1893.] ME. E. T. WATSON ON THE HESPEBIID^. 7 



whatever. Mr. de Niceville also informs me that though he would 

 attach more importance to the male-marks in Hesperiidse and 

 Lycsenidse than in other families, yet he considers that each case must 

 be judged on its merits. 



While referring to this subject, it seems worth calling attention 

 to the very few Old World genera which are provided with a costal 

 fold on the fore wing, tliose provided with a discal streak or other 

 character largely predominating, while in the New World the 

 numbers of each group seem fairly equal. 



The characters which have been found of the greatest value in 

 dividing the family into groups or subfamilies are (the Pijrrhopygince 

 being first excluded on their abnormal anteunse) firstly the position 

 of vein .5 of the fore wing, taken in conjunction with the length of 

 the cell, this vein in the Hesperiiiue being invariably nearer to 6 

 than to -1 when the cell of the fore wing is less than two-thirds the 

 length of costa, and only nearer to 4 when the cell is more than 

 two-thirds the length of costa ; while in the PamphilitKB vein .5 of the 

 fore wing is never nearer to 6 than to 4 except in a few aberrant 

 Austrahan genera, and usually is very much nearer to 4, in a few 

 cases only being practically equidistant between the two veins, 

 while on the other hand the cell of the fore wing never exceeds two- 

 thirds of the length of the costa, except in one or two Asiatic genera 

 of the Ismene group, which are readily distinguished from all 

 Hesperilnce by their peculiar palpi and antenna. 



The presence or absence of vein o of the hind wing has been 

 found of no importance as a character for groups of genera, as it 

 occurs in all stages of development in closely allied genera ; it has, 

 therefore, only been treated as present when it lias been fully deve- 

 loped into a tubular veiu, and in all other cases has been treated as 

 absent, though it is usually just traceable as a fold or weak vein, 

 being only absolutely invisible in some genera oi Painphilince, chietiy 

 those in which vein 5 of the fore wing is very close to the bottom of 

 the cell. It is noteworthy that there is no genus oi Famphilinee or 

 the Hesperiince occurring in the New World in which vein ') of the 

 hind «ing is fully developed into a tubular vein, the only New 

 World genera iu which this vein is developed being the Pyrrhopygine 

 genera Amenis and Ardaris, the former of which would appear to 

 be in a transitional state, the development of the vein varying 

 individually in the same species. 



The presence or absence of the tibial epiphysis on the fore legs has 

 only been found of secondary importance, varying in some cases in 

 different species of the same genus, and apparently being present 

 or entirely wanting in different individuals of Ahantis letiensis, 

 Hopff. 



On the hind tibite both terminal and medial ^lairs of spurs are 

 almost invariably present, and the absence of the middle pair is 

 usually of generic importance, though in the genera Cijdopides, 

 Heteropterus, and Pythonides the absence of this pair of ppurs is 

 only of specific value. 



Another character of the greatest importance is the position 



