Piibl. 29. V. 1912. 
SYNTOMIDAE. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
61 
4. Family: Syntomidae. 
Since the publication in this work of the Syntomidae of the palaearctic region (Vol. 2, p. 37—42, PI. 9) 
the army the known forms belonging here has considerably increased and at present about 1400 forms are 
known; but undoubtedly large numbers of undescribed forms are present in collections, which have not yet 
been examined in this direction. Large numbers of these frequently insignificant looking insects also remain 
to be discovered, the majority probably in tropical Africa but also a very large number may be expected from 
the untravelled centre of South America; and also India and the centre and north of Australia will produce 
numerous undescribed forms. This is the necessary conclusion from the fact, that just recently an especially 
large number of new forms have been discovered and are being described yearly. Hamphson’s Catalogue 
appeared in 1898, according to which the little over 700 true Syntomidae of Kirby’s Catalogue of 1892 had 
grown to far over 1200 forms, including subspecies? Oue can therefore say, that in the course of 20 years 
the number of known forms have doubled. 
The extraordinary character of this rapid increase in our kowledge of this family is apparent if comparisons 
are made with other families. Possibly the most exhaustive monograph which has yet appeared, and which 
was based on the largest possible material, the ‘Ttevision of the Sphingidae ” by Bothschtld and Jordan, contained 
only 80 species more (that is about 10%) than Kirby’s Catalogue. To what can we attribute this astonishing 
increase in known Syntomidae. 
The Syntomidae are throughout small forms and frequently disguised by the borrowed forms of stinging 
insects. In the very old collections we only find very few and then mostly very noticeable forms. The 
Syntomidae were frequently not recongnized by butterfly collectors as such and were left in peace. The richest 
land in Syntomidae Brazil is especially rich in brilliant butterflies, such as Morph o. Heliconius, Melinaea etc., further 
with the day flying Castnia, so that up to quite recent times, the collectors in neotropic localities confined their 
attention to other matters and neglected the insignificant, mostly small and generally poorly colored Syntomidae. 
A further reason for the former neglect of this group is to be found in the fact, that in the palae¬ 
arctic countries with numbers of collectors, sometimes none (England) and mostly only one or two Syntomidae 
are to be found. So that no desire was manifest to make a special collection of them, whereas for instance 
the Genus Zygaena with about 100 European forms has frequently been specialized in and well worked. 
But many’branches of the family Syntomidae , contain the prettiest objects amongst the butterfly world. 
One can designate them as the Humming birds of the butterfly world, as many are decorated with such brilliant 
colors, that they glitter like jewels in the sun, as they fly with a beetle-like flight towards a flower or sit 
still with their tongues buried deep in their nectaries sucking honey. It has struck me, that just those localities 
of Brazil, which are the special localities for the Syntomidae , are especially well known as localities for 
humming birds as well as for number of species as individuals. It. is an indisputable biological fact, that 
certain localities give to their fauna a certain definite character, so that for instance some localities have a 
preponderance of steel blue some of lemon yellow, in others a bright red and others again a shining metallic 
character, without it being possible to refer this to the action of environment or mimetic influences and it is 
not surprising, that the Syntomidae are also subject to these laws, which are at present not throughly understood 
by us. Even in tropical Africa, where the vegetation is not of a very luxuriant description, and which is 
interrupted by large districts of uniform and bare sandy plains, we meet with the extremely intensive blue, 
green and shining golden Eucliromia. 
In Brazil 1 captured the brilliant and metallic Napata (Cyanopepla) almost always in company with the 
golden green Macrocmeme, the blue shining Agyrta and the brightly shining Cosmosoma , often in restricted localities, 
which besides these moths were swarming with golden beetles, metallic bugs, dragonflies and humming birds. 
In India we have actually only one Genus composed of strongly metallic forms the Genus Eucliromia. 
Some Trichaete , for instance the Malayan T. albiplaga , which I often captured at Singapore, when alive glitter in 
the sun a dark metallic blue, but the color fades quickly after death, just as does the metallic green on the 
uppersides of the living Erebia tyndarus, which in collections hardly exhibit a trace of this wonderful metallic 
sheen, which distinguishes this insect by sunshine during life. 
Mimicry is in this family almost universal and carried out with the greatest exactitude. It is always 
a case of pure mimicry, that is to say, it is the appearance of the picture, not the color, which is the object 
aimed at. We see'for instance certain Brazilian Trichura, which imitate Tchneumonidae not unlike our Pimpla, 
which are protected by a hard armour and a very penetrating smell against enemies. These otherwise blue- 
black wasps have'a very characteristic appearance in their yellow colored wingspot and their long ovipositors. 
But these organs which are not present in the moth are copied by it in the most impudent manner. The 
X 9 
