248 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



from Sphinx (pi. 195) the spiral maxillae are very much shorter, and 

 the inferior wings are somewhat lobed, as in Deilephila? In 

 1840, Westwood followed Curtis in selecting (Generic Synopsis, p. 

 89) nerii as the type of Daphnis and diagnosed it as : 



Wings entire, acute, posterior slightly lobed : spiral tongue long ; antennae 

 and labial palpi slender ; caterpillar with the neck retractile — nerii, L. 



All our better informed authorities, Hiibner, Stephens, Curtis, 

 Westwood, Moore, &c, appear to have been agreed on the very 

 isolated position of Daphnis nerii among the Palaearctic Eumorphids, 

 and even Staudinger in the 3rd ed. of his Catalog, p. 100, isolates 

 it from them. It is certainly far removed from the Hip- 

 potionids and Eumorphids (sens, strict.) with the species of 

 which it has been united, even in the same genus, by such 

 authors as Stainton, Meyrick, Barrett, &c. So clearly marked 

 is this distinction, that one feels no hesitation in removing it from 

 the Chcerocampid, and placing it on the Philampelid, side of the 

 Eumorphid phylum, but two great difficulties occur in dealing 

 with the genus (as also with the tribe in which we place it) : (1) Our 

 entire ignorance of the larval ontogeny of typical species of Daphnis. 

 (2) Our ignorance of the life-histories of the species supposed, on 

 superficial imaginal characters, to be related to Daphnis nerii. Of 

 the detailed structure of the egg we know nothing. The pictures of the 

 adult larva show a very characteristic difference from the larvae of any 

 of the groups described by Weismann (antea, pp. 141-142), for the 

 single pair of well-developed twin ocellated spots is placed on the 

 side of the metathorax although developed from the subdorsal line, 

 as is the case in the Eumorphids already considered, the rest 

 of the subdorsal (on the abdominal segments) running as an unbroken 

 line to the caudal horn. Thus, it exhibits three peculiarities : (1 and 

 2) Peculiarities in the position and character of the ocellated spot, 

 and (3) A peculiarity in the maintenance of the subdorsal line, 

 neither point being touched on by Weismann. The pupa is 

 characteristically Eumorphid, of the specialised type seen also in 

 Hippotion celerio and Panacra vigil, whilst the imago, in its markings, 

 is quite sui generis, and very unlike those best known to us and 

 exemplified by the species of the genera Eunwrpha, Theretra, 

 Hippotion, Phryxus, Hyles and Celerio. In this respect it approaches 

 much more closely to the Acosmerygids and Philampelids with 

 which we trace a close alliance. Whether the larval and pupal 

 characteristics of Daphnis nerii are common to other species that must 

 be referred to the Daphnid line of development we do not know, 

 except that the larva of D. Hypothous is figured as being very 

 similar to that of D. nerii, nor have we been able to obtain from 

 the voluminous writings on the Sphingids any details that help 

 us in our work. Whether, therefore, the characters noted are 

 generic or tribal we cannot even hazard a guess, although we surmise 

 that they will prove to be the latter, i.e., we shall expect the 

 adult Daphnid larvae to have metathoracic twin ocellated spots, and 

 the pupae to be highly specialised with frontal or dorsal labrum. Chap- 

 man writes (in lilt.) : The question as to whether Daphnis belongs 

 to the Euniorphina- or the Ph/la/npelina-bra.nch of the Eumorphids 

 (antea, p. 140) is apparently rather one of words and sentiments 

 (the personal equation) than of facts. The larva is characterised 



