﻿114 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  ever, 
  certainly 
  very 
  primitive. 
  The 
  essential 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  undivided 
  

   Agdistid 
  wing 
  is 
  the 
  naked 
  fringeless 
  space 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  forewings 
  in 
  

   the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  cleft 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  normal 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   group, 
  and 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  wedge-shaped 
  area 
  much 
  more 
  sparsely 
  

   scaled 
  than 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  the 
  area 
  being 
  formed 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  

   drawn 
  from 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  median 
  nervure, 
  

   and 
  another 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  to 
  the 
  outer 
  margin 
  (at 
  about 
  one-half 
  

   between 
  the 
  apex 
  and 
  anal 
  angle). 
  (2) 
  The 
  Platyptiliid 
  type 
  as 
  

   illustrated 
  by 
  Qchyrotica 
  and 
  Steganodactyla. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  side, 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  genus 
  Heptaloba 
  (Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag., 
  

   xxi., 
  p. 
  175), 
  described 
  for 
  the 
  Cingalese 
  species 
  argyriodactyla, 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  forewings 
  are 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  lobes 
  to 
  beyond 
  the 
  middle 
  

   of 
  the 
  wing, 
  the 
  anterior 
  and 
  posterior 
  lobes 
  being 
  then 
  subdivided, 
  

   the 
  upper 
  to 
  half, 
  the 
  lower 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  half, 
  its 
  length, 
  the 
  fringes 
  

   of 
  the 
  topmost 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  running 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  at 
  the 
  

   apex, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  other 
  divisions 
  ending 
  more 
  abruptly. 
  Wals- 
  

   ingham 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  allied 
  to 
  Amblyptilia, 
  having 
  the 
  

   first 
  pair 
  of 
  spines 
  on 
  the 
  hindlegs 
  equal 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  length 
  as 
  in 
  

   that 
  genus. 
  Deuterocopus, 
  created 
  (Linn. 
  Ent., 
  vi., 
  p. 
  402) 
  by 
  Zeller, 
  

   for 
  tengstroemi, 
  a 
  Javan 
  species, 
  has 
  three 
  lobes 
  to 
  the 
  forewings, 
  the 
  

   wings 
  being 
  described 
  as 
  " 
  semitrifid, 
  i.e., 
  bifid 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  

   bifid 
  ; 
  the 
  hindwings 
  divided 
  into 
  three 
  digits, 
  the 
  third 
  shortened." 
  

  

  The 
  wing 
  evolution 
  in 
  the 
  Palaearctic 
  plumes, 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  simple." 
  

   The 
  Stenoptiliids 
  have 
  a 
  cleft 
  forewing, 
  the 
  general 
  form 
  and 
  outline 
  

   of 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  unlike 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  divided 
  Agdistid 
  wing, 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  

   lower 
  lobes 
  having 
  an 
  apical 
  and 
  anal 
  angle 
  developed, 
  and, 
  in 
  this 
  

   respect, 
  it 
  agrees 
  with 
  the 
  Platyptiliids 
  [sens, 
  lat.), 
  in 
  which, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  apical 
  and 
  anal 
  angles 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  strongly 
  developed, 
  in 
  

   Gillmeria 
  becoming 
  almost 
  falcate 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  at 
  apex, 
  and 
  in 
  

   Amblyptilia, 
  etc., 
  having 
  the 
  anal 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  specially 
  

   prolonged 
  downwards 
  ; 
  so 
  marked 
  are 
  these 
  characters 
  that 
  one 
  almost 
  

   suspects 
  an 
  independent 
  development 
  from 
  a 
  form 
  represented 
  by 
  Stegano- 
  

   dactyla 
  rather 
  than 
  Agdistis. 
  The 
  forewing 
  of 
  the 
  Oxyptilids 
  is 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  a 
  Platyptiliid 
  (sens, 
  lat.) 
  derivative, 
  specialised 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  lobe 
  becoming 
  narrowed, 
  somewhat 
  curved 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  and 
  termi- 
  

   nating 
  in 
  a 
  point, 
  without 
  a 
  well-defined 
  anal 
  angle, 
  whilst 
  the 
  excavate 
  

   hind 
  lobe 
  has 
  the 
  apex 
  somewhat 
  produced, 
  and 
  a 
  prominent 
  anal 
  angle. 
  

   Trichoptilus 
  and 
  Buckleria 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  extremes 
  in 
  this 
  direction, 
  the 
  

   lobes 
  being 
  very 
  slender, 
  diverging, 
  and 
  without 
  the 
  anal 
  angle 
  on 
  either. 
  

  

  But 
  Walsingham 
  notes 
  (Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag., 
  xxvii., 
  p. 
  216) 
  a 
  possible 
  alliance 
  of 
  

   Atomopteryx 
  with 
  these 
  genera, 
  stating 
  that 
  though 
  "this 
  genus 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  

   allied 
  to 
  Agdistis, 
  it 
  approaches 
  Stenoptycha, 
  Zell., 
  and 
  Scoptonoma, 
  Zell., 
  not 
  only 
  

   in 
  neuration, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  palpi, 
  which 
  are 
  less 
  abrupt 
  and 
  rather 
  

   more 
  developed 
  than 
  in 
  Agdist 
  is. 
  In 
  the 
  forewings 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  elongate 
  triangular 
  

   fold 
  extending 
  inwards 
  from 
  the 
  apical 
  margin, 
  but 
  much 
  less 
  transparent 
  than 
  in 
  

   Stenojrtycha, 
  this 
  character, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  and 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  

   the 
  posterior 
  legs, 
  show 
  that 
  Atomopteryx 
  may 
  fairly 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  connecting- 
  

   link 
  between 
  Stenoptycha 
  and 
  Agdistis." 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  Atomopteryx 
  

   {in 
  Walsingham 
  's 
  figure) 
  has 
  no 
  naked 
  fringeless 
  space 
  where 
  the 
  cleft 
  of 
  the 
  

   anterior 
  wings 
  normally 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  group, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Agdistids 
  

   (sens, 
  strict.). 
  

  

  * 
  A 
  parallel 
  development 
  in 
  the 
  Australian 
  genus 
  Genolooa, 
  now 
  referred 
  by 
  

   Walsingham 
  to 
  the 
  Pyralidina, 
  as 
  an 
  Oxychoreutid, 
  led 
  this 
  careful 
  worker 
  to 
  

   describe 
  the 
  genus 
  (Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag., 
  xxi., 
  p. 
  176) 
  as 
  an 
  Alucitid, 
  the 
  forewings 
  being 
  

   cleft 
  into 
  two 
  lobes 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  middle, 
  whilst 
  the 
  hindwings 
  are 
  widely 
  cleft 
  to 
  a 
  

   little 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  their 
  length, 
  also 
  into 
  two 
  lobes. 
  

  

  