﻿GENERAL 
  BIOLOGICAL 
  CHARACTERS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ALUCITIDES. 
  115 
  

  

  The 
  outline 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  of 
  the 
  Oidaematophorids 
  and 
  Leioptilids 
  

   does 
  not 
  appear, 
  superficially, 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  unlike 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Stenoptiliids. 
  

   Really, 
  however, 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  marked 
  and 
  characteristic 
  differences, 
  

   of 
  which 
  one 
  may 
  notice 
  the 
  tendency 
  for 
  the 
  angular 
  points 
  to 
  become 
  

   obsolete, 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  linear, 
  and 
  the 
  fringes 
  to 
  extend 
  far 
  round 
  the 
  

   apices 
  and 
  the 
  anal 
  angles, 
  and 
  into 
  the 
  cleft, 
  whilst, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  

   the 
  cleft 
  tends 
  to 
  become 
  deeper 
  and 
  the 
  lobe 
  more 
  feathery, 
  this 
  type 
  

   culminating 
  in 
  the 
  beautiful 
  and 
  highly 
  specialised 
  wing 
  of 
  Alucita 
  

   pentadactyla. 
  The 
  fore 
  wing 
  of 
  Merrifieldia 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  type 
  as 
  that 
  

   of 
  Alucita, 
  but 
  is 
  slightly 
  modified 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  upper 
  apex 
  turns 
  up 
  

   sickle-like. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  generalised 
  wing-shape 
  on 
  

   this 
  side 
  — 
  Emmelina 
  (monodactyla), 
  etc. 
  — 
  folds 
  into 
  a 
  tube 
  when 
  the 
  

   insect 
  is 
  at 
  rest, 
  very 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  Agdistis, 
  and 
  one 
  suspects 
  that 
  the 
  

   rolling 
  may 
  have 
  produced 
  weak 
  lines 
  in 
  the 
  folds 
  that 
  may 
  have 
  

   given 
  the 
  first 
  step 
  towards 
  division. 
  The 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   remarkable 
  falcate 
  apex 
  in 
  Uroloba 
  (Nov. 
  Lep., 
  pi. 
  xii., 
  fig. 
  8), 
  a 
  genus 
  

   from 
  Valparaiso, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  short 
  fissure 
  is 
  pushed 
  up, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  

   close 
  under 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  is 
  quite 
  unique 
  in 
  our 
  experience 
  ; 
  

   the 
  genus 
  is 
  apparently 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  Leioptilids. 
  

  

  The 
  evolution 
  of 
  the 
  hiudwing 
  is 
  such 
  that 
  it 
  tends 
  to 
  divide 
  into 
  

   three 
  plumules, 
  the 
  wing 
  breaking 
  up 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  apical 
  (radial) 
  and 
  

   cubital 
  areas 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  a 
  fissure, 
  and 
  the 
  cubital 
  and 
  anal 
  by 
  

   another 
  fissure, 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  usually 
  much 
  more 
  deeply 
  cleft 
  than 
  the 
  

   former. 
  The 
  first 
  fissure, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  obsolescence 
  of 
  the 
  

   outer 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  median 
  area 
  (as 
  in 
  the 
  forewing), 
  the 
  second 
  by 
  the 
  

   obsolescence 
  of 
  the 
  comparatively 
  bare 
  folded 
  portion 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  

   anal 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  ; 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  nervures 
  here 
  may 
  have 
  

   produced 
  an 
  easier 
  line 
  of 
  cleavage 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  median 
  area, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  

   evidently 
  the 
  first 
  cleft 
  formed. 
  Of 
  the 
  known 
  plumes 
  with 
  undivided 
  

   hindwings, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Agdistid 
  and 
  Atomopterygid 
  species 
  are 
  ap- 
  

   parently 
  on 
  a 
  distinct 
  line 
  of 
  development, 
  when 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  

   fOchyroticid 
  and 
  Steganodactylid 
  species. 
  In 
  the 
  former, 
  the 
  outer 
  margin 
  

   is 
  regularly 
  concave, 
  and 
  the 
  folds, 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  future 
  fissures, 
  are 
  well 
  

   defined, 
  whilst 
  the 
  hindwings 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  two 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   defined 
  concave 
  marginal 
  hollows, 
  suggesting 
  already 
  some 
  progress 
  

   towards 
  suppression 
  of 
  the 
  wing-areas 
  that 
  finally 
  become 
  fissures. 
  We 
  

   have 
  already 
  (antea) 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  forewings, 
  palpi, 
  and 
  structure 
  

   of 
  the 
  legs, 
  indicate 
  Agdistid 
  and 
  Platyptiliid 
  affinities 
  respectively. 
  

   Even 
  in 
  Ochyrotica 
  and 
  Steganodactyla, 
  as 
  illustrated 
  by 
  fasciata 
  on 
  

   the 
  one 
  hand, 
  and 
  concursa 
  and 
  connexiva 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  there 
  is 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  difference 
  (Walsingham, 
  New 
  Genera 
  of 
  Agdistidae 
  and 
  Pterophoridae, 
  

   1892, 
  pi. 
  xii., 
  figs. 
  2, 
  3, 
  4), 
  for 
  the 
  Steganodactylid 
  species 
  show 
  much 
  

   more 
  scalloping 
  than 
  the 
  Ochyroticid. 
  In 
  both, 
  however, 
  the 
  seven 
  

   nervures 
  of 
  the 
  hindwings 
  are 
  separate. 
  The 
  deep 
  scalloping 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  

   correct 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  clefts, 
  viz,, 
  between 
  the 
  median 
  and 
  cubital 
  

   areas 
  and 
  the 
  cubital 
  and 
  anal. 
  

  

  Examination 
  of 
  the 
  Stenoptiliid 
  hindwing 
  shows, 
  not 
  only 
  that 
  

   the 
  plumules 
  are 
  dissimilar 
  in 
  form, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  

   have 
  both 
  distinct 
  apical 
  points 
  and 
  anal 
  angles, 
  whilst 
  the 
  fissure 
  

   between 
  them 
  is 
  very 
  wide 
  hut 
  not 
  very 
  deeply 
  elefi 
  : 
  the 
  two 
  corres- 
  

   ponding 
  feathers 
  in 
  the 
  Platyptiliids 
  are 
  not 
  dissimilar 
  except 
  that 
  the 
  

   apex 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  plumule 
  is 
  considerably 
  cut 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  costa, 
  the 
  

   fissures 
  are 
  very 
  similar 
  in 
  both 
  groups 
  and 
  the 
  neuration 
  practically 
  

   identical: 
  the 
  Oxyptilid 
  wing, 
  has, 
  however, 
  been 
  much 
  modified, 
  the 
  

  

  