Acentropus. 131 



drocampidce ;^ and Hagen and Zeller appear to have 

 regarded it as belonging to the Cramhina. In 1861, 

 Staudinger and Wocke adopted the " china-mark " theory, 

 and catalogued the genus between Catadysta and Nym- 

 phula; and Westwood thought it " most nearly allied to 

 the family Gramhidce." In 1862, Cooke reverted to the 

 Tineine hypothesis, and suggested its affinity to Chima- 

 hacche, Epigraphia, and Exapate.lf In 1863, Brown 

 arrived at the conclusion that its true place is amongst 

 the Bomhycina, but that for an insect altogether so ano- 

 malous, a special family must be constituted. In 1865, 

 Heinemann included the genus in the Botidce, placing it 

 at the end of the family, immediately after Hydrocampa, 

 Paraponyx, and Catadysta; and Zeller, in reviewing 

 Heinemann, agreed that its proper position is between 

 these aquatic moths and the Chilonidce, In 1869, Teng- 

 strom catalogued the genus between Catadysta and 

 Nytnphula ; de Graaf and Snellen placed it in Pyralidina; 

 and Speyer, recognizing the fact that the insect stands 

 heterogeneously in the Botidce, as indeed everywhere, 

 proposed that it should rank as a separate family between 

 the Botidce and Chilonidce. In 1870, Knaggs catalogued 

 the " Acentropidce " between the Hydrocampidce and 

 Botydce; and Milliere figured Acentropus as belonging to 

 the Cramhina. Finally, Staudinger and Wocke, in 1871 

 (merging the Cramhina in the Pyralidina), placed the 

 family Acentropodidce between the Pyralididce (of which 

 the last genera are Hydrocampa, Paraponyx, and Cata- 

 dysta) on the one hand, and the Chilonidce and Cramhidce 

 on the other hand. 



Thus, we have a Tineine, a Pyralidine or Crambine, 

 and a Bombycine view; and, of course, there is some- 

 thing to be said in favour of each. I believe it is not 

 doubted that Micropteryx belongs to the Tineina, and, 

 perhaps, of all moths, that genus is the most like the 

 Trichoptera ; it seems natural, therefore, that Acentropus 

 and Micropteryx should not be placed far apart, though, 

 in fact, their technical characters are considerably dif- 

 ferent. Whether Westwood considered Acentropus to 



* lu 1858, the present writer, in a letter to Stainton, enquired whether 

 Acentropus should not come near Hydrocampa. On the 13th of March, 

 1858, Stainton replied, " Acentropiis will probably be placed near Hydro- 

 campa, but I have not yet definitively settled its position." 



f Heinemann transfers Exapate from the Tineina to the Tortricina. 



