DIMORPHIDES. 229 



idiota, Grses. alpberakyi, Chr. 



Pinaridi. primigenum, Staud. 



Taragama, Moore stupidum, Staud. 



repanda, Hb. acacia?, Klug 



Superfamily VII : Dimorphides (Endromides). 

 Family : Dimorphid^e. 

 Subfam.: Dimorphin^:. 

 Tribe : Dimorphidi. 

 Probably no superfamily of the lepidoptera is more restricted 

 than this, and it is very doubtful whether more than one species, 

 Dimorpha versicolora, is really referable thereto. The exact position 

 of this insect has always puzzled systematists, although there has 

 been a tacit sort of general agreement that the species is in some 

 way allied to the Saturniids and Sphingids. Linne places {Sys. 

 Nat., xth ed., p. 499) it in his comprehensive group Bombyx, between 

 Sphinx and Noctua. Schrank, in 1802, retained {Fauna Boica, 

 ii., Abth. 2, p. 150) only w^n and versicolora in the genus Bombyx, 

 but nwri had already been determined by Cuvier as the type of 

 the latter genus, and, as it is quite evident that versicolora is not 

 congeneric with mori, Hiibner quite correctly created the stirps 

 Dimorphae (from which the superfamily name is derived) and 

 the genus Dimorpha for versicolora, in the Tentamen, p. 1 (1806). 

 He, however, suggested at this time some strange alliances, which, 

 tabulated, are as follows : 



Phalanx III : BOMBYCES. 



Tribus 1 : SPHINGOIDES. 



Stirps 1 : Dimorphje —Dimorpha versicoloria. 

 Stirps 2 : Ptilodontes — Ptilodonta camelina. 

 Stirps 3 : Andree — Andria vinula. 

 Stirps 4 : Platypterices — Platypteryx hamula. 

 Stirps 5 : Echidn^e — Echidna tan. 

 Tribus 2 : VER^E. 



Stirps 1 : Her^e^E — Heraea carpini, etc. 



In 1809, Latreille placed {Genera, etc., iv., p. 218) versicolora 

 in the mixed genus Zaria, Schrank, with bucephala, coryli, pudibunda, 

 dispar, versicolora, andch'oreta, etc. Laria was at the time preoccupied 

 as a generic name, and, in 18 10, Ochsenheimer created {Die 

 Schmett., iii., p. 15) the genus Endromis tor versicolora, which, 

 therefore, became a synonym of Dimorpha, Hb. About 1822, 

 Hiibner used ( Verz., p. 143) Ochsenheimer's name, maintaining, 

 however, the tribal and stirps divisions of the Tentamen, as follows : 



Phalanx, III: Phal^en^e (Phal.eisle — Attaci et Bombyces, Linn.; 

 Bombyci, Cossi et Hepiali, Fab.). 



Tribus I : Sphingoides. 

 Stirps 1 : Dimorphae. 

 Fam. A : Hybrides. 



Coitus i : Syssphinges — Syssphinx molina, Cram. 

 Coitus ii : Endromes — Endromis versicolora, Linn. 



It will be seen that there can be no doubt that Endromis, Ochs., 

 falls as a synonym of Dimorpha, Hb., and one suspects that the 

 action of later authors, who have used Endromis, has been due to 

 their ignorance of, or rejection of, the Tentamen. The use of Dis- 

 morphia, Hb., Verz., p. 10, for a group of Pierid butterflies is not 

 only beside the question, but, in our opinion, quite legitimate, as 

 we do not agree with sinking differently spelled names, however close ; 



