﻿AMBLYPTILIA. 
  269 
  

  

  and 
  Keb., 
  " 
  Cat.," 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  73 
  (1901) 
  ; 
  Dyar, 
  " 
  List 
  Nth. 
  Amer. 
  Lep.," 
  p. 
  442 
  

   (1902); 
  "Proc. 
  Un. 
  Sta. 
  Nat. 
  Mus.," 
  xxv., 
  p. 
  399 
  (1902); 
  xxvii., 
  p. 
  922 
  (1904). 
  

   Platyptilus, 
  Zell., 
  " 
  Isis," 
  p. 
  770 
  (1841); 
  H.-Sch., 
  " 
  Sys. 
  Bearb.," 
  v., 
  p. 
  369 
  (1855); 
  

   Frey, 
  "Mitt. 
  Schw. 
  Ent. 
  Gesell.," 
  i., 
  p. 
  335 
  (1865); 
  iii., 
  p. 
  290 
  (1870); 
  Nolck., 
  

   " 
  Lep. 
  Fn. 
  Estl.," 
  p. 
  802 
  (1871). 
  Amblyptilus, 
  Wallgrn., 
  " 
  Skand. 
  Fjad.," 
  p. 
  13 
  

   (1859) 
  ; 
  Jord., 
  "Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag.," 
  vi., 
  p. 
  121 
  (1869) 
  ; 
  xviii., 
  p. 
  117 
  (1881) 
  ; 
  Wals., 
  

   "Pter. 
  Cal. 
  Oreg.," 
  p. 
  23, 
  pi. 
  ii., 
  figs. 
  2-4 
  (1880) 
  ; 
  Barr., 
  "Lep. 
  Brit. 
  Isles," 
  ix., 
  p. 
  

   338; 
  pi. 
  414, 
  figs. 
  4-5 
  (1904). 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Amblyptilia 
  (spelt, 
  evidently 
  by 
  error, 
  Amply 
  ptilia), 
  as 
  

   first 
  described 
  by 
  Hiibner 
  (Verzeichniss, 
  p. 
  430), 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  hetero- 
  

   typical, 
  containing, 
  besides 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  here 
  grouped 
  under 
  this 
  

   generic 
  title, 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  subfamilies 
  Oxyptilinae 
  and 
  Marasmarckinae. 
  

   That 
  this 
  alliance 
  was, 
  on 
  general 
  grounds, 
  well-founded, 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  

   from 
  our 
  own 
  grouping. 
  Of 
  detailed 
  structural 
  differences, 
  there 
  are, 
  

   however, 
  many 
  separating 
  them. 
  Hiibner's 
  original 
  description 
  reads 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Amblyptilia. 
  — 
  Die 
  Schwingen 
  fast 
  buntschekig 
  und 
  glanzend 
  bezeichnet 
  — 
  

   Amplyptilia 
  acanthodactyla, 
  Hiibn., 
  Alu. 
  23, 
  24. 
  Cosmodactyla, 
  Hiibn., 
  Alu. 
  35, 
  36. 
  

   Trichodactyla, 
  Didactyla, 
  et 
  Chrysodaetyla, 
  Schifr., 
  Verz., 
  Alu. 
  a. 
  3, 
  2, 
  11. 
  Hiibn., 
  

   Alu. 
  9, 
  18. 
  Phaeodactyla, 
  Hiibn., 
  Alu. 
  14, 
  15. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  time 
  onward 
  the 
  genus 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  Amblyptilia, 
  not 
  

   Amplyptilia 
  (evidently 
  a 
  misprint, 
  as 
  the 
  coitus 
  is 
  called 
  Amblyptiliae). 
  

   Zeller 
  first 
  dealt 
  with 
  the 
  genus 
  by 
  removing 
  acanthodactyla 
  and 
  

   cosmodactyla 
  to 
  Platyptilus, 
  and 
  founding 
  Oxyptilus 
  for 
  the 
  remainder, 
  to 
  

   which 
  he 
  refers 
  Amblyptilia, 
  Hb., 
  as 
  a 
  synonym 
  (Isis, 
  1841, 
  p. 
  710). 
  

