8 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



for the Lemo?iiidce, with the exception of a few somewhat aber- 

 rant Old World genera, are almost entirely confined to tropical 

 America, whereas the Lycanida are almost entirely an Old 

 World group, if we except the tropical American species allied 

 to Thecla. These, though numerous, are closely allied, and 

 cannot be considered as a set-off against the very numerous 

 and varied genera of the Old World. 



To return to the Lemoniidte (or Erycinidce, as the Family is 

 often called).* The first attempt at a natural division of the 

 genera was made by Bates, in a catalogue of Erycinidce, com- 

 municated to the Linnean Society of London on June 20, 1867 

 (" Journ. Linn. Soc. Zoology," ix. pp. 367-459). In this paper 

 he divided the group into three Sub-families, which have been 

 generally accepted by entomologists, with some modifications. 



In 1885 Messrs. Godman and Salvin, in their " Biologia Cen- 

 trali- Americana " Lepidoptera Rhopalocera, i. pp. 361, 362, re- 

 moved from Bates' first Sub-family, the Ncmeobiina, all the 

 New World genera which Bates had placed in it, transferring 

 them to Bates' third Sub-family, the Eryrinincz (Lemoniince of 

 Kirby), but combining with it Bates' second Sub-family, the 

 Eurygonin<z(EuselasiincB of Kirby), thus bringing together all the 

 genera in which the basal nervure is absent or rudimentary. 

 They remark : " We have not yet discovered satisfactory 

 characters whereby to separate the Old from the New World 

 genera of this Sub-family." 



It is, however, clearly desirable to separate groups of species 

 geographically when this can be done; and, in 1892, Schatz 

 and Rober proposed to restrict the Ncmcobiina to the Old 

 World genera, and to reinstate Bates' Sub-family Eurygonina 

 or Euselasiince. But neither in the Lemoniidce, Lyccenidce, 



* The alteration of the Family name was rendered necessary by the 

 rejection of the genus Erycina, Fabr., on account of this name being 

 pre-occupied in 



