INTEODUCTION. 11 



b\ Fore wing with vein 1 c 



absent. 

 a 6 . Hind wing with vein 8 



rising out of 7 24. Arctiidae *. 



b G . Hind wing with vein 8 

 connected with 7 by a 

 bar, or touching it near 

 middle of cell. 

 a\ Palpi with the third 

 joint naked and 

 reaching far above 

 vertex of head ; pro- 

 boscis present 23. Hypsidae. 



b 7 . Palpi not reaching 

 above vertex of head ; 

 proboscis absent or 



very minute 22. Lymantriidae t. 



c 6 . Hind wing with vein 8 

 anastomosing shortly 

 with 7 near the base ; 

 proboscis well deve- 

 loped. 

 a 7 . Antennae more or less 



dilated 25. Agaristidae. 



b 7 . Antennae liliform. ... 26. Noctuidae J. 

 b'. Hind wing with vein 8 curved and 

 nearly or quite touching vein 7, or 

 anastomosing with it after origin 

 of veins 6 and 7. 



2 . Hind wing with vein 1 c absent. 

 a 3 . Hind-wing vein 8 with a pre- 

 costal spur 16. Callidulidae. 



b 3 . Hind-wing vein 8 with no pre- 

 costal spur. 

 a 4 . Hind wing with vein 1 a 



absent or very short 17. Drepanulidae. 



b*. Hind wing with vein 1 a 

 almost or quite reaching 



anal angle 18. Thyrididae. 



6 2 . Hind wing with vein 1 c present. 31. Pyralidae . 

 C. Fore wing with veins 4 to 11 arising 

 from the cell at almost even distances 

 apart, 

 a. Wings not divided into plumes. 



a'. Hind wing with vein 8 coincident 



with 7 . . 8. Sesiidae. 



* In a few Arctiince vein 8 of the hind wing is constructed as in Noctuida, 

 but they can be discriminated by the bar form of the retinaculum in <5 ; for 

 Lithosiinfe, Nycteolina, and Nolinee, see notes to the subfamilies. 



t In the ancestral genus Ratarda the frenulum is absent. 



J A few genera of Noctuidce have the proboscis aborted. 



In a few lowly Pyralidce the veins of the fore wing are given off at even 

 distances from the cell, but they can be discriminated by the structure of vein 

 8 of the hind wings. 



