81] LEPIDOPTEROUS LARVAE — FR ACKER 81 



interrelations of the families can not be worked out from them altho 

 there are a sufficient number of differences to separate them more or 

 less completely from each other. 



Family Ethmiidae 



This family was named and described in 1909 by Busck to accom- 

 modate the genus Ethmia, hitherto included in Oecophoridae. The new 

 family was based wholly on characters of the adult, hence it is a strik- 

 ing fact that the larvae of Ethmia are distinctly different from those 

 of any of the other genera usually associated with it. Unfortunately the 

 larvae of but two species, E. zelleriella and E. longimaculella, were 

 available, but their characters are important enough to make the follow- 

 ing record of them desirable. 



Head smaller than prothorax, bearing primary setae only; front 

 with dorsal half of lateral margins straight; adfrontals not reaching 

 vertical triangle ; labrum moderately emarginate at tip ; ocelli six, the 

 fourth, fifth, and sixth forming a triangle with an acute angle at the 

 fourth, the fourth farther from the fifth than from the sixth. Protho- 

 rax with alpha slightly closer to dorsomeson than beta, other setae in 

 usual positions; mesothorax and metathorax normal. Abdomen with 

 alpha above level of beta, rho dorsad of spiracle on segments 1 to 7, 

 eephalad on segment 8, kappa and eta adjacent, mu present. Pi group 

 various, sigma present. Prolegs short, with an extended mesoseries of 

 biordinal crochets. Spiracles elliptical, slightly larger on segment 8 

 but no higher on body. 



In Ethmia zelleriella the Pi group of the abdominal segments is 

 trisetose as usual, while in E. longimaculella the number is increased to 

 eight or ten setae. In neither species, however, is there any increase of 

 setae on the thorax. 



Family Stenomidae 



Recent study has shown that moths belonging to the genera Ste- 

 noma, Brachiloma, and Ide do not belong to the Australian family 

 Xylorictidae where they were formerly placed, but constitute a separate 

 group. According to Busck the three genera should be united under 

 the name Stenoma. 



Head rather broad and depressed, the mouth parts directed eepha- 

 lad ; front extending less than half way to vertex, and adfrontals little 

 farther; labrum distinctly but not deeply emarginate; ocelli six; pri- 

 mary setae only. Body depressed, the spiracles somewhat below the 

 middle of the lateral aspect. Prothorax with rho near epsilon below 

 gamma, and the Kappa group trisetose; other two thoracic segments 

 with Pi group unisetose. Abdomen with kappa and eta adjacent, beta 



