EP1C0PEIDAE; ERIOCOPEIA. By A. Janet, 
57 
3. Family: Epicopeidae. 
This family inhabits the Eastern portion of Asia, from Corea and Japan to Sumatra. In the internal 
part of the continent, one meets with them in China, Thibet, the Himilayas and the Pundjab. The various 
forms can be immediately recognized from their outward appearance, which is that of a Pharmacophacjus- 
Although not actual mimics of individual species, yet the Indian forms remind one of Indian species of Papilio 
such as, philoxenus, ravana, adamsoni, astorion etc.; (see Vol. 9, pi. 19). 
As already mentioned in dealing with the palaearctic forms (Vol. 2, p. 35) it is not easy, to assign 
to this family a special place in the system: although in the Chalcosidae the submedian system contains two 
nervures in the forewings and three in the hindwings, whereas in the Eriocopeidae there is only one in each 
wing, yet I believe it correct to place the Eriocopeidae next to the Chalcosiidae on account of the double 
pectinated (cT) respective bristly (?) antennae (Westwood), their intracellular veins and the relationship of 
their so characteristic hindwingshape to the neuration; the flaps forming the hindwing tails represent the 
subcostal, the first and second radials as in Histia and Agalope. Frenulum varies, in polydora it is wanting 
(Westwood) fairly developed in hainesi (Nagano Kikud.jiro). *) 
Like the Chalcosiidae , the Eriocopeidae are very tenacious of life; when handled they emit a yellow fluid 
from the back of the head. 
An extraordinary character of the Eriocopeidae consists in the presence of a wax-like mass, in which 
the skin of the caterpillar is completely enveloped, either in the form of a dust like powder or in the form 
actual strands, which form an actual texture as in the Indian species E. polydora. 
The family has only one Genus, but the two northern species can be seperated from the typical forms 
from India as a subgenus (Eriocopiopsis). 
1. Genus: Eriocopeia Westu-, 
Imagines of middle size to fairly large. Proboscis present, palpi small; Antennae with double pectinations. 
Legs well developed, front tibia with one spur, middle -tibia with one pair of middle spurs, rear tibia with 
two pairs of spurs (middle and end). Beneath, the sides and end of the black abdomen, are red, as also the 
fore head and sometimes the collar. Forewings with five-branched subcostal; 1 st nervure free, 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th , 
stalked, 5 th either free or else joined together with the 1 st radial; cell traversed by a forked inner vein, which 
is sometimes reduced to a forked fold; discocellular strongly angled; submedian forked at the base. On the 
hindwings the subcostal is extremely prolonged, so that it sometimes attains double the length of the costa. 
It is not far apart from the 1 st and 2 nd radial and these three veins end in a long flap like protuberance, which 
in some species forms a regular tail; cell traversed by a vein, which sometimes forks and sometimes remains 
simple and which is directly continued as the 2 nd radial. This vein is sometimes reduced to a fold of skin. . 
The forewings are smoky grey, almost black, the veins and intraveinal folds darker, almost exactly as in the 
majority of the dark Papilios of the Indo-Malayan territory. The hindwings have distal and submarginal spots, 
the latter appearing sometimes as ocelli. Generally the submarginal spots are red, the discal spots white, but 
the latter can also be more or less red and the submarginal spots paler, in which they resemble certain ?? 
specimens of Papilio ( dasarada for instance). Beneath similar to above, but the discal spots generally larger, 
sharper and redder. Very frequently a red spot can be observed on the costa of the forewing-undersides, 
which occasionally penetrates into the cell; in some forms it penetrates on to the upperside, especially in the 
forms from Bhutan. 
Larva with 16 feet; as far as known they are green or blackish, but always covered by a waxlike 
mass of substance either in meally, granular or textile form. 
E. battaka I) ohm (9i). Only ?? are known of this extraordinary species, which have been captured battaka 
in the mountains of the Battak countries of Sumatra. It is a slightly scallopped form, the flaps are more 
*) In a recent paper C. Grunberg presumes a relationship between the Eriocopeidae and the Saturniidae■ But the 
differences in all three stages of the Eriocopeidae are against this view. Slender, honeysucking dayflying moths with hairless 
waxcovered larvae, cannot be placed with the Saturniidae on the ground of slight agreements, such as the absence of the 
frenulum; and the neuration shews, as indicated in Vol. 2, p. 35, besides certain differences, considerable agreement with 
that of the Zygaenidae. Moreover this small group has been so altered by mimicry, that it hardly agrees with any other 
and in a practical hand-book is more easily found, as placed in former Catalogues, than there, where one might place it 
on the ground of quite subjective views. (A. Seitz) 
X 8 b 
