60 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Vol. vi. 



REPLY TO DR. DYAR'S NOTE. 



By A. Radcliffe Grote. 



In reply to Dr. Dyar's note, this Journal, V, 66, I would state that,, 

 having no preparations of the larvae, I may have failed to follow en- 

 tirely Dr. Dyar's remarks and any misstatement of them has arisen in 

 this way. I would suggest that Dr. Dyar figure them in outline as I 

 have done with the neuration. I consider the " stinging spines " as 

 adaptive, secondary characters, unfit for classificatory purposes of this 

 nature and not decisive of phylogeny. With regard to the anal tuber- 

 cle, Dr. Dyar regards it as primary — of this I cannot judge, but natur- 

 ally accept this dicta. And this is the only main point. I regard the pat- 

 tern of neuration as " primary " and that it unites, in one phylogenetic 

 group, Hemileuca and Satumia and Automeris and Aglia. As to other 

 characters, the structure of the female antennae appears to fall in very 

 well with my classification as also the specializations of the pupal en- 

 velop. This whole case seems to converge into : anal tubercles vs. pat- 

 tern of neuration. It is a test case and should be settled before we go 

 any further. It appears to me a physiological impossibility that Aglia 

 should be derived from the Saturnian branch or that Hemileuca should 

 be derived from the Aglian stem. From his point of view Dr. Dyar 

 thinks the reverse and hence a settlement of the controversy, which 

 should not be suffered to run into side issues, is very desirable. 



surmise as to the identity of Z. canadensis, H. S. with Z. asylas of Cramer met with 

 their approval. I have just received the following reply contained in a letter written 

 January 1st, 1898. 



"As desired, we have looked into the identity of Zenzera asylas Cram, and Z. 

 canadensis H. Sch., and have come to the conclusion that you are quite correct in 

 the belief that both figurts represent the same African species. We have nothing ap- 

 proaching it from any temperate country and all the species of this type appear to be 

 inhabitants of the tropical parts of the old world." 



I accept it then as established that Zeuzera canadensis H. Sch. is a synonym for 

 Z. asylas Cram., and the species should be stricken from our lists of North American 

 species. Herrich-Schaefer's locality " Quebeck" was evidently an error. 



