f'LASSrFK'ATTOX OF TMK ACRONYCTAS. 175 



spent by eKS-liiyin<i; may be black. It is possible that this ? is darker tlian the 

 ? jiini'ti. I do not know the latter. 



There can be little dotibt tliat, in every point relii.'d upon hv Mr. 

 J^arrett to separate the insect from s'. iitroiis/iintrlla, it a,<>rees with the 

 latter absolutely. 



Classification of the Acronyctas." 



By T. A. CHAPMAN, M.D., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 



The true Acronyctas have alwa,ys had attached to them by different 

 systematists a number of other species and j^'enera. With the appear- 

 ance of the Avork of Smith and Dyarl think thei-e need l)e no difficulty 

 in cutting them all adrift. Both authors reject Craiiioj/ltora lif/Kstn, 

 hitherto regarded as the nearest of these. Professor Smith retains the 

 Pant/icini, apparently out of respect to tradition and Dr. Dyar, but all 

 Br. Dyar says in defence of the position is, that "four larvae are known 

 which have nearly the same characters as Acronyctids."' The eggs, 

 pupit, newly-hatched larvse and imagines, all deny any such associa- 

 tion, and certainly suggest a relationship with the Liparidac. Instead 

 of keeping them with Acronyctids, as a sub-fiimily, they would be 

 much more at home as a sub-family of IJparidac, distinguished chiefly 

 by not having larval glands. Smith and Dyar appear to know the 

 eggs of only one Pantheid. Curiously, as to one genus, llairisinionna, 

 Professor Smith makes it an Acronyctid, whilst Dr. Dyar calls it a 

 Pantheid. It is impossible to accept Dr. Smith's suggestion that it 

 has Bryophilid affinities, and I should, from figures, rather suggest 

 Ai/an'sthlai' as denoting its position. Unfortunately I am unac- 

 quainted with its early stages, but the larva is stated to have one 

 renuirkable peculiarity that is new to me, and is not referred to by Dr. 

 Packard in the (iiiidc, where it is figured. At each moult the cast 

 head remains attached, and the full-grown larva has a whole string of 

 cast heads, which it wags from side to side when disturbed. Is it this 

 larva or the rattlesnake that is the mimic ? 



This practically cuts down the true Acronyctas to my ^'iminias 

 and Cuspidias, which remain undisturbed as two very distinct groups, 

 the former very homogeneous compared with the latter, which is 

 divisible in various ways. Dr. Dyar makes three groups on adult 

 larvie, Professor Smith four groups by male genitalia. Professor Grote 

 makes two genera and nine sub-genera. All, however, are agreed as 

 to one of these groups, riz., that for which Grote finds Ajiatda, Hb., 

 to be the correct name, called byDyarand Smith the ''Americana ' group 

 — aincricana being the American species they take to represent it. It 

 contains our English aceria and Icpurina. The remainder fall into 

 Grote's Hi/homa, Hb., and as Smith and Dyar divide these differently, 

 Smith into three and Dyar into two, and as Dyar's second group 

 contains species from each of Smith's three groups, we must regard 

 this group as not yet satisfactorily divisible, t 



For purposes of classification ]'i)mnia and C'«(.s/ya/m are of equal 



* " A revision of the species of Acronycta (Oehsenheinier) and of certain allied 

 genera," by .John B. Hmith, D.Sc, and Harrison G. Dyar. Ph.D., pp. P.»i, pi. "iy. 

 " ' Die Apateliden,' von A. R-.idclift'e Grote, M.A., 4to.. pp. l.S, pi. 2." 

 I I hear from Dr. 13yar that fnrther information has led to an agreement as to 

 the subdivisions of II i/lHima. — T.A.C. 



