﻿HETEROCERA- — ARCTIIDAE 409 



Nolinae, Nycteolinae, — to which may be added others from 

 America — Pericopinae, Dioptinae, Ctenuchinae; these sub-families 

 being treated as families by various authors. The sub-family 

 Aretiinae includes our Tiger- and Ermine -moths, and a great 

 many exotic forms of very diverse colours and patterns; the 

 speeies of this division are, on the whole, probably more variable 

 in colour and markings than in any other group of Lepidoptera. 

 There are many cases of great difference of the sexes; in the 

 South American genus Ambryllis the male is remarkable for its 

 hyaline wings with a few spots ; while the female is densely 

 scaled, and very variegate in colour. There are some cases (the 

 South European genus Oenogyna) where the female is wingless 

 and moves but little, while the mule flies with great rapidity. 

 Epicausis smithi, from Madagascar, one of the most remarkable 

 of moths, is placed in this division of Arctiidae : it is of a tawny 

 colour, variegate with black; the abdomen of this latter colour 

 is terminated by a large tuft of long scarlet hairs : the Insect 

 has somewhat the appearance of a Hummingbird -hawkmoth. 

 Ecpantheria is an extensive geims of tropical American moths 

 (having one or two species in North America), of black and 

 white or grey colours, with very complex markings ; the male in 

 some species has a part of the hind wing produced as a tail, or 

 lobe, of a different colour. 



The sub -family Pericopinae are almost peculiar to South 

 America (two species of Gnophaela exist in North America) ; 

 some of this sub-family bear a great resemblance to Heliconiid 

 butterflies. 



The Dioptinae are likewise American moths of diurnal habits, 

 and many of them bear a striking resemblance to the Ithomiid 

 butterflies they associate with when alive. 



The sub -family Lithosiinae is of great extent; our native 

 " Footmen'" give a very good idea of it ; the moths are generally 

 of light structure, with long, narrow front wings ; a simple system 

 of yellow and black colour is of frequent occurrence. Many of 

 this group feed in the larval state on lichens. Hampson includes 

 in this group the Nyctemeridae — light-bodied diurnal moths, 

 almost exclusively of black and white colours, of Geometrid 

 form, frequently treated as a distinct family. 



The sub-family Nolinae is a small group of rather insignificant 

 Insects, in appearance like Pyralids or 'Geometrids : four or five 