   This 
  action 
  was 
  so 
  evidently 
  ultra 
  vires, 
  and 
  his 
  entirely 
  dropping 
  

   Amblyptilia, 
  Hb., 
  as 
  a 
  valid 
  genus, 
  so 
  unaccountable, 
  that 
  one 
  is 
  aston- 
  

   ished 
  that 
  Herri 
  ch-Sch 
  after 
  (Sys. 
  Bearb., 
  v., 
  pp. 
  361 
  et 
  seq.) 
  should 
  

   follow 
  him. 
  However, 
  in 
  1862, 
  Wallengren 
  rescued 
  Amblyptilia 
  (under 
  

   the 
  name 
  of 
  Amblyptilus), 
  restricting 
  it 
  to 
  acanthodactyla, 
  Hb., 
  whilst 
  

   Staudinger 
  and 
  Wocke 
  (Cat., 
  2nd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  87) 
  maintained 
  the 
  restriction, 
  

   and 
  restored 
  the 
  earlier 
  spelling, 
  viz., 
  Amblyptilia. 
  Until 
  1886, 
  the 
  genus- 
  

   was 
  generally 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  two 
  species, 
  punctidactyla, 
  Haw., 
  and 
  acantho- 
  

   dactyla, 
  Tr.,but, 
  in 
  that 
  year, 
  Meyrick, 
  on 
  general 
  family 
  characters 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  neuration, 
  sunk 
  the 
  Platyptiliinae, 
  Eucnemidophovinae, 
  and 
  

   Amblyptiliinae 
  into 
  one 
  genus 
  Platyptilia, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  followed 
  in 
  this 
  

   retrograde 
  movement 
  by 
  Fernald 
  and 
  Eebel. 
  A 
  mere 
  glance 
  at 
  the 
  larva? 
  

   and 
  pupae, 
  of 
  the 
  heterogeneric 
  species 
  thus 
  lumped 
  together, 
  would 
  

   have 
  sufficed 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  unsoundness 
  of 
  this 
  action. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  real 
  

   excuse 
  for 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  latter 
  authors, 
  since 
  Hofmann, 
  in 
  1895, 
  had 
  

   already 
  shown, 
  even 
  on 
  imaginal 
  characters, 
  the 
  unsatisfactory 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  of 
  Meyrick, 
  and 
  had 
  given 
  sufficient 
  facts 
  relating 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  

   stages 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  his 
  own 
  conclusions 
  were 
  as 
  incomparably 
  ahead 
  of 
  

   those 
  of 
  his 
  predecessors, 
  as 
  were 
  the 
  detailed 
  facts, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  were 
  based, 
  absolutely 
  unknown 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  X\'e 
  have 
  already 
  noted 
  that 
  Wallengren 
  first 
  limited 
  the 
  genus 
  

   Amblyptilia 
  to 
  its 
  present 
  boundaries. 
  His 
  diagnosis 
  thereof 
  (Kong. 
  

   Svensk. 
  Vetens. 
  A/cad. 
  Hand/., 
  iii., 
  p. 
  18) 
  reads 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Antennse 
  of 
  both, 
  sexes 
  with 
  very 
  short 
  cilia 
  ; 
  the 
  forehead 
  ornamented 
  with 
  a 
  

   very 
  short 
  pyramid 
  of 
  scales 
  ; 
  palpi 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  head, 
  thick, 
  laterally 
  compressed, 
  

   ascending, 
  with 
  the 
  Last 
  joint 
  short, 
  slender, 
  and 
  pointed 
  ; 
  legs 
  blender, 
  long, 
  the 
  

   tibiae 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  degree 
  thickened 
  towards 
  the 
  apex; 
  firs! 
  pair 
  of 
  spines 
  in 
  

   the 
  posterior 
  tibia* 
  nearly 
  equal 
  ; 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  second 
  pair 
  ; 
  the 
  anterior 
  wings 
  

   furnished 
  with 
  a 
  tooth 
  o^ 
  scales 
  OD 
  their 
  inner 
  margin, 
  not 
  cleft 
  to 
  the 
  third 
  

   part 
  of 
  their 
  length 
  ; 
  the 
  segments 
  broad, 
  the 
  posterior 
  segment 
  almost 
  hatchet- 
  

   shaped, 
  the 
  posterior 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  segments 
  well 
  marked 
  ; 
  the 
  segments 
  of 
  the 
  inferior 
  

  

  