﻿AGDISTIDES. 
  127 
  

  

  characters 
  in 
  all 
  their 
  stages. 
  These 
  we 
  have 
  called 
  the 
  Platyptiliidae 
  

   and 
  Alucitidae, 
  and 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  roughly 
  separated 
  on 
  the 
  following 
  

   characters 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  Platyptiliids. 
  — 
  Egg: 
  More 
  cylindrical. 
  Larva: 
  Shorter, 
  thicker, 
  more 
  

   cylindrical; 
  thoracic 
  plate 
  simple-haired; 
  tubercles 
  more 
  simple 
  and 
  generalised; 
  

   i 
  and 
  ii 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  separated 
  ; 
  iv 
  and 
  v 
  comparatively 
  simple 
  on 
  common 
  plate 
  ; 
  

   supernumerary 
  tubercles 
  behind 
  spiracles 
  absent 
  or 
  illdeveloped 
  ; 
  scattered 
  secon- 
  

   dary 
  skinhairs 
  abundant. 
  Pupa 
  : 
  Smooth 
  ; 
  tubercles 
  usually 
  points 
  with 
  simple 
  

   setae. 
  Imago 
  :Fore 
  wings 
  with 
  apical 
  and 
  hind 
  angle 
  to 
  each 
  lobe 
  ; 
  hindwings 
  with 
  

   the 
  first 
  cleft 
  not 
  deeply 
  cut 
  ; 
  ? 
  with 
  single 
  spina 
  to 
  frenulum. 
  In 
  hindwing 
  the 
  

   anal 
  nervure 
  only 
  into 
  third 
  plumule. 
  

  

  2. 
  Alucitlds. 
  — 
  Egg 
  : 
  Flatter, 
  more 
  oval. 
  Larva: 
  Longer, 
  flatter; 
  thoracic 
  

   plate 
  abundantly 
  haired, 
  extra 
  central 
  tubercle 
  at 
  back; 
  tubercles 
  forming 
  compli- 
  

   cated 
  warts 
  ; 
  i 
  and 
  ii 
  tending 
  to 
  approximate 
  or 
  fuse 
  ; 
  iv 
  and 
  v, 
  a 
  wart 
  on 
  common 
  base 
  ; 
  

   supernumerary 
  tubercles 
  behind 
  spiracles 
  usually 
  present 
  ; 
  scattered 
  secondary 
  skin- 
  

   hairs 
  few 
  or 
  absent. 
  Papa 
  : 
  Hairy; 
  tubercles 
  carried 
  over 
  as 
  warts. 
  Imago 
  : 
  Fore- 
  

   wings 
  with 
  apical 
  and 
  hind 
  angles 
  of 
  lobes 
  obsolete 
  or 
  approaching 
  obsolescence 
  ; 
  

   hindwings 
  with 
  first 
  cleft 
  deeply 
  cut 
  ; 
  ? 
  with 
  double 
  spina 
  to 
  frenulum. 
  In 
  hind- 
  

   wing 
  another 
  nervure 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  anal 
  nervure 
  into 
  third 
  plumule. 
  

  

  The 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  group 
  are 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  tendency 
  

   of 
  the 
  tubercular 
  armature 
  to 
  remain 
  simple, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  abundant 
  secondary 
  hairs 
  ; 
  whilst, 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  group, 
  the 
  

   tubercles 
  tend 
  to 
  form 
  complicated 
  warts, 
  and 
  secondary 
  skin 
  -hairs 
  are 
  

   very 
  rare 
  or 
  altogether 
  absent. 
  These 
  qualifications 
  are 
  subject 
  to 
  

   certain 
  modifications 
  due 
  to 
  habit, 
  e.g., 
  the 
  external-feeding 
  Oxyptilid 
  

   larvae 
  (Capperia 
  heterodactyla, 
  etc.) 
  on 
  the 
  Platyptiliid 
  branch 
  have 
  well- 
  

   developed 
  warts, 
  whilst 
  the 
  internal-feeding 
  Leoptilines 
  on 
  the 
  Alucitid 
  

   branch 
  (Adaina 
  microdactyla, 
  Hellimia 
  osteodactylus, 
  etc.), 
  are 
  without 
  

   them 
  ; 
  Chapman, 
  however, 
  asserts 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  prothoracic 
  

   armature 
  as 
  a 
  critical 
  larval 
  distinction 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  groups. 
  In 
  

   the 
  pupal 
  stage 
  the 
  distinction 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  groups 
  is 
  even 
  more 
  

   pronounced. 
  The 
  Platyptiliids 
  have 
  comparatively 
  smooth 
  pupae, 
  

   although 
  the 
  peculiar 
  skin-processes 
  of 
  Maraswarcha 
  and 
  Amblyptilw, 
  

   and 
  the 
  almost 
  definite 
  armature 
  of 
  certain 
  Oxyptilids, 
  may 
  appear 
  to 
  

   offer 
  some 
  exception, 
  whilst 
  the 
  Alucitids 
  are 
  hairy 
  and 
  carry 
  over, 
  to 
  a 
  

   great 
  extent, 
  the 
  complicated 
  larval 
  armature 
  to 
  the 
  pupal 
  stage 
  ; 
  the 
  

   latter 
  possess, 
  in 
  addition, 
  rows 
  of 
  hairs 
  along 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  nervures 
  

   of 
  the 
  wings, 
  these 
  are 
  entirely 
  wanting 
  in 
  the 
  Platyptiliids. 
  The 
  

   characters 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  frenulum 
  and 
  the 
  anal 
  nervure 
  of 
  the 
  hind- 
  

   wing 
  appear 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  conclusive 
  in 
  separating 
  the 
  imagines 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  groups. 
  

  

  Superfamily 
  lYa 
  : 
  AGDISTIDES. 
  

   Family 
  : 
  Aodistidje. 
  

  

  The 
  Agdistids 
  appear 
  to 
  separate 
  from 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  plumes 
  

   as 
  a 
  group 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  rest. 
  This 
  Agdistid 
  section 
  is 
  characterised 
  by 
  

   (1) 
  A 
  large 
  egg 
  with 
  specially 
  elaborated 
  structure 
  at 
  the 
  micropylar 
  

   end. 
  (2) 
  Larvae 
  that 
  specialise 
  by 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  fleshy 
  pro- 
  

   tuberances 
  on 
  the 
  tubercular 
  bases, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  segments 
  on 
  which 
  

   these 
  are 
  developed 
  varying 
  greatly 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  species. 
  (8) 
  An 
  

   especially 
  long, 
  slender, 
  and 
  smooth 
  pupa, 
  thai 
  throws 
  off 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   the 
  tendency 
  to 
  humps 
  that 
  so 
  curiously 
  affects 
  the 
  larva. 
  Adactyltis 
  

   tamaricis 
  and 
  A. 
  bennetii 
  often 
  show 
  some 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  larval 
  humps. 
  

  

  This 
  separation 
  is 
  particularly 
  warranted 
  by 
  the 
  larval 
  structure, 
  not 
  

   only 
  by 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  tubercular 
  protuberances 
  already 
  noted. 
  

  

  