1104 
LIMACODIDAE. By H. G. Dyar f. 
the wings, whereby the contours of the lepidopteron are totally changed. Thus it seems as if some quite amor¬ 
phous object were lying on the leaf, something like a tuberous fruit or a half-masticated raspberry some seeds 
of which are scattered around the remainder of the fruit. The larva of this strange very sexually dimorphous 
lepidopterou is no less curious; it is the South-American generic associate of Phobetron pithecium which is widely 
distributed in the Atlantic states of the U.S.A. and well known as the “monkey-slug”. One might rather take 
it for a flock of hair or a hairy spider than the larva of a lepidopteron. Its oval brown-haired body is covered 
with long fur-horns which look like the thick legs of a spider and are frequently held by the insect in such a 
way that two of these hairy formations on each side are pointing forward and two more hindward, so that the 
likeness of a small bird-spider is produced (cf. Vol. X, p. 666). 
The family abounds in such unusual phenomena and is thereby especially distinguished from those 
groups of Heterocera which it seems to approximate morphologically, as for instance the Zygaenidae. Judging 
by the shape of the pupae, the Limacodidae probably originate from the same base as the Zygaenidae-, in both 
the families the limb-cases are not firmly inserted into the trunk of the pupa, but independently developed 
and only loosely appressed (pupa libera). But whilst the Zygaenidae have been subject to a great process of 
adaptation during the most recent epochs, the Limacodidae have adhered to their original type; the objects 
copied by them for the sake of adaptation are old models — fruits, green leaves (genus Parasa), or 
spiders, whereas the Zygaenidae which are highly mimetic (in their subfamily Chalcosiinae) copy products of 
the most recent times, such as Euploea , Danais, Pierids and similar modern butterflies, from which fact we 
are able to conclude the epoch of their origin. 
The author of this group having instigated the anatomical-morphological elaboration of the imagines 
in this volume, this method lias proved most instructive in the Limacodidae. Quite a number of externally 
very similar individuals have already been ascertained to be different species, and this cognition will probably 
increase in future, so that the following elaboration of the author who we are sorry to inform our readers has 
died in the meantime will have to undergo various changes. 
* 
Xnmacodidae. 
By H. G. Dyar f- 
The name of Limacodidae founded upon the genus Limacodes Lair, may be adhered to in spite of the 
fact that Limacodes is synonymous with Apoda Haw. It is neither of great consequence that Limacodes is not 
at all the oldest generic name of the family, but Iieterogenea Knock ; we therefore do not hesitate to keep up 
this name according to the proceeding in the volumes dealing with the other faunae. 
There are two groups easily discernible by their larvae though not by their imagines. The first group 
comprehends larvae of a rather smooth type without horns or thorns. This group occurs throughout Northern 
Europe, Asia and America; certain species extend also somewhat more to the south, reaching Florida and Texas 
in America, whereas they do not occur at all in the Tropics, especially in South America. Although a consider¬ 
able number of genera occur endemically in America, they do not deviate much structurally from the palae- 
arctic prototype, neither as imagines nor as larvae. The latter from this group are normally armed with fleshy 
horns bearing stinging thorns, though single species and genera also deviate from this type. The early stages 
are known of but very few American Limacodidae. 
The oldest Limacodid genus is Heterogenea Knock (1783), as we mentioned above. Some time later (in 
1809) Apoda Haw. was established, and only in 1825 Limacodes Lair. Further genera were only denominated 
in 1855 and later since the works by Francis Walker and Herrich-Schaeffer. 
Section I. Forewing with an open forked cliscal vein the branches of which form part of the cell- 
end; A antennae plain. Distributed in the northern temperate zone. 
1. Genus: Heterogenea Knock. 
The genus represented also in the palaearctic region differs from the other genera of this section in 
the absence of the middle spurs of the hind tibiae. Only two species in America. 
