192 



REVISION OF THE AUSTRALIAN PSYCHID>E. 



By Edwakd Meyrtck, B.A., F.Z.S., etc., and Oswald 

 B. Lower, F.Z.S., F.E.S., etc. 



[Read August 6, 1907.] 



The members of this family are extraordinary insects, 

 and comprise the most curious and remarkable of all Aus- 

 tralian Lepidoptera; their larval habitations exemplify insect 

 architecture in its most remarkable forms. 



Some of the smaller Tineina, such as Xysmatodoma and 

 Talce'poria, exhibit similar larval peculiarities, but their cases 

 (cocoons) never assume the proportions or ornamentation of 

 the PsycJiida, although one species, i.e., Talajporia magndla^ 

 Walk., deserves more than passing notice on account of its 

 peculiar cylindrical case, which is built in the form of tiers. 



The 9 of the Psych idee are usually thick, rather short, 

 fleshy, grub-like creatures, devoid of wings, legs, or any pro- 

 perly developed antennae. According to McCoy (Prod. Zool., 

 Vic, iv. [1879), "the 9 never leaves the case (cocoon), but 

 after copulation brings forth an abundance of eggs, and the 

 newly-hatched larvae lower themselves by a fine strong silken 

 thread, and immediately commence to each form a portable 

 habitation for themselves, consisting of small pieces of leaves, 

 bark, etc. These larval cases are open at the ends, and the 

 larvae protrude themselves just sufficiently out of the anterior 

 portion of the case to use their legs for locomotion, generally 

 fixing part of the edge of the aperture by fibres of silk, tempo- 

 rarily, to the twig it is on, so that when alarmed it withdraws 

 completely within the larval case, which remains suspended 

 and quite closed." 



The cases are common and rather conspicuous objects in 

 our scrubs, but the perfect insects are seldom met with, as the 

 larvae are subject to attacks of various species of parasitic 

 Dcptera and Ichneii^nonidce. 



The family is of cosmopolitan distribution, but more 

 numerous in warm climates. The cT imago has thinly-scaled 

 wings, without markings; flight strong and swift. The 9 is 

 almost wholly helpless ; the abdomen is at first greatly dis- 

 tended with eggs, but ultimately shrivels up. 



PSYCHID^. 



Head, densely rough-haired. Ocelli large. Tongue 

 obsolete. Antennae \, in S strongly bipectinated to apex, 

 sometimes apical portion simple. Labial palpi very short. 



