﻿126 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTEEA. 
  

  

  (antea, 
  vol. 
  i., 
  pp. 
  106-7) 
  criticised 
  Packard's 
  suggestion 
  (as 
  set 
  forth 
  

   in 
  an 
  elaborate 
  table, 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  1895, 
  p. 
  803) 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   derivation 
  of 
  the 
  Pyralids 
  from 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  and 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  from 
  

   the 
  Orneodids, 
  a 
  result 
  which 
  Chapman 
  has 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  pupally 
  

   impossible 
  (Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  LoncL, 
  1896, 
  pp. 
  129 
  et 
  seg. 
  ; 
  Ent. 
  Record, 
  

   vii., 
  pp. 
  268 
  et 
  seg.). 
  Chapman 
  makes 
  (op 
  cit., 
  p. 
  145) 
  the 
  Epermeniids 
  

   and 
  Orneodids 
  typical 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Pyralo-Eriocraniid 
  stirps, 
  

   whilst 
  he 
  excludes 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  entirely 
  from 
  this 
  series, 
  and 
  adds 
  

   (see 
  antea, 
  i., 
  p. 
  110) 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  structural 
  characters 
  of 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  that 
  leads 
  one 
  to 
  acquiesce 
  in 
  the 
  claim 
  made 
  by 
  Dyar 
  for 
  

   an 
  alliance 
  between 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  and 
  the 
  Anthrocerids. 
  The 
  smooth 
  

   Alucitid 
  egg, 
  he 
  says, 
  also 
  supports 
  very 
  strongly 
  the 
  suggested 
  alliance 
  

   with 
  the 
  Anthrocerids. 
  The 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  Alucitid 
  cremaster, 
  

   he 
  considers, 
  marks 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  of 
  the 
  super- 
  

   families 
  in 
  the 
  Incompletae, 
  and 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  eyecollar 
  (which 
  

   is 
  remarkably 
  w 
  ell- 
  developed 
  in 
  the 
  lowest 
  superfamilies 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sphingo-Micropterygid 
  stirps) 
  in 
  the 
  Alucitid 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent, 
  in 
  

   the 
  Anthrocerid 
  pupa, 
  is 
  another 
  character 
  that 
  places 
  them 
  moderately 
  

   high 
  in 
  the 
  stirps. 
  Our 
  final 
  reasons 
  for 
  placing 
  the 
  superfamily 
  in 
  

   this 
  stirps 
  are 
  not 
  perhaps 
  altogether 
  satisfactory, 
  but, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  

   go, 
  are 
  infinitely 
  superior 
  to 
  the 
  off-hand 
  opinion 
  given 
  by 
  various 
  

   lepidopterists 
  without 
  any 
  facts 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  

   under 
  discussion 
  to 
  support 
  them, 
  that 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  are 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  

   Pyralids, 
  which, 
  indeed, 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  superfamilies 
  in 
  all 
  their 
  

   stages 
  suggests 
  they 
  are 
  not, 
  and, 
  in 
  finally 
  placing 
  them 
  here, 
  we 
  

   will 
  again 
  quote 
  Chapman, 
  who 
  states 
  (Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  LoncL, 
  

   1896, 
  pp. 
  136-137) 
  : 
  "Dyar 
  places 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  with 
  the 
  Anthrocerids 
  

   and 
  Cochlidids, 
  and, 
  both 
  in 
  structure 
  and 
  habits, 
  the 
  larva 
  falls 
  

   into 
  that 
  division 
  as 
  readily 
  as 
  into 
  any 
  other, 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  it 
  is 
  

   almost 
  certainly 
  not 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Adelid, 
  i.e., 
  the 
  Pyralo- 
  

   Eriocraniid 
  series. 
  Further, 
  there 
  are 
  great 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  pupae 
  

   of 
  Alucitids 
  and 
  Pyralids, 
  the 
  latter 
  having 
  a 
  pupa 
  that 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  

   Macro 
  in 
  dehiscence, 
  the 
  4th 
  and 
  7th 
  abdominal 
  segments 
  fixed 
  

   in 
  both 
  sexes, 
  and 
  possessing 
  no 
  Micro 
  characters 
  except 
  a 
  dorsal 
  

   headpiece 
  (a 
  character 
  that 
  goes 
  very 
  high 
  up), 
  maxillary 
  palpi, 
  and, 
  

   in 
  some 
  families, 
  appendages 
  that 
  project 
  beyond 
  the 
  4th 
  abdominal 
  

   segment. 
  The 
  Alucitid 
  pupa, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  Micro 
  in 
  

   dehiscence, 
  has 
  the 
  4th 
  abdominal 
  segment 
  free 
  in 
  both 
  sexes 
  and 
  the 
  

   7th 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  g 
  , 
  the 
  dorsal 
  headpiece 
  is 
  evanescent, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  lost 
  

   the 
  maxillary 
  palpi." 
  As 
  Chapman 
  concludes 
  that 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  

   for 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  forms 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  other," 
  we 
  consider 
  

   ourselves 
  more 
  than 
  justified 
  in 
  deriving 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  from 
  a 
  low 
  point 
  

   on 
  the 
  Sphingo-Micropterygid 
  stirps. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  group 
  itself 
  the 
  evolution 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  certain. 
  There 
  can 
  

   be 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  A<jdistide$ 
  are 
  of 
  equal 
  value 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  

   the 
  plumes 
  (Alucitidcs) 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  Palaearctie 
  

   area. 
  It 
  is 
  characterised 
  by 
  a 
  large 
  egg 
  with 
  specially 
  elaborated 
  

   structure 
  at 
  the 
  micropylar 
  end 
  ; 
  by 
  larvae 
  that 
  do 
  not 
  specialise 
  in 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  the 
  hairs 
  of 
  the 
  tubercles, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  fleshy 
  

   tubercles. 
  associated 
  as 
  bases 
  with 
  the 
  tubercles. 
  The 
  pupa 
  is 
  especially 
  

   long, 
  smooth 
  and 
  slender, 
  and 
  throws 
  off 
  almost 
  all 
  tendency 
  to 
  the 
  

   humps 
  that 
  affect 
  the 
  larvae. 
  The 
  remaining 
  plumes, 
  the 
  Alucitidcs, 
  

   divide 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinctly 
  into 
  two 
  divisions, 
  marked 
  by 
  definite 
  

  

  