221 



DIPHYLETISM IN THE LEPIDOPTERA. 

 By Ambrose Quail, F.E.S. 



In his paper {ante, p. 120) Prof. Grote did me the honour of 

 raentioning my name ; therefore I claim the privilege of reply. 

 Grote's separation of the Papilionides from all other butterflies in 

 phylogeny is based on the presence in the former of a short anal 

 nervure on primaries, which he calls IX, and for which Dr. 

 Chapman proposes the name " Grote's vein." I do not propose 

 here to discuss the modifications of neuration to be observed in 

 the Khopalocera, having done so elsewhere ;* and I have also 

 given reasons for believing that " Grote's vein " is homologous 

 of the rudimentary anal nervure on primaries of other groups.! 

 I will, however, take up this particular question of the homology 

 of " Grote's vein." Curiously, the only direct reference by Prof. 

 Grote that I am able to find is worded : "IX applied only by me ; 

 .... whether this is homologous with VIII, to which it is 

 opposed in position, is uncertain."! I now quote Dr. Karl 

 Jordan : — " It remains for Prof. Grote to show that what he 

 styles in Papilionidse vein IX (absent from all other butterflies, 

 according to Grote) is not homologous of what he calls in the 

 other butterflies vein VIII (absent from Papilionidse, according 

 to Grote). "§ 



If we direct our attention to the neuration of the whole 

 Lepidoptera, a very suggestive fact is observable, that is, nowhere 

 can we find more than two definite anal nervures on the pri- 

 maries ; usually there is also a short vein, attached near its base 

 to that anal nervure farthest from the cubital system. I at least 

 have been unable to find more than these. In extremely rare 

 instances the latter rudimentary vein has a projection beyond 

 the normal juncture, which clearly indicates that it is the rem- 

 nant of a third anal nervure. I may mention, of my own 

 observation, Zeuzera d'w'villei, Schiff., an Australian species ; 

 Cossus rohinice, an American species. Comstock]i gives a figure 

 in Psychidse, No 253, and another in Megalopygidse, No. 247 ; 

 the latter is most pronounced in its indication. We may also 

 observe that the anal nervure nearest the cubital system (present 

 in Cossidse, &c.) has been lost from the primaries of many 

 Heterocera, leaving only, one anal nervure— that with the rudi- 

 mentary attachment ; the missing anal nervure is often, in fact 

 generally, indicated by a scar. 



Compare the Ehopalocera with other groups of Lepidoptera, 

 and observe the identical modification of neuration last men- 



''= North London Nat. Hist. Soc. 189G ; extract, ' Entom. Record,' vol. ix. 

 t ' Natural Science,' vol. xiii. p. 391, 1898. 



X Ibid. vol. xii. p. 88, 1898. § Ibid. vol. xiv. p. 79, 1899. 



II Comstock, ' Text-book,' 1895 ?. 



