Pull. 21. XI. 1930. 
CYMATOPHORIDAE. General Topics by Dr. A. Seitz. 
657 
19. Family: Cymatophoridae. 
The characteristic features of this family to which about 100 species are reckoned to-day, almost 
half of which occur in the palaearctic region, have been dealt with in Vol. II, p. 321. About 50 species have 
hitherto been discovered in the Indo-Australian region, about 20 in the American region. The distribution, 
however, is not yet certain, since many species placed to this family must still be proved to belong to the 
Cymatophoridae. Some American species, such as Thyatira hypatia Drc. and Polyploca anirae Dgn., must be 
placed to the Noctuae, where they have also been ranged, nor will the group Axia-Epicimelia placed to this 
family permanently remain here. As a matter of fact, the only distinctive mark hitherto acknowledged i. e. 
the course of veins 7 and 8 on the hindwing does not suffice for decisively characterising a family. 
Even after the separation of this group of Epicimelia-Axia strongly resembling the Geometrids, the 
family is split into two evidently heterogeneous groups. The first seems to approach some Notodontidae from 
which family, according to Hampson, the Cymatophoridae have directly issued, beside the Sphingidae on the 
one hand and the Eupterotidae on the other. But the name Eupterotidae in this sense does not apply so much 
to the large Indian forms as to the allies of the American genus Apatelodes for which, in Vol. VI, the sub¬ 
family of the Zanolinae ranged under the Bomhycidae has been established *). The former attempts of classi¬ 
fying them among the Noctuidae have been given up long ago. 
On the whole, they undoubtedly represent a phylogenetically very old group, perhaps the last remains 
of a tribe once numerous in species. This assumption is supported by the vast distribution of the family, 
since forms that can hardly be separated specifically or even not at all have spread over more than half 
the world. The best known species of the palaearctic region, Thyatira batis, does not only enter into the 
Indo-Australian region, but it also crosses, in quite similar forms ( mexicana etc.), extensive parts of Tropical 
America, and the range of Habrosyne derasa and its allied forms covers the greatest part of the northern 
hemisphere. Moreover, the group unites with most of the ancient families in the peculiarity of living more 
in the temperate than the hot zone. All the species which on their approach to the tropics occur in the plains 
chiefly inhabit the mountain-districts in the tropical regions. Of Thyatira batis preferring the plains, the 
Indian form — cognata Warr. — is more common in the higher mountains (Himalaya, Khasia) than below, 
and only on its having crossed the southern tropic it occurs again in numbers in the plains. 
The different shape of the larvae is due to their contrary habits; whilst the freely living la.rva of 
one genus (Thyatira) still shows a shape distorted like a Notodontid, this shape is no more exhibited by 
the hidden larvae of the second group, and in those genera the larvae of which live between two leaves being 
flatly spun together it has given way to a hunchless, flatly compressed shape. Even the shape of the head 
is strongly flattened in these genera (Cymatophora) , and they keep lying in a horseshoe-like way, adapted 
to the narrow space between two small leaves that are stuck together. 
The old age of the group of Cymatophoridae is also evinced by a certain consistency of their peculiar 
and rather uncommon colouring, as well as of the flesh-coloured ocelli on the forewings, which we are met 
with in nearly all the northern palaearctic districts and in America nearly everywhere from Alaska down 
to Southern Brazil. The various climates have changed nothing of the rarely delicate pink colour. On the 
other hand, they seem to be strongly impressed by cultural influences, by which just the ancient forms gener¬ 
ally prove to be particularly affected, and one species — Cymatophora or (Vol. II, p. 327) — is a most striking 
example of rapidly increasing melanism, and a number of fundamental works by Hasebroek argue on this 
effect being due to the progress of industry. 
*) Cf. Vol. VI, p. 693—710. 
X 
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