﻿GENERAL 
  BIOLOGICAL 
  CHARACTERS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ALUCITIDES. 
  113 
  

  

  pupal 
  structures, 
  that 
  it 
  has, 
  for 
  example, 
  attained 
  no 
  higher 
  stage 
  of 
  

   pupal 
  evolution 
  than 
  the 
  Tortricids 
  and 
  other 
  generalised 
  groups 
  with 
  

   pupae-incornpleta?. 
  

  

  The 
  imaginal 
  characters 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  important. 
  The 
  divided 
  

   wings 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  character, 
  but 
  there 
  

   are 
  many 
  " 
  plumes 
  " 
  whose 
  wings 
  are 
  not 
  divided, 
  and 
  we 
  suspect 
  the 
  

   specialised 
  legs 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  stirps 
  as 
  the 
  wings. 
  

   The 
  evolution 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  worked 
  out, 
  nor 
  is 
  the 
  

   material 
  available 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  study, 
  although 
  Walsingham's 
  descrip- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  figures 
  (Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag., 
  xxvii., 
  pp. 
  216-8, 
  241-4, 
  259-62; 
  

   Novitates 
  Lepidopterologicae, 
  pi. 
  xii.) 
  of 
  "New 
  Genera 
  of 
  Agdistidae 
  and 
  

   Pterophoridae" 
  are 
  highly 
  suggestive 
  that 
  among 
  the 
  plumes 
  with 
  

   undivided 
  wings 
  considerable 
  variety 
  may 
  prevail, 
  and, 
  further, 
  that 
  

   those 
  with 
  divided 
  wings 
  have 
  developed 
  independently 
  in 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  

   direction, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  undivided-wing 
  species 
  at 
  present 
  

   known, 
  except 
  that 
  they 
  satisfy 
  the 
  definition 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  not 
  

   divided," 
  do 
  not 
  all 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Agdistids, 
  as 
  Walsingham 
  here 
  

   suggests, 
  e.g., 
  the 
  genus 
  Atomopieryx 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  primitive 
  form 
  of 
  

   Agdistid, 
  but 
  one 
  feels 
  that 
  Ochyrotica 
  and 
  Steganodactyla 
  are 
  not 
  in 
  

   any 
  strict 
  sense 
  Agdistid. 
  Walsingham 
  practically 
  recognises 
  this 
  (op. 
  

   cit., 
  p. 
  217), 
  for 
  he 
  notes 
  that 
  " 
  Ochyrotica, 
  although 
  it 
  has 
  only 
  seven 
  veins 
  

   in 
  the 
  hindwings 
  which 
  partake 
  somewhat 
  of 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  

   Agdistis, 
  differs 
  widely 
  from 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  palpi, 
  in 
  the 
  posses- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  bifid 
  scales 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  tufted, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  distinctly 
  

   spurred 
  and 
  tufted 
  hindlegs, 
  a 
  character 
  found 
  in 
  Eucnemidophorus, 
  

   Cosmoclostis, 
  and 
  Oxyptilus" 
  and 
  adds 
  that 
  he 
  " 
  cannot 
  but 
  regard 
  it 
  

   as 
  a 
  connecting 
  link 
  between 
  these 
  genera 
  and 
  Agdistia, 
  to 
  which 
  its 
  

   affinities 
  are 
  more 
  nearly 
  inclined." 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  divided 
  " 
  has 
  sprung 
  from 
  the 
  " 
  un- 
  

   divided 
  " 
  wing, 
  and, 
  if 
  this 
  be 
  so, 
  we 
  presume 
  that 
  Walsingham's 
  

   statement 
  that 
  " 
  Steganodactyla 
  (op. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  241) 
  differs 
  from 
  Agdistis 
  and 
  

   Ochyrotica 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  distinctly 
  excavate 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  hindwings,. 
  

   which, 
  unless 
  we 
  are 
  dealing 
  with 
  a 
  separate 
  and 
  parallel 
  line 
  of 
  

   development, 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  indicate 
  a 
  retention 
  of 
  sonic 
  indication 
  of 
  

   the 
  lines 
  of 
  fissure 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  true 
  Pterophoridae," 
  will, 
  in 
  the 
  

   idea 
  italicised, 
  hardly 
  be 
  accepted, 
  the 
  excavate 
  areas 
  indicating 
  

   possible 
  future 
  lines 
  of 
  fissure, 
  rather 
  than 
  the 
  retention 
  of 
  indications 
  

   of 
  actual 
  lines 
  of 
  fissure. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  hinted 
  above, 
  the 
  plumes 
  with 
  undivided 
  wings 
  are 
  refer- 
  

   able 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  two 
  types. 
  (1) 
  The 
  Agdistid 
  type, 
  well 
  illustrated 
  by 
  

   Adactylus 
  bennetii, 
  and 
  of 
  which 
  Atomopteryx, 
  judging 
  by 
  its 
  neuration 
  

   as 
  figured 
  by 
  Walsingham 
  (Nov. 
  Lepidopterologicae, 
  pi. 
  xii., 
  rig. 
  1). 
  may 
  

   be 
  a 
  primitive 
  form, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  risky 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  critical 
  opinion 
  

   on 
  the 
  most 
  accurate 
  drawing." 
  The 
  neuration 
  of 
  Atomopteryx 
  is. 
  how- 
  

  

  * 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  that, 
  in 
  1863, 
  Zeller 
  described 
  a 
  genus 
  Stenoptycha 
  {Stctt. 
  

   Knt. 
  Zeitg., 
  1863, 
  p. 
  154) 
  for 
  coelodactyla, 
  from 
  Venezuela, 
  rightly 
  treating 
  the 
  

   genus 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  plume 
  " 
  stirps. 
  Dyar 
  has 
  confused 
  the 
  Pyralid 
  genus 
  

   Stenoptycha, 
  Hein., 
  with 
  this, 
  and 
  wrongly 
  refers 
  Stenoptycha, 
  Zell.. 
  to 
  the 
  Pyralid 
  

   stirps 
  (List 
  North 
  Amer. 
  Lepidoptera 
  ,p. 
  430). 
  In 
  1873, 
  Zeller 
  further 
  described 
  

   (Verh. 
  zool.-bot. 
  Ges. 
  Wien, 
  xxiii., 
  pp. 
  327-32!)) 
  the 
  genus 
  Scoptonoma 
  for 
  two 
  

   Texan 
  species 
  Integra 
  and 
  a 
  closely 
  -allied 
  species, 
  interrupta, 
  which 
  he 
  also 
  referred 
  

   to 
  the 
  plumes. 
  Guenee 
  had 
  already 
  described 
  contor 
  talis, 
  from 
  Texas, 
  under 
  

   the 
  name 
  Lineodes, 
  as 
  a 
  Pyralid. 
  These 
  throe 
  species 
  Dyar 
  unites 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  genus 
  

   (List 
  Nth. 
  Amer. 
  Lep., 
  pp. 
  394-395), 
  and 
  places 
  the 
  latter 
  among 
  the 
  Pyralids. 
  

  

  