130 



INSECTS OF SAMOA. 



Sterrha Hiibuer. 



Verz. bek. Schmett., 309, 1826. — Hyria Stephens, 1831 (nom. praeocc). — Ptychopoda Stephens, 

 1831. — Ania Stephens, 1831. — Pythodora Meyrick, 1886. — Janarda Moore, 1888. — Mnesterodes 

 Meyrick, 1889. — Xenocenlris Meyrick, 1889. — Argia Gumppenberg, 1890. — Andragrupos 

 Hampson, 1891. — Lophophleps Hampson, 1891. — Carphoxera Riley, 1891. — Pelagia Gumppen- 

 berg, 1892. — Aphrogeneia Gumppenberg, 1892. — Synomila Hulst, 1896. — Ptenopoda Hulst, 

 1896. — Lophosis Hulst, 1896. — Hemipogon Warren, 1897. — Leptacme Warren, 1897. — 

 Strophoptila Warren, 1897. — Brachyprota Warren, 1897. — Polygraphodes Warren, 1897. — 

 Cacorista Warren, 1899. — Anteois Warren, 1900. — Hyriogona Warren, 1900. — Neochrysa 

 Warren, 1900. — Pogonogya Warren, 1900. — Prospasta Warren, 1900. — Tliysanotricha Warren, 

 1903. — Deinopygia Warren, 1904. — Lobura Warren, 1906. — Omopera Warren, 1906. — Argy- 

 roscelia Warren, 1907. — Pareupithcx Warren, 1907. — Hirthestes Dognin, 1914. 



Another enormous genus, with a similar distribution to that of Scopula. 

 Less strictly homogeneous, showing still wider divergences in shape — sometimes 

 in the $ only, sometimes in both sexes — and even in the details of the venation, 

 while the wealth of secondary sexual characters, chiefly in the development and 

 position of hair-tufts or specialised scaling on the wings or legs of the has 

 given authors an opportunity for the erection of a large number of the " genera " 

 cited in the synonymy above. It is noteworthy that the of some of the 

 very divergent forms are so closely similar inter se, not only in structure but in 

 marking, as to be extremely difficult to distinguish. 



Speaking generally, the simpler forms belong chiefly to the Palaearctic 

 Region, in particular to the Mediterranean countries. Of the 515 named species 

 known to me (to which must be added, as in the case of Scopula. some 

 50 unworked), 42 belong to the typical, almost exclusively Palaearctic, subgenus 

 Sterrha, with a pair of spurs on the $ hind tibia ; about 240, largely Palaearctic, 

 to the subgenus Ptychopoda, with the hind tibial spurs of the ^ wanting ; while 

 the rest have been formed into a number of small and partly somewhat artificial 

 groups, which are almost exclusively exotic. Andragrupos, Hemipogon, Stro- 

 phoptila, Tliysanotricha, Lophophleps, and Mnesterodes belong to the Indo- 

 Australian Region ; Cacorista to Africa ; Lophosis and Ptenopoda to North 

 America ; Hyriogona, Deinopygia, Prospasta, Pareupithcx, Lobura, Neochrysa, 

 Brachyprota, Hirthestes, Omopera, and Pogonogya account for most (about 67) 

 of the Neotropical species ; Xenocentris is distributed, except in Africa, but is 

 predominantly Indo-Australian. 



The section Ptychopoda, not hitherto known eastward of the Solomon Is., 

 is now represented in Samoa by S. rufula Warren. I know of no particularly 



