﻿PLATYPTILIIME. 
  153 
  

  

  the 
  attached 
  posterior 
  segments. 
  They 
  also 
  carry 
  over 
  the 
  larval 
  

   tubercular 
  structures 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  modified 
  form 
  into 
  this 
  stage. 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  pointed 
  out, 
  the 
  oval, 
  larval, 
  pupal 
  

   and 
  imaginal 
  characters 
  suggest 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  this 
  superfamily 
  

   into 
  two 
  main 
  family 
  divisions 
  — 
  the 
  Platyptiliidae 
  and 
  Alucitidae. 
  

   These 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  diagnosed 
  (antea, 
  p. 
  127). 
  The 
  Platyptiliid 
  

   egg 
  is 
  larger, 
  fuller, 
  and 
  more 
  cylindrical, 
  with 
  the 
  micropylar 
  end 
  

   somewhat 
  flattened 
  ; 
  the 
  Alucitid 
  egg 
  is 
  flatter, 
  the 
  two 
  ends 
  more 
  

   alike, 
  and 
  the 
  outline 
  more 
  markedly 
  oval. 
  The 
  Platyptiliid 
  larvae 
  

   are, 
  when 
  young, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  throughout 
  life, 
  internal 
  feeders, 
  of 
  a 
  

   form 
  that 
  is 
  fairly 
  cylindrical, 
  whilst 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Alucitines 
  are 
  chiefly 
  

   external 
  feeders, 
  and 
  considerably 
  flattened. 
  The 
  Platyptiliid 
  larvae 
  of 
  

   Marasmareha, 
  Stenoptilia, 
  etc., 
  although 
  external 
  feeders 
  after 
  hyber- 
  

   nation, 
  retain 
  a 
  very 
  typical 
  cylindrical 
  outline, 
  whilst 
  the 
  Alucitine 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  Hellinsia, 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  Adaina 
  (an 
  internal 
  feeder 
  

   throughout 
  life), 
  are 
  a 
  little 
  flattened. 
  The 
  Platyptiliine 
  (sens, 
  strict.) 
  

   larvae, 
  too, 
  have 
  enlarged 
  unjointed 
  secondary 
  skin-points, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   Alucitines 
  being, 
  except 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  cases, 
  entirely 
  without 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  Platyptiliid 
  pupa 
  is, 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  Alucitid, 
  smooth, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  being 
  usually 
  abundantly 
  supplied 
  with 
  complicated 
  wart-like 
  

   structures 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  the 
  larval 
  stage 
  ; 
  the 
  former, 
  too, 
  is 
  longer 
  

   and 
  more 
  cylindrical, 
  the 
  latter 
  somewhat 
  shorter 
  and 
  more 
  flattened, 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  fringes 
  of 
  fine 
  hairs, 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  wings, 
  legs 
  and 
  antennae 
  

   of 
  the 
  Alucitine 
  pupa, 
  e.g., 
  Oidaemaiophorus 
  (lithodactyla), 
  Ovendenia 
  

   (septodactyla) 
  , 
  Porrittia 
  (galactodactyla), 
  etc., 
  are 
  entirely 
  wanting 
  in 
  most 
  

   Platyptiliid 
  pupae, 
  e.g., 
  Eucnemidophorits 
  (rhododactyla), 
  Platyptilia 
  

   (isodactylus), 
  etc. 
  The 
  fine 
  regular 
  transverse 
  wrinkles, 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   Agdistid 
  pupa, 
  are 
  also 
  present, 
  and 
  hardly 
  more 
  irregularly, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Platyptiliine 
  pupa, 
  whilst 
  in 
  the 
  Alucitine 
  pupa, 
  markedly 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  

   Oidaematophorus 
  (lithodactyla), 
  they 
  are 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  coarser. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Platyptiliid 
  imagines 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  tendency 
  towards 
  a 
  

   triangular 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  forewing, 
  with 
  somewhat 
  pointed 
  angular 
  apex, 
  

   considerable 
  length 
  of 
  outer 
  margin, 
  and 
  marked 
  development 
  of 
  anal 
  

   angle, 
  the 
  outer 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  fissure 
  also 
  showing 
  distinct 
  angulation. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Alucitine 
  forewing, 
  the 
  plumules 
  are 
  more 
  linear, 
  the 
  apical 
  

   and 
  anal 
  angles 
  obsolete, 
  and 
  their 
  edges 
  strongly 
  fringed 
  for 
  some 
  

   distance 
  along 
  the 
  costal 
  and 
  inner 
  margins. 
  The 
  Platyptiliid 
  hind- 
  

   wing 
  is 
  usually 
  less 
  deeply 
  fissured 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Alucitines, 
  and, 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  outer 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  plumules 
  still 
  retains 
  some 
  distinct 
  sign 
  

   of 
  the 
  hind-marginal 
  outline 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  in 
  the 
  former, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Alucitine 
  plumules 
  is 
  obsolete 
  and 
  the 
  plumules 
  more 
  lineated. 
  The 
  

   most 
  characteristic 
  imaginal 
  feature, 
  however, 
  is 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  $ 
  

   frenulum, 
  this 
  character 
  being, 
  indeed, 
  quite 
  critical 
  as 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  families, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Platyptiliid 
  imago 
  with 
  a 
  single, 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  Alucitine 
  with 
  a 
  double, 
  spina. 
  In 
  this 
  respect 
  the 
  Agdistids 
  show 
  

   alliance 
  with 
  the 
  Platyptiliids 
  and 
  not 
  with 
  the 
  Alucitids. 
  

  

  Family 
  : 
  Platyptiliidje. 
  

   The 
  family 
  name 
  for 
  this 
  group 
  is 
  founded 
  on 
  Platyptilicn 
  , 
  Hb., 
  the 
  

   first 
  coitus 
  of 
  Hiibner's 
  family 
  Obtusae 
  (Verzeichniss, 
  p. 
  129), 
  the 
  other 
  

   coitus 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  being 
  Amblyptiliae. 
  In 
  this 
  family 
  there 
  are 
  

   apparently 
  four 
  distinct 
  subfamilies, 
  the 
  Platyptiliinae, 
  the 
  Ambly- 
  

   ptiliinae, 
  the 
  Stmoptiiliinae, 
  and 
  the 
  Oxyptilinae, 
  although 
  the 
  

   second 
  and 
  third 
  are 
  very 
  closely 
  allied. 
  Of 
  these, 
  on 
  many 
  

  

  