298 Catalogue of North American Sphinges. 



The tongue-case of the pupa, from the figure, seems to be short 

 and soldered to the breast. From the shape of its body and 

 whigs, this insect must belong to a very distinct group in the 

 Linnean genus Sphinx; but, without knowing more of the larva 

 and its transformations, I do not feel authorized to separate it 

 from the present genus. 



Genus IV. PuiLAftrPELUs. H. 

 The insects belonging to this genus cannot with propriety be 

 included in the genus Chosrocarnpa of Duponchel, or Mdopsilus 

 of Duncan, to which they approach the nearest ; and, therefore, 

 I have considered it proper to institute a new genus for their 

 reception. They, indeed, seem to form a characteristic and typi- 

 cal group, peculiar to the New World, being found only in the 

 United States, Mexico, the West Indies, and the tropical parts of 

 South America. The larvas feed chiefly on the vine and the 

 plants allied to it, which suggested the name of the genus, de- 

 rived from (fiUui, I love, and iiuTieloi, a grape-vine. In those spe- 

 cies whose transformations have passed under my own obser- 

 vation, the larva; when young were furnished with a long slen- 

 der caudal horn, recurved over the back like the tail of a dog ; 

 when about half grown, the caudal horn is shed with the skin, 

 and is replaced by a prominent, eye-like, polished spot. The 

 oblique spots on the sides of these larva; slope downwards and 

 backwards ; this is also the direction of the bands in the larvas 

 of Pterogon ; but in those of all the other Sphinges the oblique 

 lateral bands slope upwards and backwards. The pupa is elon- 

 gated, attenuated at the fore-part, with a pretty long, robust, 

 rough, anal horn, notched at the tip ; the tongue-case is buried 

 and soldered to the breast, and slightly longer than the wing- 

 cases; and the fore-part of the abdominal rings is roughened 

 with deep punctures. In the perfect state, the fore-wings are en- 

 tire, acute, slightly emarginated below the tip in the males, and 

 almost falcated, with a sinous inner margin, and well-marked 

 hind-angle ; the outer margin of the hind-wings is undulated or 

 slightly crenated ; the shoulder-covers are large ; and the abdo- 

 men is short, thick, conical, and usually immaculate. Madame 

 Merian in her Insectes de Surinam, plates 34 and 47, has repre- 

 sented the transformations of three species of this genus; and 

 two aie also figured by Mr. Abbot in the Insects of Georgia, plates 

 40 and 41. 



