III. Section: Noctuiformes, Noctuiform Moths, 



To the Spinners (Bombyces) and Hawknoths (Sphinges) of the II. Volume we add in the III. Volume 

 the Noctuiform Heteroeera. The Agaristidae have here been separated from the Bombyces and placed in 

 front of the Noctuidae, the reasons for doing so being given in the general description of the Agaristidae. 

 That they were put near the beginning of the Bombyces by former authors was the consequence of the 

 opinion already held by Linne that the shape of the antennae was of primary importance in classification; 

 and that they remained for so long in that place was perhaps chiefly due to there being a distinct though 

 distant relationship with the Arctiids. Hampson, who was one of the first to derive the Agaristids direct from the 

 Noctuids, has therefore placed the Arctiids close to the Noctuids, other modern systematists having even put 

 the latter behind the Geometridae , this place being assigned to them also in Messrs. Staudinger & Rebel's 

 Catalogue of the Palaearctic Lepidoptera. However, in this catalogue the Agaristids stand as part of the 

 Xoctuidae between the Hypeninae and Cymatophorinae , being separated from the Arctiids by the great 

 multitude of Geometers, the authors probably regarding the similarity existing between the Agaristids and 

 Arctiids as a mere superficial agreement in colour and aspect. 



We have already mentioned in several places of this work that the linear arrangement of the fam- 

 ilies, which we are bound to follow, does not express the complicated affinities, and we refer those who 

 wish for information about the systematic position of the Noctuiform Heteroeera to what has been said in 

 the II. Chapter of the Introduction. 



The Noctuiform Heteroeera are distributed over the whole globe as far as there exists vegetation, 

 on which is they feed. The Agaristidae are so to speak a tropical resp. subtropical bright-coloured modif- 

 ication of the Noctuids, which latter are mainly a development of the temperate regions. While the true Noc- 

 tuidae occur occasionally in immense numbers, being often devastating, the Agaristidae appear more singly 

 and sporadically, having onty in some districts of Australia, and here also only at certain seasons, such a 

 preponderance in numbers over the other Lepidoptera flying at the same time that one may call them the 

 insects characteristic for the country. 



By far the greater proportion of the species of Noctuiform Phalaenae inhabits the northern Hemi- 

 sphere. Many forms of Noctuidae are circumpolar, extending so far north that it is possible for them in 

 these high latitude where the continents approach each other to migrate across. But the Agaristidae, which 

 are restricted to the warmer climates, contain no species common to the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. 

 On the whole we find smaller, darkened or paled, strongly hairy forms the farther we go towards the 

 North, while we meet with brighter, often variegated, species in the tropical countries. However, single 

 groups, f. i. Catocala, exhibit on the contrary an array of bright colours in the northern temperate zone, 

 appearing to counterbalance the species of Ophideres characteristic for the hot countries. Far north a type 

 with bright-coloured hindwing is again represented by the genus Anuria and several subarctic Plusias. 



The more the blackish, grey, brown or paled forms of Palaearctic Noctuidae, the species of Agrotis, 

 Huc/ena, Mamestra, Acronicta , etc., disappear towards the Tropics, the more abundant become the so-called 

 Daylight-Noctuids, which swarm already when dusk has hardly set in and show even in sunshine a greater 

 alertness and timidity than most of our Noctuids, which are usually fast asleep in daytime. Nearly all the 

 Phalaenae known as Deltoids, which name was formerly much in use, are timid like Butterflies and hurry 

 away at the slightest molestation, flying almost like Rhopalocera. These are just the forms to which belong 

 in the Tropics the greater number of individuals of Noctuids, or sometimes even of Heteroeera. 



All the Noctuiformes are fond of junketting. It is sufficiently known to every collector in which 

 abundance the Noctuids come to baits, the whole catch at them being often composed of forms belonging 

 this family. While the species of Plusia, Anarta, Mamestra, Leucania etc., show a preference for flowers, 

 visiting at night in our regions especially Lonicera, Silene, Echium, Ajuga, and in the warmer countries 

 Ipomoea, Lantana, Mimosa as well as Labiatae, the forms of Catocala, Erebus, Mania, Sypna , Aryiva etc., 

 are met with especially at the sap flowing from the wounds of trees when it has commenced to ferment in 

 consequence of the intercurrence of a fungus. The Agaristidae congregate, besides around flowering shrubs, 



