ACENTROPlDiE. 149 



This anomalous family may be instantly recognized from the 

 genuine Trichoptera by having the legs wholly destitute of spurs, in 

 addition to the very peculiar neuration of its wings, all of which have 

 a long discoidal areolet, from which a radiating series of nervures 

 springs, the nervures extending to the costal and hinder margins ; 

 but another great peculiarity apparent is the thorax being furnished 

 with regular tippets, as in the Lepidoptera, and which circumstance, 

 combined with the scale-like clothing of its wings, their structure, 

 the bristle at the base of the hinder pair, the squamous head, &c. 

 appear to warrant its removal to that order of insects, as suggested 

 by Mr. Westwood, in the Entomological Transactions, v. i. p. 118 ; 

 but amongst which group can it be located ? I am not aware of 

 any genus of the Tineidas (the only family to which it can possibly 

 be allied) that is destitute of spurs* on the four hinder tibiae : its 



• The absence of tibial spurs in the genus which forms the type of this 

 family — Acentria of my Catalogue — induced me to arrange it with the 

 Neuroptera^ in which order these appendages are almost universally deficient, 

 or are extremely minute, even in the gigantic species, whUe they are as 

 invariably present both in the Lepidoptera and Trichoptera, although various 

 modifications,, both in form and number, occur. If I am correct in my 

 reference to Olivier, through LatreUle, both those writers place Acentria (now 

 Acentropus) in the genus Phryganea (or Trichopterous division of the Neu- 

 roptera) in which they are followed by Mr. Curtis, who places it, without 

 question, in the family Phryganidae, notwithstanding its total want of spurs, 

 whereas the insects included in that family have those organs fully developed, 

 and have, moreover, the tibise and tarsi more or less armed with rigid spines, 

 while in Acentropus they are perfectly simple ! the neuration of the wings is 

 also wholly dissimilar, as is also the structure of the mouth, &c. ; the posterior 

 wings are not folded, &c. 



In the " Naturalist," published on the 1st inst. vol. i. p. 14, Mr. Dale has 

 some remarks on the genus Acentropus, in which, after defending Mr. Curtis's 

 assumed ignorance of its identity with Acentria,! he justifies its removal from 

 the Neuroptera, and appears to conceive its location to be perfectly natural 

 between Hydroptila and Papilio ! ! ! and he exults in the fact that Messrs. Curtis 

 and Westwood consider that I did wrong in placing it in the Neuroptera ! But 

 this last writer and myself are of opinion that Mr. Curtis is equally in error by 

 placing it with the Trichoptera. 



+ A point I am disposed to controvert, inasmuch as Mr. Curtis, in naming 

 his insects from my collection, had the opportunity of seeing the insect dozens 



