206 
LASIOCAMPIDAE. By Dr. C. Aurivillius. 
impossible, at least for the present, to denote correctly the veins (,,accessory veins“) at the base of the hindwing 
according to Turner’s explanation, I have availed myself of the designations generally used now. 
The larvae must be regarded as being highly developed both according to the structure of the body 
and by their spinning power. They are always more or less densely haired. The hairs rarely are on tubercles, 
but they generally rise directly from the skin; they are seldom all a like and uniformly distributed, but usually 
very different and on the various parts of the body differently developed. On each side of the first joint they 
often form a long, slantingly porrect pencil, and on the dorsum of the following joints there is often also one 
or two erect pencils. On the dorsum of the joints 2 and 3 there is often a large, frequently brightly coloured 
spot (,,magnificent spot 11 ) formed of densely crowded hairs and surrounded by a torous margin. If the 
underside of the body is flattened and closely appressed to the place, where the insect rests upon, the sides 
of the body are clad with long dehiscent hairs. The hairs are either long and soft or short and stiff; sometimes, 
at least partly, changed into sharp black needles or replaced by scales. Beside the normal hairs there are often 
also fine usually white ,,silky hairs“ which E. Holmgren has proved to be in connection with peculiar glands. 
Some species also exhibit real stinging hairs. 
The larvae are provided with well developed spinning glands, and before the pupation they surround 
themselves with a web which may be thin and soft or very dense and hard. The hairs or stings of the larva 
are often intermixed in the web. whereby the web is often covered with dehiscent stings just like a hedgehog 
(Gonometa). The cocoons of some species of Borocera are used by the inhabitants of Madagascar for the manu¬ 
facture of silks. It is not unlikely that also other species may yet be used for this purpose. 
From the Ethiopian Region already about 400 species are known; a great number of them, however, 
are surely still to be discovered. 
The systematisation of the Lasiocampidae is still very insufficient. Many mistakes of old authors, 
as for instance the establishment of the Pinaridae as a separate family (which was quite uncritically accepted 
yet in 1909 by A. Conte) have been cancelled, but the generic names such as Lasiocampa, Metanastria, Gastro- 
pacha etc. are often used in such a way that nobody knows what they mean. If one describes a species as Lasio¬ 
campa and does not follow a certain definition of the genus, the generic name need not mean anything else 
but that the species is a Lasiocampida, and this uncertainty is neither remedied by the appended note: ,,type: 
quercus LP The difficulty or impossibility of the determination of many African Lasiocampidae is caused by 
the inaccuracy of the generic definitions. 
For the sake of facilitating the definition of the numerous Ethiopian Lasiocampidae I have distributed 
them among seven easily distinguishable subfamilies. 
As to further particulars about the habits, range etc. of the Lasiocampidae , cf. Vol. II. p. 147, and 
Vol. X, p. 391. 
Table of Subfamilies. 
I. Vein 7 of hindwing is entirely separated from vein 8 and rises near the apex of the discal cell or it is even 
forked with vein 6. 
A. Vein 8 of hindwing rises from the anterior edge of the discal cell close at the base of the wing without 
forming a basal cell. Frons with a horny protuberance. 1 . Chondrosteginae. 
B. Vein 8 of hindwing is separate at the base, but soon unites with the anterior edge of the discal cell 
in the same place or only farther from the base by a cross-vein, whereby it invariably forms a basal 
cell which, however, may sometimes be very small. 
a. Vein 8 of hindwing touches the anterior edge of the discal cell near the base in one place or for a 
short distance. The basal cell is small and always much shorter and shorter than the discal cell. 
2. Malacosomatinae. 
(3. Vein 8 of hindwing far from the base of the wing united with the anterior edge of the discal cell by 
a cross-vein, and forms a large or medium-sized, but long basal cell which on the anterior side 
generally despatches very strong accessory veins (veins). 
*. Veins 6 and 7 of hinclwing forked. Vein 6 of forewing from the cross-vein of the cell separated 
from vein 7 by a distinct ODC. 3. Archaeopachinae. 
**. Veins 6 and 7 of hindwing separated. 4. Gastropachinae. 
II. Vein 7 of hindwing rises near the base of the wing and is united with vein 8 by an anastomosis or by a 
cross-vein, rarely only closely adjacenf to vein 8. Basal cell of hindwing usually smaller than the discal cell. 
A. Vein 5 of hindwing rises almost midway between the veins 4 and 6. Veins 7 and 8 of forewing forked 
from the apex of the discal cell. 5. Chionopsychinae. 
