Publ. 11. II. 1933. 
AEGERTTDAE. By M. Gaehe. 1 1 1 
already in collecting the insects it cannot always be avoided that the legs get entangled in the meshes of 
the net, or are loosened in setting the insect. 
On the whole, the Aegeriidae are no common lepidoptera, though single species may occur in such 
numbers in some years as to become very destructive, especially since they mostly attack the stems or 
roots of the plants. 
There are rather great difficulties opposed to the authors dealing with this family, because the 
material found in museums and collections is often very insufficient. The specimens are frequently anointed 
and, in many cases, maimed and disfigured past recognition. This is very often caused by the collectors 
disregarding the rules for preserving the Aegeriidae which number among those lepidoptera that are most 
difficult to prepare. Already in selecting the pin it must he taken into account that the pins may become 
oxidized by the pungent saps contained in many of the wood-boring insects, until the expanding verdigris 
or rust blows up the thorax. For this reason only black or better Krupp’s steel-pins ought to be used for 
the Aegeriidae. But even then it is not easy to obtain quite immaculate specimens of this family. The 
mimetic adaptation demanding the imitation of the narrow wings of Hymenoptera, the inner margin of the 
forewing has been turned over, whereby the inner-marginal vein and often also the submedian vein have dis¬ 
appeared or are greatly reduced. The hindwings are therefore also differently fastened with the forewings 
compared to nearly all the other Heterocera, which fact must be considered in setting the insects. Finally, 
many specimens are without their antennae which, being transformed into thick though brittle clubs sup¬ 
ported by thin stalks in accordance with the antennae of their models, the Aculeatae, fall off on the 
slightest shake. 
Thus it is very easily possible that, by reason of the incompleteness of the material, some species 
or forms have been mistaken and wrongly classified, which will have to be corrected by future compilers; 
in many cases it seemed advisable to substitute copies of the excellently accomplished figures from Charles 
Oberthur’s “Etudes de Lepidopterologie comparee” for the sketches of damaged museum-specimens which 
were drawn from nature. 
Family Aegeriidae. 
1. Genus: Oligoplilebia Hmps. 
Antennae finely ciliated. Palpi thin, erect. Hair-tufts on the legs: a terminal tuft on the anterior 
tibia, the middle tibia with a small tuft above and a large tuft below, besides two tufts on the tarsi. A 
large terminal tuft on the hind tibia. Forewdng without the veins 5 and 7. Hindwing without vein 6; 7 
and 8 coincide. As the latter is nearly always the case, this property will no more be mentioned in the fol¬ 
lowing genera. Besides veins 3 + 4 are stalked here, the cross-vein is vertical. Type: nigralba Hmps. 
0. subapicalis Hmps. Body black with a slight leaden gloss. Metathorax and a tuft on the first subapicalis. 
segment of the abdomen with white and yellow scales; the white margin on the fifth segment is more 
distinct than on the other segments. Antennae white before the tips, palpi white in front. Abdomen 
white beneath, except at the end; legs mottled white. Fore wing black with a leaden gloss. Two white 
dots at the cross-vein. A semicircular w r hite spot close before the margin extends from the costal margin 
to vein 2. One white dot each above the centre of the inner margin and at the anal angle. Hindwing hyaline, 
margin blackish-brown. Size not stated. Burma, Siam. 
0. nigralba Hmps. (94 a). Body black, frons and palpi in front white. Forewdng black, an oval nigralba. 
hyaline spot behind the cell. Hindwing hyaline with a black margin. Legs black with white rings. + 15 mm. 
Ceylon. 
0. cristata Le Cerj (94 a). Body black. The fourth segment of the abdomen is edged with white cristata. 
above, the abdomen beneath being all white as far as this edge. Forewdng bronze black, a narrow vertical 
hyaline band behind the cell. Hindwing hyaline. The whole inner margin and the distal margin as far as 
vein 2 blackish, then white as far as the apex. Legs mottled w r hite. $ 17 mm. Java, Canton. 
X 
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