LITHOSIINAE. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
119 
set off by purple bands (generally found in collections under the old name Bizone ), the delicately dotted Siccia > 
which have been already described in the Palaearctic Part, the tri-coloured Scaptesyle, the mimetic Caprimirna, 
the genus Iletna (corresponding to the former name Lithosia), one of the most typical genera ol the family, 
and finally Lambola and Scoliacma, which have recently furnished numerous new species. Thus this apparently 
so very complicated family is after all comparatively simple, the difficulties having only been created by a 
two rigid application of the scheme of neuration. 
This simplicity in the structure of the Lithosiidae is also confirmed by the great resemblance of the 
larvae. I have been able to breed Lithosiidae from their larvae on all 5 Continents, and in no case have 
I ever been in doubt whether a certain caterpillar belonged to this family or not. The larvae of the South 
Australian Butane terminalis hardly differ in their general appearance from those of Endrosa aurita from the 
European Alps. On the contrary we find the same general resemblance as among the closely allied Nolinae, 
among which we notice f. i. that the Australian Boeselia metallopa carries the cast-off empty headshells arran¬ 
ged one upon the other on a tuft of hair in the some curious manner as Piepers has described it of R. usti- 
pennis from Java. 
Among the special characteristics of the Lithosiinae we remark the following: Head uncommonly broad, 
frons large, flat, on the sides small, eyes bulging, black. Antennae quite simple or short pectinate, frequently 
with two tufts of hair at base. Palpi nearly always short, slightly porrect or shortly upturned, never reaching 
the vertex. Thorax and abdomen delicate, the former globular, the latter smooth, with flattened scales, but 
without conspicuous crests, hardly ever reaching the anal angle. Forewings mostly very long, lanceolate; the 
hindwings are uncommonly large, and must therefore be laid in folds in order to find room under the narrow 
forewings, the latter generally overlapping. The larvae are long, sparsely covered with hair and tubercles; 
they feed on lichens, are very vivacious and move surprisingly quickly. When disturbed they descend by a 
thread and run away. Pupa glistening, often as if polished, embedded in a loose cocoon which often only 
consists of a few threads. The imago flies for the most part at nighttime, but not exclusively; they generally 
sit in the grass or on the underside of leaves, or visit flowers. The many species are very evenly distributed, 
there being, with the exception of a few desolate, far remote islands, hardly any country on the globe with 
not too rigid a climate where the Lithosiids are not represented. 
It cannot be said that they show any particular adaptibility or tendency toward mimicry, although 
such have been observed in exceptional cases. Thus in the South-Australian species Butane terminalis and 
Asura lydia which show a most astonishing outward resemblance, we are justified to assume mimicry from 
the fact that they are not only occurring together in the same locality, but also at the same, rather uncommon 
season of early spring (October), and are both found under stones on the ground. When, during one of my 
first excursions in the vicinity of Sydney, I once turned over a rock, I found under it, side by side, the ? 
of A. lydia (figured on pi. 18 f), and the cf of Eut. terminalis (18 g) which I of course considered to belong 
to the same species. Also in some Museums I have seen Asura lydia peacefully arranged side by side 
with But. terminalis. 
An adaptation of the imago to its surroundings has been rarely observed, of the larva hardly ever. 
Occasionally the colour of the wings reminds one of lichens, rarely it resembles grey bark, but is on the 
contrary very often adorned with stricking bands. I have seen the pale yellow European species of Lithosia 
flying around the blossoms of Echium in full sunshine. Stigmatophora and Philea cfcf leave in open daylight 
on the least disturbance their grassy shelter, and Endrosa may be seen on the slopes of the Alps and on 
rocky ledges flying about in bright sunshine. Miltochrista prefers visiting flowering plants in daytime, and of 
Oeonistis quadra one encounters not only the c?cf but also the ?? in open woods during the hottest hours of 
sunshine in July. 
All these facts render it evident that they possess some sort of invisible protection which probably de¬ 
pends upon the oily substance ejected from the dorsal glands of these butterflies as soon as they are touched. 
Also in their habits they remind us of those Lepidoptera which protect themselves by the juice of their body, 
like f. i. the Zygaenids. For although they fly in daytime, the Lithosiinae are anything but shy, and may 
with some little care nearly always be captured with the glass. For some other reason many of them are 
not at all able to fly away rapidly, and have they finally succeeded, their flight is rarely enduring, generally 
only to the nearest branch. Many do not even rise when they are touched. 
Most Lithosiinae hold their wings in a most characteristic manner, the hindwings being folded together 
many times in fan-shape, which alone enables them to be covered by the narrow lanceolate forewings; the 
more so since the latter as a rule overlap one another to such an extent that one is largely hidden under 
the other, and that when at rest the wings, although much longer, hardly appear any wider than the body. 
This shape assumed when at rest by the Lithosiidae, which resembles that of small Blattids, offers them 
another means of protection than by flight, namely by hiding themselves in the grass. Being disturbed, they 
