CASTNIA. 35 



Larva. Naked, with sixteen legs, feeding in the stems, 

 roots, or bulbs of plants. 



Pupa. Rather long, with spines on the abdomen, and en- 

 closed in a cocoon. 



Imago. Of large or moderate size ; antennae strongly 

 thickened towards the tip ; wings broad, often long, thickly 

 clothed with scales, which are often very large; sometimes 

 more or less transparent ; discoidal cells usually more or less 

 divided, or accompanied by accessory cells ; frenulum pre- 

 sent. 



Eange. Tropical America, and Australia. 



Habits. Day-flying species, frequenting, however, the shades 

 of the forests, rather than open country. The larvae of the 

 genus Castnia which have been observed, chiefly feed in the 

 bulbous roots of various Orchidacea and Bromeliacea. 



GENUS CASTNIA. 



Castillo,^ Fabricius, in Illiger, Mag. Insekt. vi. p. 280 (1807); 



Latreille, Enc. Meth. ix. p. 794 (1823) ; Gray, Trans. Ent. 



Soc. Lond. ii. p. 15 (1838); Boisduval, Lepid. He'ter. i. 



p. 495 ( J ^75) ') Westwood, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. Zool. 



( 2 )i.p. 165(1877). 



The genus Castnia is widely distributed throughout the 

 warmer parts of America, from Mexico to Chili. Its general 

 characteristics have been expressed in our remarks on the 

 family. There are now nearly 100 species known, differing 

 very much in size, colour, and even in the shape, clothing, and 

 neuration of the wings. Few of the species measure much less 

 than two inches across the wings, and the larger species ex- 

 pc.nd as much as seven or eight inches. Many exhibit strong 

 metallic reflections. 



The type is Castnia Icarus (Cram.). 



D 2 



