708 



CLASS IV. TNSECTA. 



Order 18. LEPIDOPTERA.* 



The wings and body are covzred with a multitude of flattened 

 scales which cause the brilliant colours and patterns on the four 

 wings ; nervures rather few, not more than fifteen reaching the edge 

 of the wing, only four cross-nervures exist ; mandibles as a rule 

 absent or vestigial, the first maxillae elongated and grooved so as 

 to form a long coiled, tubular proboscis. Metamorphosis complete ; 

 the larva, a caterpillar, has large mandibles. The appendages of 

 the pupa are pressed against and are usually adherent to the body. 

 The Lepidoptera include the Moths and Butterflies, the most 



beautiful of all in- 

 sects. The head of 

 the imago is large 

 and a good deal of 

 its surface is taken 

 up by the great 

 compound eyes, 

 which may be sup- 

 plemented by a pair 

 of ocelli. The an- 

 tennae are large 

 and have many seg- 

 ments. The labrum 

 is large, the man- 

 dibles in most cases 

 indistingu i s h a b 1 e. 

 The maxillary palp 



is also much reduced, but the maxilla though exactly what part 

 of it seems uncertain is prolonged into a semi-cylindrical process 

 which with its fellow forms the coiled and protrusible proboscis 

 which may be several inches in length. In some forms however 

 the maxillae are absent or they may remain as delicate processes 

 hanging from the mouth and independent of one another. The 

 labium is much reduced but its palps are enlarged and form con- 

 spicuous tusk-like, hairy structures. The mouth seems to be 



* Scudder, Butterflies of New England, 1889. Staudinger, Schatz and 

 Rober, Exotische Tag/alter, Furth, 1884-7. E. Reuter, Acta. Soc. Fen., 

 xxii, 1896. Bates, Jour. Ent., i, 1862. Miiller, Zool. Jahrb. Syst., i, 1886, 

 p. 417. Hampson, Monograph of the Phalaenae of the World, Brit. Mus. 

 E. Meyrick Handbook of British Lepidoptera, 1895. 



a 



FIG. 455. Mouth -parts of butterflies (after Savigny) ; < 

 of Zygaena ; b of Noctua ; A antennae ; Oc eyes 

 Mxt maxillary palp ; MX maxilla ; Lt labial palp 

 Lr labrum ; M d mandible. 



