THYRIDIDAE OF AFRICA AND ITS ISLANDS 17 



4 (3) Hind wing often with large translucent areas. Fat-bodied moths. Male 



genitalia with small process on tegumen anteriad to uncus. Valves simple. 

 Female with secondary sac on bursa . . PACHYTHYRINAE (p. 47) 



Hind wing usually without large translucent areas, often with 5c + R 1 and Rs 

 anastomosing shortly. Male genitalia without process on tegumen, often 

 complicated, with bifid, or modified uncus. Valves variously modified. 

 Females usually without secondary sac . . STRIGLINAE (part) (p. 51) 



5 (3) Hind wing often with Sc+Rj^ and Rs anastomosing shortly. Male genitalia 



complicated, often with bifid or otherwise modified uncus. Valves highly 



modified STRIGLINAE (part) (p. 51) 



Hind wing with Sc+R t and Rs free. Male genitalia relatively simple, uncus 



always single. Valves relatively unmodified . SICULINAE (part) (p. 84) 



WORLD DISTRIBUTION OF THE GENERA REPRESENTED 

 IN AFRICA AND ITS ISLANDS 



Table 1 gives a summary of the world distribution of the genera. Of the 28 

 genera represented in Africa there are 12 apparently endemic genera. Until other 

 faunal regions have been studied in detail it is not possible to make closer com- 

 parisons between the regions. (See table overleaf.) 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE THYRIDIDAE 

 IN AFRICA AND ITS ISLANDS 



The distribution of the species is shown on maps 1-73. On these maps a single 

 spot may represent one specimen or may refer to many specimens collected over 

 several years. The exact localities and details of the records will be found for each 

 species under the heading "Material examined". 



The maps illustrate the general aspects of the distribution of the species and 

 provide a visual comparison of the distribution patterns. A small size format for 

 the maps was adopted for several reasons: (1) Lack of ecological data. (2) Lack of 

 precise locality data. (3) Numbers of specimens available, which was very variable 

 for each species, with often very few specimens. 



To evaluate the relationship between the species distribution and the vegetation, 

 information on the ecology of the species is needed, but virtually none of this was 

 available for the African Thyridids. The information which was available about a 

 few species concerned only the host plant for the larvae. Frequently this was the 

 only occasion on which the species had been bred and often there is an element of 

 doubt as to the accuracy of the identification of the host plant in the absence of any 

 plant specimens. Although the widely used divisions of the vegetation into 

 "montane, moist woodlands" was considered and the scheme proposed by Carcasson 

 (1964) was tried, the absence of suitable data on the specimens rendered comparisons 

 difficult. For example, the record of a specimen from a "rain-forest" locality in the 

 absence of other data must not be overstressed. Species recorded from this zone 

 may be living in clearings many miles in extent or in the forest canopy and occurring 

 in lower parts of the forest further away from the tropics. 



There has been fairly widespread collecting in Africa over the years and the 

 collectors were usually after Lepidoptera in general and not specifically collecting 

 Thyrididae. Therefore we have a reasonably random sample giving a measure of 



