MEMOIKS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OP SCIENCES. 



79 



Fig. 45.— Pupa of Xola ovilla; A, end of body of 9 : />', 

 head; p, paraclypeal piece; mx.' p, labial or second max- 

 illary palpi. 



This group (Euietnia, lEta, and Taiitiiia) almost directly iutergrade, judging by tlie venation, 



with the Lithosiida"; Byssophaga, Cistheiie, and Crocota conneeting them with Lithosia, though the 



larva- of the latter are uuich more specialized and Arctiitorni. Hence the line of descent from 



the generalized Tineiua to the group represented by Eui^mia, OEta, and Tantura to the Lithosiidie 



and from these to the Arctiidie is more or less direct. 

 It is interesting to note the gradual widening of the 

 wings, especially the fore wings, as we pass from Lithosia 

 to Aretia; also to notice the gradual change in the 

 larval and pup;e characters, those of the Arctiian 

 pup;e being slightly less primitive than in the more 

 generalized Lithosiidie. 



It is also interesting to note that in ascending from 

 the Tiueoid precursors of the Lithosiid;e to the mem- 

 bers of the latter family 

 we pass from incomplete 

 to obtected jinpa', show- 

 ing that the division into 

 pupa' iucompleta' nuApupm 

 ohfectfc may be at times 

 artificial, tliese divisions 

 placing arbitiarv metes 

 and l)ounds to series pass- 

 ing from the more gener- 

 alized to the more special- 

 ized forms, and perhai).s. 

 representing n n br o k e n 

 lines of descent. 

 Fiimili/ Xolidw. — The structure of the pupa of Nola (fig. -to, y. 



oviU(i), besides its larval and adnlt characters, convinces me that 



the genus is the type of a distinct family, and forms a line of descent 



somewhat parallel with and near to the LithosiidiV. The pnpa has 



the labial p;'lpi well developed and the paraclypeal pieces large- 



The end of tl.o abdi>men is rounded and uncovered, in adaptation 



to its inclosure in a dense cocoon. 



Family Si/ntomichv. — The position of the Syntomidtt is difiBcult 



to determine. The pujja is obtected, though it has 



in Sce^isis retained the labial palpi. Judging by 



the larval and pupal characters, the family stands 



much nearer the Arctiida' than the Zygienida^ but 



yet is more generalized than the former. In the 



venation the group stands near the Arctiida-, i. e., 



the venation of the generalized Ctenucha approxi- 

 mates that of Epic((llia rirf/inalis, whilt' in Didasys 



and Syntomis the venation is more aberrant and 



modified; so also are the long-tufted larva^ of 



Syntomis and Cosmosoma, comjiared with that of 



Ctenucha, in which the tufts are shorter, less 



developed, and less specialized. 



A clew to the orujin of the (/eomctrid moths. — In 



examining the pupa of Pliri/fjaiiidid culifonrica, and 



finding the more essential features to be as much like those of the geometrid moths as any other 



group, I came upon results entirely nnexpected to myself and which givt- a clue to the origin of this 



great group of moths. It has become evident that Phryganidia can neitlicr be placed among the 



Zyga-nida- or Syntomida% though possessing some pterogostic features like those of the latter group. 



Fig. 46. — Pupa of Vhryfjauidia californk-a: 

 of body, side view, with creniaster. 



o, anus: A, end 



