﻿HISTORICAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  OF 
  THE 
  ALUCITIDES. 
  83 
  

  

  et'seq.) 
  the 
  superfamily 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  Pterophorina. 
  He 
  refers 
  to 
  

   Zeller's 
  work, 
  points 
  out 
  the 
  isolated 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  superfamily, 
  

   and 
  the 
  analogy 
  presented 
  by 
  certain 
  Crambids. 
  He 
  throws 
  doubt 
  on 
  

   isodactylus, 
  ceerodactylus, 
  mannii, 
  marginellus, 
  laetus, 
  kollari, 
  inulae, 
  

   metzneri 
  and 
  bennetii, 
  and 
  considers 
  that 
  Zeller's 
  European 
  species 
  can 
  

   be 
  reduced 
  to 
  54, 
  although, 
  by 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  coswodactyla, 
  lutescens, 
  

   clistinctus, 
  confusus 
  and 
  agrorum, 
  he 
  makes 
  a 
  total 
  list 
  of 
  59 
  European 
  

   species. 
  He 
  asserts 
  the 
  unreliability 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  species, 
  and 
  

   specially 
  singles 
  out 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  British 
  authors 
  as 
  being 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  badly 
  done. 
  His 
  criticism 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  based, 
  less 
  on 
  his 
  first- 
  

   hand 
  knowledge 
  of 
  these 
  authors 
  than, 
  on 
  Stainton's 
  most 
  unsatisfactory 
  

   Catalogue 
  of 
  1854, 
  in 
  which, 
  with 
  every 
  possible 
  chance 
  of 
  referring 
  to 
  

   the 
  collections 
  of 
  Stephens, 
  Curtis, 
  Wood, 
  etc., 
  and 
  comparing 
  their 
  

   species 
  with 
  the 
  descriptions, 
  he 
  preferred 
  to 
  sink 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  

   species, 
  e.g., 
  pterodactyla, 
  bipunctidactyla, 
  etc., 
  and 
  to 
  rename 
  others, 
  

   e.g., 
  calodactyla, 
  etc. 
  Herrich-Schaffer's 
  synopsis 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  reads 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  I. 
  Wings 
  undivided 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Agdistis. 
  

  

  II. 
  Forewings 
  bifid, 
  hindwings 
  trifid. 
  

  

  1. 
  Only 
  the 
  apical 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  divided, 
  both 
  the 
  

  

  lobes 
  with 
  a 
  wide 
  border 
  and 
  projecting 
  anal 
  angle, 
  

   the 
  innermost 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  hindwing 
  with 
  tooth 
  of 
  thick 
  

   black 
  scales 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  its 
  inner 
  margin 
  . 
  . 
  Platyptilus. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  terminal 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  divided, 
  the 
  inner- 
  

  

  most 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  hindwings, 
  with 
  thick, 
  black 
  scales, 
  

   at 
  its 
  end 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  (or 
  in 
  0. 
  tristis 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  

   of 
  its 
  inner 
  margin 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  genus) 
  . 
  . 
  Oxyptilus. 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  apical 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  divided, 
  the 
  two 
  lobes 
  

  

  tolerably 
  pointed 
  with 
  very 
  oblique 
  outer 
  margin 
  and 
  

   rounded 
  off 
  anal 
  angle. 
  The 
  lobes 
  of 
  the 
  hindwings 
  

   without 
  any 
  distinct 
  marking 
  by 
  scales 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Pterophorus. 
  

  

  4. 
  The 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  divided, 
  

  

  the 
  lobes 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  wings 
  similarly 
  linear 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Aciptilius*. 
  

  

  Herrich-Schaffer 
  then 
  gives 
  the 
  following 
  groupings 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   in 
  the 
  various 
  genera 
  : 
  

  

  Genus 
  I. 
  Agdistis, 
  Hb., 
  Verz., 
  Zell., 
  Linn. 
  Ent., 
  vi., 
  p. 
  321. 
  

  

  1. 
  Alas 
  anteriores 
  ciliis 
  costalibus 
  albis, 
  margine 
  interiore 
  cano 
  — 
  adactyla, 
  

  

  Hb., 
  heydenii, 
  Zell. 
  

  

  2. 
  Alae 
  anteriores 
  albidioribus, 
  margine 
  interiore 
  non 
  albidiore. 
  

  

  A. 
  Cilia 
  vix. 
  pallidiore 
  ; 
  puncta 
  costalia 
  et 
  punctum 
  plica? 
  posterius 
  

  

  obsoletissima 
  — 
  meridionalis, 
  Zell. 
  

  

  B. 
  Cilia 
  fundo 
  magis 
  flavescentia 
  ; 
  puncta 
  costalia 
  et 
  plica} 
  bene 
  

  

  ex])vessa,—fr(tnkeniae, 
  Zell., 
  tamaricis, 
  v. 
  Heyd. 
  

   Genus 
  II. 
  Platyptilus, 
  Zell. 
  

  

  1. 
  Lobus 
  alarum 
  posteriorum 
  interior 
  medio 
  albus, 
  pone 
  medium 
  den- 
  

  

  tatus 
  ; 
  alarum 
  anteriorum 
  cilia 
  basalia 
  solum 
  in 
  apicibus 
  loborum 
  

   amborum 
  fusca 
  — 
  rhododactylus, 
  W.V. 
  

  

  2. 
  Lobus 
  alarum 
  concolor, 
  pone 
  medium 
  dentatus, 
  alarum 
  anteriorum 
  

  

  cilia 
  basalia 
  undique 
  nigra 
  — 
  capnodactyhis, 
  F.v.R., 
  metzneri, 
  Zell. 
  

  

  3. 
  Lobus 
  alarum 
  posteriorum 
  interior 
  concolor, 
  ante 
  medium 
  aut 
  in 
  medio 
  

  

  dentatus. 
  

  

  A. 
  Palpi 
  et 
  fasciculus 
  frontalis 
  capite 
  duplo 
  longiora 
  — 
  ochroddctyltts, 
  

  

  Hb. 
  

  

  B. 
  Palpi 
  et 
  fasciculus 
  frontalis 
  vix 
  capitis 
  longitudine 
  prominuli. 
  

  

  a. 
  Cilia 
  alarum 
  anteriorum 
  linea 
  dividente 
  Integra 
  — 
  intnoralis, 
  

   Zell., 
  zetterstedtii, 
  Zell., 
  gonodactylus, 
  Sohiff., 
  fischeri, 
  Zell. 
  

  

  h. 
  Ciliorum 
  alarum 
  anteriorum 
  linea 
  dividens 
  in 
  lobo 
  interiore 
  

   bi-, 
  in 
  anteriore 
  semel-interrupta 
  — 
  acanthodactylus, 
  Hb., 
  

   cosmodactylus, 
  Hb. 
  

  

  * 
  Spelt 
  AciptiliuSi 
  p. 
  363, 
  and 
  Aciptilus, 
  p. 
  381. 
  

  

  