of the Australian PyralicUna. 279 



reduced ; I have not been able always to satisfy myself 

 of this structure, in the absence of fresh specimens, 

 through my inexperience of these organs. 



I have thought it necessary in these families to give 

 the characters of all the genera in full, as I have 

 attempted a more minute classification than that of 

 Lederer : I conceive that it is absolutely necessary, for 

 the understanding of the group, to subdivide the genus 

 Botys as adopted by him, and, although I make no claim 

 of finality, I think the differences in the structure of the 

 legs and maxillary palpi which I have utilised will be 

 found to indicate natural groups, and such as are 

 capable of scientific definition. 



The geographical distribution of many species of 

 Botydidcs is amazingly wide ; very many of the Australian 

 species range through the Malay Archipelago, Southern 

 Asia,. and Africa down to the Cape of Good Hope. The 

 cause of this wide distribution, which is not found in 

 other groups, is at present not intelligible to me, and 

 more accurate and general information must be awaited. 

 I will only indicate here the very limited nature of the 

 indigenous Australian Botydid fauna, consisting princi- 

 pally of genera allied to Eurycreon, Ld., whicb thus 

 appears to be an older type than the true Botys. All 

 the more highly developed genera, especially the group 

 with long antennae, are only represented by species of 

 Malayan or wider range. The New Zealand indigenous 

 fauna of Botydidcs is extremely small, some half-dozen 

 species, apparently of South American afiinity ; and it 

 possesses also a few species of wide range, which have 

 made their way thither from Australia or the Pacific 

 Islands. On the other hand, the New Zealand Scopa- 

 riadcB are greatly developed, and the genus Scoixiria is 

 the largest lepidopterous genus in New Zealand, where I 

 have no doubt that there are over 100 endemic species ; 

 it is also well represented, but much less consj)icuou3 in 

 Australia. That these facts are of geographical rather 

 than of climatic importance I have no doubt. 



The identifications of Walker's and Butler's species 

 have been made from the types ; in the case of other 

 authors, when the identification has been verified by 

 other means in addition to their works, I have men- 

 tioned it. 



