﻿174 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT 



quently states that "it is not a butterfly,"* and Mr. A. R. Grote, after an examination 

 of specimens collected in Florida, reg^ards it "as belonging to the Castnians, where it 

 is placed by Walker. "f 



It will thus be seen that this insect has sorely perplexed systematists, having been 

 bandied from the butterflies to the moths; and that the balance of opinion withdraws 

 it from the butterflies and places it with the Castnians — a family which, in some 

 respects, combines the characters of the two great Lepidopterous divisions, but is 

 regarded, and justly, as having most affinities with the moths. 



I shall endeavor to show that this opinion is not well-lounded ; that Megathymus 

 is a genuine butterfly, and that its greatest affinities are with the Hesperians. Together 

 with one or two other species it forms a small, abberrant tribe; but, in order to more 

 fully discuss its affinities, it is necessary to give an exposition of its characters, as no 

 detailed descriptions have yet been published. 



DESCRIPTIVE. 



Egg — Subconical, the top flattened or depressed, and with a slight central dimple ; 

 the attached base concave; smooth but not polished. Color, pale green when laid, in- 

 clining to buff-yellow or brown before hatching. Diameter at base 2.5 mm. ; height 

 1.8 mm. ; the traverse diameter olten varying slightly in two cross directions. Four- 

 teen examined that were naturally deposited and many more in the 2 abdomen. 



Larva — Newly-hatched larva (Fig. 51, c); Length 6 mm. Color dark brick-red 

 with pitchy-black head and cervical shield ; the abdominal joints showing two prin- 

 cipal transverse folils. Six longitudinal rows (2 dorsal on anterior fold. 2 subdorsal, and 

 2 stigmatal on posterior fold) of black stiff hairs, arising either directly from the skin 

 or from very small tubercles, longest posteriorly where they often exceed in length the 

 diameter of the joint bearing them ; some less conspicuous stigmatal and subventral 

 hairs. Head larger than first thoracic joint, rounded, but rather flat in front ; cervical 

 shield narrow and in one piece ; both minutely punctate. No anal plate. Full-grown 

 Larva (Fig. 51, CO — Average length 2.60 inches; diameter 0.40 inch. Color edematous 

 white. Surface faintly aciculate, and sparsely armed, 'dorsally, with minute, evenly 

 distributed, short, rufus bristle?, springing from the general surface, and not very 

 noticeable with the naked eye ; covered more or less copiously with a white, glistening, 

 powdery secretion. J Cylindrical, the abdominal joints with 8 annulets, the flrst'S 

 occupying anterior half, the 3rd most prominent and widening laterally, and the other 

 5 on the hind half of the joint — all best defined dorsally. The thoracic 'joints some- 

 what larger than the rest, more deeply and irregularly wrinkled; the substigmatal 

 region with longitudinal folds. Head black, perpendicular, and asperous or deeply 

 shagreened; epistoma and labrum brown, small, and usually with a transverse median 

 ridge, the \-shaped mark white, forking before the suture, and the lorks having the 

 shape of U": mandiblesstout,subtriangular, non-dentate: antenine (Fig 51,/) 2 jointed, 

 exclusive of bulbus. the terminal joint twice as long as the basal, sometimes showing a 

 faint constriction, and with an apical nipple and long seta: maxilhe and labium and 

 mentum forming a subquadrate piece, bulging out prominently from beneath, the parts 

 seemingly soldered together and separated only by deep sutures, the maxillary palpi 

 (Fig. 51, e) consisting of two broad joints, the second surmounted by two stout nipples 

 squarely docked at tip, the inner one stoutest and both armed witli bristles (the parts 

 not clearly shown in figure): the labium small, trapezoidal, highl\ polished, with the 

 spinneret"(A) twice as lonjr as palpi (g) which are small, recurved and 2-jointed, ex- 

 clusive of bulbus : a few stout bristles on labrum, on palpigerous piece of maxilla, on 

 mentum, base of mandibles and around the ocelli, which are not easily distin- 

 guished from the more globular of the shagreenations. Cervical shield more glabrous 

 than head, and scarcely darker than the body except around hind border. Thoracic 

 legs very short but stout, with the horny parts deep brown, and sparsely armed with 

 bristles. Proleg.-; well developed, the hooks in double row and forming a distinct pur- 

 ple-brown, transversely oval annulus. but slightly broken at the narrow ends. Ayial 

 shield rounded behind. corea(;eous rather than corneous, and with a slight increase of 

 bristly hairs, especially around border. Stigmata large, with a purple-brown, oval 

 annulus. 



• nistoriciil Sketch of Generic N;unes proposed for Butterflies, p. 213. Salem, 1875. 



t Canadian Kntomolotjist, September, 1875, p. 17-J. 



\ This secretion is ot a waxy nsiture, unalogond if not identical witli tliat secreted by so many 

 Iloniopteroiis and some Hymenopterous larvrc. It is soapy to the touch, and dissolves readily in alco- 

 hol, IcavLiig however a distinct scum on tlie surface. 



