( 4:u ) 

 ^70. Sesia blaini. 



*AeUo}mit Ihiiiii Hen ich-Sili.. .l«x>7)-. SVAni. ii. f. .05.'S (IHC'.lj (Cuba ;— coll. Staudiiiger) ; Grote, 

 Trans. Amer. Kill. Si,r. iii. p. 184 (1871) (Cuba); Butl., Tnins. Zool. So,: Loiu/. ix. p. bim. 

 n. 2 (1877) (partim) ; Kirby, Cat. Lep. Ilet. i. p. 03.'). n. 3 (18!i2) (Cuba). 



*Mucrog!oss,i aeiluii Boisduval, Spec. Gin. Lip. Hit. i. p. SCT. n. 40. t. 11. f. 1 (1875) (Cuba ;— coll. 

 Charles Obertliiir) ; Gundl., Cnntr. Kiit. Cuhaiia p. 171! (1881). 



A,-lli,/>,i.i iivdnii, Butler, Trans. Znol. Soc. Lontl. ix. p. 634 (1877). 



.Macroyliissa lilaini, Dewitz, AJitth. Miinrh. Eiit. Ver. i. p. 01 (1877) (Porto Rico). 



c? ? . This sjiecies combines characters of the pattern of l'hipi/rr/iO(iln.'<.'<iim i^fujra 

 and -SV'.s/rt tantalus. The mesothcirax lias long narrow scales, and is marked with a 

 pale vitta near njijjer margin of tcgnla. S(I^ and ihU' of forewing are fused at end. 



JIdli. West Indies : Cuba ; Jamaica ; Porto IJico. 



Ill the British Museum a ? from Jamaica. A pair from Culia in the (iollectioii 

 (if ('JKirlcs Ohcrthiir. A ? in the Berlin Museum also from Cuba. Ti/pe ( ? ) of 

 lilniiii ill coil. Staudinger ex coll. Herrich-Schiiffer. 



371. Sesia tantalus. 



Sphinr tinitaliis Linne, Si/st. Nat. ed. x. p. 4'.t3. n. '^3 (1758) (in calidis regionibus !) ; id., .Vus. Lud. 



fir. p. 361 (1764) (Ind. or. ! !) ; Houtt., Naturl. Uht. i. 11. p. 4.56. n. 23 (1767) ; Linne, Syst. 



Nat. ed. xii. p. 803. n. 25 (1767) ; MiilL, Naturs. v. 1. p. 643. n. 25 (1774) ; Cram., Pap. 



Ex. i. p. 107. t. 68. f. F (1775) ; Goeze, Ent. Beytr. iii. 2. p. 177. n. 26 (1780) ; Gmel., Sust. 



Nat. i. .5. p. 2 186. n. 25 (1790). 

 ('t) S/)liiv.r ix'ain Linne, Syst. Nat. ed. x. p. 493. n. 24 (1758) (in calidis region. I) ; Houtt., Naturl. 



Hist. i. 11. p. 456. n. 24 (1767) ; Linn^, Syst. Nat. ed. xii. p. 803 n. 26 (1707) ; MiilL, Nal'^rs. 



V. 1. p. 643. n. 26 (1774) ; Goeze, Ent. Hrylr. iii. 2. p. 177. n. 25 (1780) ; Auriv., KmigL Sr. 



Vit. Ah. Handl. xix. 5. p. 170. n. 5 (1882). 

 Sesia^ tantalus, Fabricius, Sy.tt. Ent. p. 547. n. 1 (1775) (" hab." erroneous) ; id., .S^i^c. Ins. ii. p. 153. 



n. 1 (1781) ; id., Mant. Ins. ii. p. 98. n. 1 (1781) ; id., Ent. Syst. iii. 1. p. 379. n. 1 (1793) ; 



Tiirt., .s'//s/. Nat. iii. 2. p. 178 (1800). 

 Sesia Irian, Fabricius, Spec. Ins. ii. p. 164. n. 2 (1781) ; id., JIunt. Ins. ii. p. 98. n. 2 (1787). 

 Spliin.r ixiun, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. 5. p. 2386. n. 26 (1790). 

 Arllnpus tantalus, Aurivillius, Knngl. Sv. Vet. Ak. Handl. xix. 5. p. 141. n. 179 (1882). 



The description in a manuscript of Linne referred to by Anrivillius, I.e. p. 14] , 

 shows that tantalus is really the species figured as such by Cramer. But, as uo 

 locality is given, it is impossible to say which of the three geographical races, 

 whether one of the Continental ones or that occurring on the West Indian Islands, 

 Linnd had before him. The type is not preserved. 



The few words by which Linne attempted to characterise taion are quite 

 insufficient to recognise the insect by. This i\rio?i may have been a true 

 Macroglossum, or a Sesia, or something else : Fabricius was perhaps right in 

 referring it to tantalus. 



The true specific characters of tantalus and its near allies have not been 

 recognised, and most authors have considered the insects only doubtfully distinct, 

 or not distinct at all. However, a closer research showed us not only that the 

 three insects figured by Cramer as tantalus, fadus, and titan are distinct from one 

 another, but that tantalus consists of three different subspecies. 



c? ? . Smaller than fadus and titan. Median band of forewing above vestigial, 

 without distinct white spots, or with only one minute spot M' — M' ; discal band 

 consisting of three spots R' — M', the uppermost generally distinctly divided in S , 

 the second occasionally absent or vestigial ; underside of forewing without a median 

 spot, or spot M' — M^ present, but minute. Ko white patch at anal angle of hind- 

 wing above. Foretarsus normal, first segment as long as 2 to 5 together, or a 



