergites (excej)tiiig edges). 



The thirty-two species here treated as Fol'//>f>/r//'i,'i represent without doubt 

 several genera. The characters given for the genera already proposed are, however, 

 not reliable. We have tried to separate generically the motley of forms according to 

 their structure, but foiuid that it would be necessary to erect a genus for every two 

 or three species, which, we think, is quite inopportune at present. The division of 

 Polijijtijchus into smaller genera must be left till the African Sphingid ftnuia is 

 better explored ; for we believe that the number of uudescribed species coming 

 into this group of forms is very large. AVhen a larger proportion of the existing 

 species is known, one will be better able to judge, how far one should go in dividing 

 uj) the present genus Poli/pti^ckus. Of the names jiroposed, PoI;/j)ti/chas will 

 eventually stand for the Indian forms (dentatus, triUneatus) \ Aiulriasa and Fseudos- 

 merinthus are both based upon contraria, the former on the S, the other on the ? ; 

 Detitzia was proposed for contraria and pauperctila, and will therefore always 

 remain a synonym of Anchiasii. As yet only three names are available for the 

 genera into whicii Pol'/pti/chus will ultimately be separated ; at least iive more will 

 be needed — a line opjiortunity of ac(]uiring immortality, provided the scientists of 

 the distant future do not shake off our system of nomenclatiu-e by inventing one 

 of their own. 



The tongue varies in the different species from being strong and reaching to 

 the abdomen {prthognipJim., etc.) to being nearly altogether obliterated {(jrai/l). 

 The joint of the palpus is not distinctly open in trlsccta and orthoijmpliux ; the 

 size of the palpus is variable according to species or groups of species. The 

 al)dominal tergites are sjiinose all over in some sjiecies, in others the spines are 

 restricted to the edges. The spurs are very long in trlsc'-tu and allies, short in 

 other sjiecies ; in some they are spiuose, in others they are not. The clasper has 

 a patch of friction-scales, or has not. The distal margin of the forewiug is entire, 

 straiglit, convex, dentate, or scalloped ; the apex produced, or not. R- of the 

 hindwing varies in jiosition, and the cross-veins D- and D^ are sometimes very 

 obli(pie, sometimes not. The antennae are also not the same in structure in all 

 the species. 



The structural ditferences are mentioned below under the various species. We 

 hi'jie tJiut, by pointing out these ditferences, we are not inducing anybody who has 

 no knowledge of the insects themselves to seize upon these characters and be busy 

 proposing generic names for the sjiecies. 



The larva is known only of one of the two Indian and of one African sjiecies : 

 it has the triangular head and granulobe skin after tlie type-of Sphinx occUatc. 



