514 PfiOF. J. O. WEST WOOD ON THE URANIID^.. 



that the tendency to form one, two, or even three small cells by the branchlets of the 

 subcostal vein more or less anastomosing together, near the middle of the fore margin 

 of the fore wing, is one of the most constant characters of the Geometridae. No such 

 small cell occurs in the Uraniidse' ; nor, as Mr. Packard remarks, is any Geometrideous 

 lurva known having the normal number of sixteen feet, in consequence of which the 

 peculiar mode of locomotion exhibited by the "looper" caterpillars of the latter 

 family is rendered necessary. In the Uraniidae, on the contrary, the larvae have sixteen 

 feet; for, even in that of Urania rhipheus, as described by M. Sganzin, " il n'y avait 

 aucune interruption de pattes," although when walking they are said to have " quel- 

 ques rapports avec les chenilles dites Arpenteuses et dans le repos elles formaient 

 entierement la boucle." 



On casting our eyes over the extensive family of the Geometridae there are a few 

 species which, in their larger size and in the possession of a short tail to each of the 

 hind wings, approach more nearly to the Uraniidae than the rest. Urapteryx, with 

 which M. Guenee commences the series of the Geometridae, forming " tin assez bon 

 passage aux Vranides," is remarkable for the arrangement of the veins of the wings, 

 recalling to mind that of the Saturnides, and differing from the general types of the 

 family. Plate LXXXVI. fig. 5 represents the veins of the fore wing, and fig. 6 those 

 of the hind wings of U. samhucaria. It is true that we here see three branches to the 

 median vein and the lower discoidal (C3»), or the independent vein of Mr. Packard, 

 arising from the middle of the extremity of the discoidal cell ; but both on the fore and 

 hind wings a branch (representing the upper discoidal vein, Bo», in the fore wings) is 

 wanting, as is also the small subcostal discoidal cell or cells. 



There are, however, certain moths, natives of the Malayan archipelago, which ex- 

 hibit a much closer resemblance to the Uraniidae than Urapteryx in the arrangement 

 of the veins of their wings, the hind pair of which are likewise furnished with a 

 short broad tail, marked (like that of Urapteryx) with a somewhat eye-like black spot. 

 These form the genus Strophidia of Hiibner and Felder {Micronia, group 1, H. N. 

 Lcp. X. p. 24), the first species of which [Mieronia astheniata, from Borneo) is named 

 by M. Guenee after my genus Asthenia (upon which observations will be found in the 

 later part of this memoir). Other species are : — M. caudata, Fab. {fasciata. Cram, 

 pi. 104. f. D) ; M. ohtusata, Guen. pi. 5. f. 6 (errore caudata) ; M. aculeata, Guen. pi. 13. 

 f 8 ; M. striataria, Linn., Clerck, pi. 55. Two veiy typical species have also been figured 

 by Messrs. Felder and Rogenhofer {Strophidia pannata, Novara Exp. pi. cxxviii. fig. 39, 

 from Halmaheira and Salwatti, and S. phantasmah, ib. fig. 40, from Gebeh, Java {Bern- 

 stein)). Plate LXXVI. fig. 8 represents the venation of the anterior, and fig. 9 that of 

 the posterior wing of a typical species of this genus closely allied to S. phantasmah, which 



In Clirysiridia rhipheiis (Pl.LXXXV. fig. 15) there is a very narrow elongated subdiscoidal cell, resulting 

 from the abortion of the extremity of the second branch of the postoostal vein (6 2) and its coalescing with the 

 base of the third branch (5 3), quite unlike that of any of the Geometridae. 



