PHAEOSPHECIA. By Dr. M. Draudt. 
37 
the electric light by which, for instance, Karl E. Hoffmann has captured in Mexico all the species hitherto 
known from there. The flight commences at about 9 p. m. 
The American Syntomidae are often extremely local, some species being bound to particular slopes of 
mountains, clearings in the woods, banks of rivers, and the like. The flying-place sometimes amounts to but 
few square fathoms, and often it is a single blossoming tree or a certain bush which we may day by day 
successfully search for a certain species. This behaviour might be considered to be somewhat analogous to 
that of the Erycinidae likewise representing small, often metallic-glistening, elegant and extremelly local 
butterflies, and it is interesting to remark that also in these Rhopalccera a great number of American forms 
(more than 1000) are opposed by about 200 Indians and but 1 from Europe proper; a strange zoogeographical 
analogy! 
Extraordinarily little is known about the life-history of the American Syntomidae. The larvae are 
not very rare and I remember of having very often found the velvety-haired larvae being provided with long, 
projecting hair-tufts on the front and hind part of the body, running about on walls and rocks. But only very 
exceptionally I succeeded in breeding them. Many seem to be monophagous or oligophagous, at least they 
would not accept any of the foodplants given to them; nor does the search for pupae provide us with any clue 
in this respect; the coccoons being often very fine and similar to a small, woolly bird’s egg, are to be found 
much more frequently in clefts of the rocks, beneath wall-covers and flat stones than spun to the leaves of 
the food-plant. Still the lack of our knowledge may often be due to the fact that the mostly insignificant 
representatives of this family of butterflies being scarcely indigenous in Europe are met with but very little 
special interest, as I have said already elsewhere. 
With respect to the morphology, the neuration is to be remarked upon as particularly important. 
The fact that members of distantly separated genera often have the same model -— for instance the Euagra- 
ancl Agyrta-Wke forms, or the imitators of Cosmosoma stibostictmn —, naturally also causes secondary congruences 
among the different imitators, and in such cases the neuration, as a rule, must be examined in order to remove 
doubts and mistakes. 
In Vol. II it was already mentioned that the resemblance of the Syntomidae to the Zygaenidae is merely 
external and may in some cases be due to mimicry; it is quite unlikely that the two families are closely allied; 
this is proved, beside many other facts, particularly by the behaviour of the larvae. There exist, however, 
relations to the Arctiidae. The Eucereon and Halisidota are not very remote from each other, and also in the 
Automolis and Belemnia we may obseive certain transitionary forms. In delimiting these families we follow 
the excellent catalogue of Sir George Hampson, on which also all the important works hitherto have been 
founded. 
The head is rather small with relatively short palpi projecting but little beyond the head and mostly 
protecting a strong sucker, the antennae of medium length or long, nearly always distinctly doubly combed, 
sometimes mimetically altered, seemingly thickened by scaling and feathering, ringed in white, distorted, or 
rolled wasp-like. Eyes bare, semiglobular, rather small; forehead broad. Thorax with distinct seams, sharply 
defined collar, projecting patagia above which there are often strongly secreting neck-glands. The dorsal 
covering often metallic, frequently with very much velvety hair or also smooth as a mirror. Abdomen likewise 
very often with variegated markings, coiled, with metallic spots, at the end often hemochrome or orange- 
yellow warning-colours. The first abdominal rings in the A A °f many genera bear ventrally a large valve extend¬ 
ing in some Pheia- species almost to the end of the abdomen. The legs are mostly strong, often adorned with 
trousers, hair-tufts or feathers, the hips frequently (in the $$ oftener than in the $9) with a white, red, or 
metallic lustre, the tibiae usually with spurs of medium length. Forewing lancet-shaped, rather pointed, fre¬ 
quently similarly shaped to those of Hymenoptera and then often hyaline in order to attain a still greater resem¬ 
blance to them; the hinclwings always small, oval, sometimes only a tiny scale; sometimes they are so rudimentary 
that they are unable to use them for flying, and the forewings perform the flight alone. Most of the Syntomidae 
are about the size of the European species of the family, i. e. the size varies between that of a Dysauxes ancilla 
and of a Syntomis phegea. The neuration on the hindwing is often considerably reduced, a characteristic mark 
of the family is the absence of the costal vein (vein 8) which, however, in the forms being more closely allied 
to the Arctiidae , may occasionally be present as a short rudiment not reaching the costal margin. The forewing 
always lias a closed discocellular. As to further particulars see the diagnoses of the genera *). 
1. Genus: Pkaeosphecia IIm/ps. 
The only species which exhibits a great external likeness to Pseud opompilia mimica Druce (21 k), is 
distinguished by a strongly strangulated second abdominal segment, an abdomen being abruptly expanded 
*) There are some words yet to be said with respect to the copulation-apparatus exhibiting in the q q of many tropical 
genera such an asymmetrical structure as probably in hardly any other family. The asymmetry is effected by the stunting 
of a valve, while on one side between the uncus and valve a peculiar, smaller or larger appendage is inserted pretending to 
be a valve and belonging to the IX. tergit. Thereby the one valve is displaced more ventrally. But there occur also sym¬ 
metrical valves with the said appendage being developed on both sides, which is presumably analogous to the anal appendage 
found by Dampf in the Olethrentirme. (M. Draudt.) 
