EPICOPEIDAE; EPICOPEIA. By A. Janet. 35 



'2. Family: Epicopeidae. 



Some of the species of this family inhabit Indo-Malayan territory, others the east of the Palearctic 

 Kegion. They are remarkable for their surprising similarity to certain species of Aristolochia-Papilios. 

 Among the Palearctic species E. mencia and E. hainesi, from China und Japan, imitate respectively Papilio 

 mencius and alcinous. 



It is very difficult to find the right place in classification for this family. For, while the Epico- 

 peidae show certain affinities to some families, they are widely different from them in other characters. 

 Contrary to Hampson's opinion, the Epicopeidae appear to us to be better placed near the Zygaenidae, 

 especially the Chalcosiinae, than near the Uraniidae, differing from the latter by the bipectinate antennae 

 and the presence of intracellular veins. The very characteristic shape of the hindwing is proved by the 

 venation to have nothing to do with the corresponding outhne of the wing in Uranids. In this latter 

 family the tail-hke projections, where they are present, stand in connection with the radial and median 

 veins. In the Chalcosiinae, oa the other hand, the prolongations of the tailed forms {Histia, Agalope) are 

 traversed by the subcostals, and this is also the case in Epicopeia. However, it must be borne in mind 

 that the submedian veins of the two groups are different, the Chalcosiinae having two branches and the 

 Epicopeidae only one. 



Like the Chalcosiinae also the members of the present family are very tenacious of life, and when 

 irritated emit a j-ellow hquid from the neck. 



A ver}^ remarkable characteristic of the Epicopeidae is the wax-like exudation which completely 

 covers the larva and consists either of a kind of powder, or of filaments comparable to long white hairs, 

 e. g. in the Indian species E. polydora Westtv. 



The family consists of only one genus. 



Geiuis: Epicopeia Westw. 



■\Iedium-sized or fairly large moths. Tongue present. Palpi small. Antennae bipectinate. Legs 

 rather strong; anterior tibia with a spur, middle tibia with one pair of median spurs, and hind tibia with 

 two pairs (median and apical). Subcostal of forewing five-branched, branch 1 free, 2, 3 and 4 stalked, 

 5 either free or stalked with first radial. Median cell traversed by a forked vein, which may however be 

 reduced to a forked fold. Discocellular strongly angulate, sometimes also reduced to a fold. Submedian 

 forked at the base. On the hindAving the subcostal is extraordinarily long, being sometimes more than 

 twice the length of the costal. It is not entirely divergent from the first and second radials, but these 

 three veins end in a strongly produced lobe, which is a real tail in the true Palearctic forms. Cell tra- 

 versed by a vein, which is seldom forked, being usually simple, and is continued by two radial veins. 

 The cell-vein may be reduced to a fold. Frenulum variable, absent from E. polydora Wesiiv., relatively 

 well developed in E. hainesi according to Nagano-Kikudjiro. — Larva with IG feet, green or 

 blackish, l)ut completely enveloped in a powdery, granular or fibrous wax-like substance. 



E. mencia Moore (10 a). Abdomen black, above ringed with red in the ^^ forewing blackish grey, mencia. 

 rather dark, the veins black. Hindwing of the ,3 on the whole darker; between the tail and the anal 

 angle two rows of red submarginal spots which couAerge towards a rather large anal spot. In the $ 

 these spots are paler and those of the inner row have a yelloAvish tinge. — Larva on a species of Ulmus, 

 called small-leaved elm by the missionaries. Its black skin is concealed by a white powdery wax-like 

 substance, which rubs off, but is soon replaced. According to E. Haldswoeth the larva attains a 

 lenght of 6 cm., and pupates in October, fastening together some leaves, which form a shelter for the 

 chrysalis, the latter being covered with a wax-like dust. The moth appears in June. China, Fuchow 

 (doubtless also further south), northward as far as Pekin. and from Shanghai to Hankow (and certainly 

 as far as I-chang); Corea (Oberthur). 



E. hainesi. Abdomen black above. Forewing rather paler than in mencia. Hindwing with only 

 one row of red submarginal spots between the anal angle and the tail. Inhabits China and Japan in two 

 geographical races: hainesi Holl. (= simulans Leech) (10 a) vnth a red apical spot in the hindwing. Base hainesi. 

 and margin of the forewing more blackish than the broad grey median portion of the wing. This 

 form has been carefully studied by Mori-Sotaro and Na&ano-Kikudjiro ') (August 1907), who have 

 informed us about the life-history of the insect. According to them the species has two broods, being on 

 the wing in April and May and again in August and September. The two broods are only distinguishable 

 by their size, the summer form being larger than the spring one. From 20 larvae which pupated in Au- 



') In Japanese, as in Hungarian, the surname is placed before the forename. 



