218 Mr. H. W. Bates on the Papilionida? 



angles distinct, the posterior slightly produced, surface smooth, ini- 

 punctate; elytra ovate, slightly broader than the thorax, their outer 

 border reflexed and impressed with a single row of distinct punctures, 

 basal portion of each elytron impressed with four longitudinal rows of 

 deeply impressed punctiu'es, the outer one commencing at the base 

 Avithin the humeral callus and extending somewhat obliquely for about 

 one-third the length of the elytron, the three others rimning parallel 

 to the first but much shorter, commencing only below the basilar space, 

 the inner two less distinct. 



XIX. — Contrlhutlons to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley. — 

 Lepidopteea — Papiliokid^. By H. W. Bates. 



In the two principal works on the Diurnal or Ehopalocerous Lepi- 

 doptera, viz. the ' Species General ' of Dr. Boisduval, and the ' Genera 

 of Diurnal Lepidoptera ' of Doubleday and Hewitson, the family 

 Papilionidae is made to consist of a limited number of genera, of 

 which the restricted genus Papillo is considered the type. In the 

 present treatise I propose to extend it so as to embrace also the 

 family Pieridse of the same authors, reducing the two groups to the 

 rank of subfamilies. The Papilionidse differ from the Pieridse only 

 in having the abdominal border of the hind wings excavated, and in 

 the tarsal claws being simple instead of bifid — characters which, 

 when the whole division Rhopalocera is carefully studied, I think 

 AviU be found to be of subordinate rank. Both families agree in 

 possessing six perfect legs in both sexes, in the pupa being secui'ed 

 by the tail and a silken girdle across the middle in an upright posi- 

 tion, and in the wing-cells (at least of the hind wing) being always 

 closed by perfect tubular nerviiles. The importance of these cha- 

 racters in distinguishing family groups becomes evident only when 

 the whole division is studied ; it will then appear also, I think, that 

 the Papilionidae have been erroneously placed at the head of the 

 llhopalocera, a position accorded to them by nearly aU Lepidopterists. 

 On this subject a few remarks wiU not be out of place as preliminary 

 to a review of the Amazonian species. It may be of minor imj)ort- 

 ance in what order a number of natural families are successively 

 treated in a descriptive work ; but it is necessary that clear and 

 correct ideas, as far as possible, should be acquired of their true 

 relations to each other. 



AU the Heterocerous Lepidoptera or Moths have six perfect legs 

 in both sexes. This is the universal rule also in the orders allied to 

 Lepidoptera, viz. Trichoptera and Hymenoptera; it cannot be with- 



