SPHINX. 297 



Hb., "Francis Cat.," p. 87 (1825). Hyloicus, Roths, and Jordan, "Rev. Lep. 

 Fam. Spiring.," p 140 (1903). * 



The genus Sphinx must be looked upon as the typical section 

 of the whole superfamily. In 1736, Reaumur gave (Menioires, ii., 

 p. 253, pi. xx., fig. 1) the name of "Sphinx" to the larva of Sphinx 

 ligustri\, and, in the 1st edition of the Fauna Suecica, p. 248, Linne 

 repeated Reaumur's reference to the species, and, in all his later 

 works, adopted Reaumur's appellation " Sphinx " as the name for his 

 group of the Sphingid moths, quoting again in the Syst. Nat., xth 

 ed., pp. 489, &c, Reaumur's name with the references to Sphinx 

 lignstri, and, throughout all our later entomological literature, the name 

 has been indissolubly bound up with this species. The genus 

 (sens, strict.) has no other Palaearctic representative, and it is in 

 North America that it attains its greatest number of species — kalmiae 

 (Atlantic States), franckii (Missouri), di'itpiferarum (United States), 

 perelegans (California), gordius (Atlantic States), luscitiosa (Atlantic 

 States), vancouverensis (Western States and Rocky Mountains), 

 chersis (United States), and insolita (Texas), are found in this area. 

 Linne diagnoses (Sys. Nat., xth ed., p. 489) the genus Sphinx as 

 follows : 



Antennae medio crassiores s. utraque extremitate attenuatae, subprismaticae. 

 Alae deflexae (volatu graviore vespertino s. matutino). 



He then gives four main subdivisions of the genus, which we have 

 already noted (anted, ii., p. 343). The genus, as here defined, is not 

 only heterotypical, but includes the whole of the Sphi?igides, 

 sEgeriides, Anthrocerides, and the Anthrocerid-like Syntomids. 

 Hiibner ( Verz., p. 141) first reduced the genus to its present limits, 

 under the name of Lethia, describing it as : 



The forewings only exteriorly with dentate stripes ; the hindwings banded — 

 Lethia ligustri, Linn., print, Abb., drupiferarum, Abb., kalmiae, Abb., gordius, 

 Cram. 



It was, however, much more fully diagnosed by Fernald 

 (Sphingidae of New England, pp. 127 — 128) as: 



Head prominent ; proboscis as long as the body or longer (sometimes a little 

 shorter) ; palpi moderate in size, closely scaled and pressed against the front of 

 the head; eyes of medium size and -lashed ; antennae fusiform, ending in a short, 

 curved, ciliated seta; thorax well -developed, somewhat advanced in front of the 

 base of the forewings, with short, erect, metathoracic tufts ; abdomen cylindrical 

 and tapering without anal or side tufts, the posterior edge of the segments 

 armed with round spinules ; fore and middle tibiae spinose, the middle tibiae with 

 one pair of long spurs, the hind tibiae with two pairs. The forewings have 12 

 veins (sometimes only 11) and are of medium width, with very oblique and entire 

 outer margins. The outer margins of the hindwings are nearly entire, being 

 but slightly produced on vein lb — Sphinx drupiferarum, S. kalmiae, S. luscitiosa, 

 S. chersis, S. canadensis, S. gordius, S. erenutus. 



Kirby observes (Handbook, &c, iv., p. 47): "Sphinx includes 

 upwards of 20 species, chiefly North American, with shorter bodies 

 and narrower and more pointed wings than Phlegethontius (= our 

 Cocytiids and Agriids). The hind margins are almost entire, and 



* Whilst this and the previous sheet of 16 pages have been going through press, 

 Rothschild and Jordan have published their splendid work Revision Lep. Fam. 

 Sphingidae. We are sorry not to be able to agree with the generic names used 

 by them for this and some other species. 



t Reaumur writes : " La position dans laquelle elle reste plus volontiers, 

 lorsqu'elle ne mange point, lui doit faire donner le nom de Sphinx," etc. 



