250 DIPTERA OF NORTH AMERICA. [PART IV. 



In 1859 (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1859, p. 243) I de- 

 scribed the North American Eriocera fuliginosa, which has 

 short antennae in both sexes. At the same time I founded the 

 genus Arrhenica for two other species, E. spinosa and E. longi- 

 cornis, both distinguished by the enormous length of the antennae 

 of the male, and by the structure of these antennae, the under 

 side of which is beset with a row of erect, spine-like bristles. 

 The only species of Eriocera I had seen at that time was E. 

 fuliginosa, which, on account of its short male antennae, I re- 

 cognized as the true Eriocera Macq. Since then, a more ex- 

 tensive knowledge of the species of this group convinced me of 

 the fact that Arrhenica stands in the same relation to the Erio- 

 ceree with short male antennas, as the Anisomerse and Penthop- 

 terse with long male antennae stand to the species of these genera 

 with short antennae. If a larger number of species, distinguished 

 by the same characters as the two above-mentioned ones, is dis- 

 covered, the name Arrhenica may be used for them as a sub- 

 generic name ; but there is no necessity to maintain it at present 

 as a separate genus. 



In 1863 {Wiener Entom. Monatschr. VII, p. 220, and after- 

 wards in the Fauna Austr. Diptera, Vol. II, p. 534), Dr. Schiner 

 proposed the genus Penthoptera, based upon a peculiar form of 

 Eriocera } represented by two species in Europe, to which I have 

 since added one from the United States. 



The foregoing historical account shows how abundant in 

 species the genus Eriocera is, and how little is known about 

 them. Erioceree from all parts of the world have been described 

 at different times and under different generic names, without any 

 apparent recognition of the fact that they all belong to a large 

 group, numerously represented in the warmer latitudes. It is 

 probable that, upon closer comparison of the species scattered 

 in different collections in Europe, the genus Eriocera, as defined 

 here, will be subdivided in smaller groups, and that some of the 

 genera, alluded to above as belonging to Eriocera, will be found 

 to coincide with these groups. 



These exotic species are distinguished for the most part by 

 their brilliant coloring ; that of their wings especially distinguish 

 them from the North American and the European species ; they 

 are often dark, with bands and spots of a lighter color. The 

 Asiatic species are often of a deep velvet black, with brown 

 wings, banded and spotted with white. 



