PEOF. J. O. WESTWOOD ON THE UEANIID^. 515 



I received from the Leyden Museum, and which appears to be undesciibed'. On com- 

 paring the venation of this insect with that of the Uraniidae (e. g. sloamis &c.), it will be 

 seen that they are so nearly identical that no doubt could be entertained of their affinity 

 if we were assured that the larvae of the Strophidice were not loopers, and possessed 

 the full complement of sixteen legs. It will, however, be remarked that M. Guenee 

 (H. N. Lep. X. p. 24) is by no means absolutely satisfied that the Strophidice are really 

 geometrideous, since he enters into a description of the differences which separate them 

 from Asthenidia, Westw., which he assumes to belong to the Bombycides. 



In instituting this genus Asthenia^ in the volume of Exotic Moths in Jardine's ' Natu- 

 ralist's Library,' Entom., vii. 1841, p. 209, pi. xsix. f. 1, I regarded the type, A. poda- 

 liriaria, as belonging to the Geometridse, pointing out its chief distinctive characters, 

 especially the short strongly bipectinated antennae, the very short and weak legs and body, 

 and the venation of the wings. The latter character is here represented (Plate LXXVI. 

 fig. 10, fore and hind wings of ^. podaliriaria), whence it will be seen that, whilst differing 

 considerably from Urapteryx, it approximates more closely to Strophidia, from which 

 it, however, differs at once in wanting several of the branches of the postcostal vein of 

 the fore wings. M. Guenee directs attention to the woolly forehead, the bipectinated 

 antennae, the short indistinctly jointed palpi, the rudimental spiral tongue, the short 

 woolly body, the short legs, woolly anterior tibiae and basal joint of the tarsi, the vena- 

 tion of the wings, and especially to the fact that " tons les rameaux costaux [of the 

 subcostal vein of the fore wings] sont retranches comme chez toutes les Saturnides," 

 as so many characters separating Asthenidia from Strophidia, and consigning it to the 

 Bombycides — an opinion in which I am iuUy prepared to acquiesce from a careful ex- 

 amination of various Saturnideous types. 



Regarding, then, the relationship between Asthenia and Urapteryx as one of analogy, 

 and not of affinity, and considering Asthenia as belonging to the great group of Bom- 

 bycidae, and that Strophidia is more nearly allied to Asthenia than it is to Urapteryx, I 

 conceive that we sliall be warranted in placing the Uraniidae at a distance from the 

 Geometridse and amongst the Bombycidae, on account, 1st, of the structure of the larva 

 of Coronidia, Uranidia, and Ckrysiridia, and, 2ndly, the venation of the wings destitute 

 of a small cell. The long slender terminal joint of the palpi, and the prolongation of 

 the hind wings into caudate appendages, appear to me to 'be of secondary importance 

 in determining the relations of the group. 



' The following are its short cliaracters : — 



SiEOPHixiiA ToLLENHOvn, Westui. Alis albis, anticarum margine tenui antico et apicali t'asuiisque duabus 

 transvereis mediis pallide fuse-is, posticarum fascia o medio costfe ad angvilum aiialem alteraque apieali pallide 

 fuscis, maculis duabus nigi-is caudalibus. Exp. alar antic, unc. 2|. 



Ilab. In ins. Malayanis (Mus. Hopeiano Oxonise). 



-■ As the name Asthenia has been elsewhere employed in Diptera, it may be well to slightly modify it tu 

 prevent all confusion. I propose, therefore, to change the Lepidopterous name to Asthenidia. 



