The Origin of the Markings of Caterpillars. 371 



large larva (over six centimeters long) preserved in 

 spirit in the Berlin Museum, 2 which, from its form, 

 belongs to the Smerinthus group, it possesses a 

 caudal horn, and on the whole upper surface is 

 covered with short and sparsely scattered bristles, 

 such as occur in the Sesiida. The colour of this 

 unknown insect appears to have been light green, 

 although it now shows only a yellowish shade. 

 Every trace of marking is absent, and it thus 

 corresponds exactly with the youngest stages of 

 the majority of the existing Sphinx-larvae even 

 to the short bristles sparsely scattered over the 

 whole upper surface of its body. We have there- 

 fore, so to speak, a living fossil before us, and it 

 would be of great interest to ascertain its history. 



All the data furnished by the developmental 

 history go to show that of the three kinds of 

 markings which occur in the Sphingidce> viz., 

 longitudinal and oblique stripes and spots, the 

 first is the oldest. Among the species which are 

 ornamented with oblique stripes or spots there are 

 many which are longitudinally striped in their 

 young stages, but the reverse case never occurs 

 young larvae never show spots or oblique stripes 

 when the adult is only striped longitudinally. 



The first and oldest marking of the caterpillars 

 of the Sphingida was therefore the longitudinal 

 striping, or, more precisely speaking, the subdorsal, 



2 I am indebted to my esteemed colleague, Prof. Gestacker, 

 for the knowledge of this specimen. 



B b 2 



