A REVISION OF THE ETHIOPIAN DREl'AN'IDAE (LEPIDOPTERA) 5 



previously accepted subfamilies of Drepanidae (see Inoue, 1962) occur in Africa, 

 and a new Madagascan subfamily, Nidarinae, is described in this paper, the most 

 readily distinguishable features of each subfamily have been tabulated below. 

 The Drepaninae as defined below comprise those genera listed by Gaede (1931) on 

 pages 4 to 40 (from Macraazata to Campylopteryx), and the Oretinae the genera 

 listed on pages 40 to 53 (excepting Sophta Walker, Nidara Mabille and Eudeilinia 

 Packard). The type material of nearly every known species of Drepaninae has 

 been examined with regard to the diagnostic characters used below. It is worth 

 noting that contrary to previous statements by Strand (191 1 : 204) and Imms 

 (1957 : 561) the species of Cilix Leech, as in all other Drepaninae, possess a well 

 developed proboscis in both sexes and a frenulum in the male. Deroca Walker and 

 Phalacra Walker, both Drepaninae species, which were stated by Strand (1911 : 203) 

 to lack a frenulum in the male, in fact possess one, and Greta Walker, as in nearly all 

 Oretinae, has a vestigial proboscis in which the two halves are short and not fused 

 to each other medially. 



Drepaninae Oretinae Nidarinae 



Proboscis 



Frenulum ($) 

 Epiphysis of fore tibia 

 Spurs of mid and hind tibia 



iresent, well 



vestigial 



vestigial 



developed 



or absent 





present 



absent 



present 



present 



present 



absent 



present 



present 



absent 



DISTRIBUTION AND AFFINITIES 



The most striking fact concerning the distribution of Drepanidae in the Ethiopian 

 Region is the poor representation of the subfamily Drepaninae. Ten endemic 

 genera of Oretinae, comprising 62 species, are known to occur in this Region, whereas 

 only three species of Drepaninae belonging to one non-endemic genus have so far 

 been taken. This contrasts with the distribution in the Oriental and Australasian 

 Regions where 39 genera and 245 species of Drepaninae occur (Gaede, 1931 : 4-40 ; 

 Macraazata Butler to Campylopteryx Warren) together with 10 genera and 76 of 

 Oretinae (Gaede, 1931 : 4-40 ; from Spectroreta Warren to Amphitorna Turner — 

 excluding Gonoreta Warren). A new subfamily has been erected for an endemic 

 Madagascan genus, Nidara Mabille. 



Africa (south of the Sahara) 



No African genus of Oretinae is closely allied to any genus occurring outside the 

 Ethiopian Region, showing that the fauna has been isolated from the Oretinae of the 

 Oriental Region for a considerable period. The extensive range and the high degree 

 of morphological diversity of many genera of African Oretinae suggests that they 

 are long-established as such. Epicampoptera Bryk, for example, extends across 

 much of West, Central and East Africa, as far as Cape Province in southern Africa, 

 and also into Madagascar. It can be divided into three, or perhaps four, morpho- 

 logically distinct species-groups. Spidia Butler is also widespread and may be 

 ancestral to the Madagascan Crocinis Butler. It exhibits considerable specific 



