10 PACKARD, NOTES ON THE 



In 1807 Latreille* first under the family name Zygcenides 

 groups into three sub-divisions : I. Sesia, Thyris, Zygsena, 

 and Syntomis; II. Procris and Atychia, and III. Glaucopis, 

 Aglaope and Stygia. He places Castnia however among the 

 Sphingides, placing it at the head of the family, and next to 

 Hesperia. Afterwards according to Klug.f in the article 

 "Papilio : ' in the "Encyclopedic methodique. " by Latreille and 

 Godart the group "Hesperi-Sphinges" was formed for Castnia 

 and Agarista, and they were still placed before the Sphingides. 

 Also in the "Families naturellesdu Regne Animal." 1825, we 

 see the Hesperi-Sphinges isolated as a distinct '■tribe" equivalent 

 to the "tribe" Sphingides, and standing at the head of the 

 "family" Crepuscularia. 



Hiibner has shown more than any other writer how important 

 a guide in arranging the Lepidoptera is their style of coloration, 

 and how useful it is in distinguishing genera. Relying upon this 

 character perhaps more than any other, this bold innovator! 

 sub-divided the Lepidoptera into generic groups which are 

 now commonly received; thus showing an appreciation of the 

 modern idea ot a genus, far in advance of his time. Depend- 

 ing however too much on slight characters, his groups of 

 genera are often forced and. unnatural. — The Zygaanidse are 

 placed in the same order as observed by Latreille. 



Hiibner places them at the head of his second "pha- 

 lanx" Sphinges, composing the tribe " Papilionides" which is 

 a group equivalent to the Scsice Hiibner (iEgeriadse of authors,) 

 and also to the " Sphinges legitime^' Hiibner. It embraces 

 three "stirps;" i.e. I. Zyg&nmfoY the single genus Zygse- 

 na. II. Chrysaores which includes Procris, Atychia and Syn- 

 tomis, and III. Glaucnpes, for Glaucopis and a large number 

 of its allies. 



He placed Castnia however, among the butterflies, immedi- 

 ately after Colias, and Alypia among the Pyralidae, next to 

 Ennychia which it closely resembles in its coloration. 



In 1829, Boisduval§ while following Latreille in excluding 



* Genera Crustaceorum et Insectorum. Tom. rv, p. 211. 



t Ueber die Lepidopteren-Gattung Synemon. Abhand. Konig. Acad, der 

 Wissenckaft. Berlin. (1848.) 1850. p. 251. 



X Verzeichniss bekannter Schmetterlinge. Augsburg, 1816. 8vo. 



§ Essai sur une Monographic des Zygenides. Paris, 1829. 8vo. 



