HERSE. By Dr. M. Draudt. 
845 
bird on South-American plantations by its cry “Bem-ti-vi” (I saw you well!), is stated by Moss to be a 
particular enemy of the Sphingidae. 
The Sphingidae are of course in especial danger during their pupal stage, and it is to be wondered 
at that not all the Sphingidae descend far into the ground for their metamorphosis. Many Sphingid pupae 
are protected against the omnivorous ants by an extremely hard epidermis which is as smooth as porcelain, 
but we do not find this to be so general as in the close allies of the Sphinges, the Ceratocampidae, so that 
it is difficult indeed to understand why not all the somewhat rough-shelled Sphingid pupae are destroyed by 
the ants which are distributed throughout South America in almost devastating numbers. The biting organs 
of the ants ineffectually glide off the lustrous, hard shells of the pupae of the Protoparce, Hyloicus etc., but 
some species of ants provided with forcipated jaws and saws almost as strong as steel might find a hold for 
their maxillae on the delicate intermediate skins of certain Madoryx in South America or of Haemorrhagia 
in North America, so that one might think the pupal case to be provided with a property that is poisonous 
or repulsive to ants. Certainly the pupae perish unavoidably, even when the cuticle of the shell has only 
been slightly injured, in the same way as the hard beetles from the group of Passalidae and Dynastidae are 
immediately eaten out by ants, as soon as they come down to the soil towards the end of their life. 
The exterior of the pupae is just as conformable in the Sphingidae as in other families. The pupae of 
the trunkless Smerinthus and Pachy sphinx of course do not possess any protecting trunk-sheath which is also 
absent in the gigantic Pseudosphinx tetrio belonging to the Sesiinae in spite of its Protoparce- like shape. In 
Cocytius antaeus and Euryglottis the sheath is thick, bent down like a nose, but not yet spirally rolled up; 
this process only begins in Herse cingulata (the representative of the palaearctic H. convolvuli) and reaches its 
most perfect degree in Cocytius cluentius the pupa of which shows a trunk-sheath turning three times upon itself. 
The American Sphingidae are classified according to the same principles as the groups of the Old 
World. The Sphingidae asemanophorae contain the only Acherontiina in Herse cingulata which has undoubtedly 
flown over only relatively lately; the Sphingicae are chiefly represented by the gigantic Cocytius, whilst they 
show the greatest abundance of individuals in the genus Protoparce the representatives of which are met with 
everywhere in the whole of tropical America. The Ambulicinae have genuine Smerinthus in the north and the 
Cressonia and Pachysphinx representing the palaearctic Amorpha; they are replaced in the south by the much 
more graceful Protambulyx and Amblypterus which are provided with a functional proboscis. The Phil- 
ampelinae or vine-hawkmoths attain either a considerable size or an abundance of species and individuals 
in the Pholus, the Choerocampinae in the Xylophones. The extremely corpulent, clumsy Pachylia represent 
the Sesiinae , and gradually pass over to the smaller and more graceful shape of the Pachygonia, Sesia and 
Haemorrhagia; the Macroglossum of the Old World we mentioned above are replaced in their outward appear¬ 
ance by the Eupyrrhoglossum. 
Family Sphingidae. 
By Prof. Dr. M. Draudt. 
T. Sphingidae asemanophorae (without a scent-patch inside on the basal palpal joint). 
Subfamily: Acherontiinae. 
1. Genus: Herse Oken. 
This genus being more common in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions is of a robust build, of the 
usual Sphingid type. Proboscis very well developed, longer than the body; palpi regularly scaled. Pulvillus 
only traceable. Antennae of S strong, of ^ thinner, slightly thicker towards the end. Only 1 species in the 
American region: 
H. cingulata F. (= affinis Goeze, druraei Don., pungens Eschsch.) (90 a) is similar to the palaearctic cingulata. 
convolvuli, smaller on an average, more slender. Fore wing grey with a darkened median band which, however, 
does not extend to the inner margin, and with a brownish mixture before and behind the two double notched 
transverse lines, the posterior line being more intensely filled with white. Base of hindwing and the first 
5 abdominal segments mostly of a very bright pinkish carmine. This red colour has almost entirely disappeared 
in — ab. decolora Ediv. — pallida Closs refers to a pale specimen without any red at the base of the hind- decolora. 
wing, with a shortened basal band uniting with the discal band at the inner margin. From Pennsylvania, pallida. 
It has a very extensive range and is probably found everywhere from Canada to Argentina, in the northern¬ 
most districts probably as a bird of passage. Also from the Galapagos and Sandwich Is. Larva very similar 
to that of convolvuli and just as variable; green, olive brown, or sepia, with 8 subdorsal longitudinal bands 
and lateral oblique stripes; on Ipomoea, hidden in the daytime. Pupa light brown with a free and reflexed 
case of the proboscis. 
