Publ. 3. IV. 1928. 
NOTODONTIDAE. General Topics. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
401 
16. Family: Notodontidae. 
The number of lepidopteral forms belonging to this family in the Old World amounts to about 700 
(in America double this number), which are almost homogeneously divided between the palaearctic, Indo- 
Australian, and Ethiopian Regions. There are, however, two facts to be considered. Firstly, the tropical 
denominated forms are, to this day, nearly all regarded as so-called ,,distinct species“, whereas the names given 
to the palaearctic forms often refer to rather insignificant deviations of the colouring. Secondly, the conception 
of the N otodontidae has changed several times. American authors have taken large groups which we consider 
to be the very typical Notodontid genera (such as Phalera , Pygaera etc.) out of the family and partly established 
separate families for them or partly inserted them in other families (e. g. the E upterotidae). Thus, of course, 
the estimates are greatly altered. 
The number of Ethiopian Notodontidae hitherto known is about 350, more than half of which, however, 
became known only after the elaboration of the palaearctic Notodontidae (1912). In Vol. II the number of 
African Notodontidae (p. 283) known at that time was stated to be 100—200; soon after, in 1913, Rebel already 
counted 250; in the following pages 305 are recorded. As regards the part they play in the different countries 
and faunae, we refer to what has been said in Vol. II. 
Above all, the Ethiopian Notodontidae , like the palaearctic ones, chiefly live on trees. An extraordinary 
number of them have excellently adapted themselves as perfect insects to the bark of trees. The Scrancia 
exactly resemble a splinter of bark, the broken portion of which is represented by the white head and collar, 
just like in the palaearctic Phalera bucephala (which is closely allied to Phal. imitata from South Africa) the 
yellow collar and the lunar spot strikingly resemble the place of fracture of the branchlet represented by the 
resting imago. The Antheua which, in life, wrap their wings almost completely round their body, resemble small 
yellow fruits, such as acorns or small nuts. Pseudobarobata angulata resembles shrunk withered leaves; the 
Brachychira represent a dry leaf of a tree, which has turned yellow and in which the median vein is distinctly 
prominent and plasticly shaded off; which marking is neither founded in the veins nor in the other structure 
of the wings, and is thus apparently forced on the insect. On the whole, all the Ethiopian Notodontidae are 
rather insignifant insects of a plain grey or brown colouring and bark-like marking. Not a single species exhibits 
gorgeous or defiant colours; only insignificant, small silvery spots, which have also been supposed to represent 
dew-drops, are also found in certain African species, e. g. in Ptilura argyraspis, as they also occur in the 
palaearctic Spataiia, the Indian Tarsolepis etc. 
The extremely minute adaptation to trunks, fruits, stones etc. makes us conclude that the Notodontidae 
are not protected by internal saps (cf. also Vol. II). Their larvae mostly live on the foliage of the gigantic trees 
towering above the African steppe like shades, and in the fissures of the bark of these enormous trunks we 
hardly ever fail to find the lepidoptera closely clinging to the bark. But only very experienced eyes will easily 
discover them, for the lepidoptera whose exterior in the resting state is unusual to the foreign collectors are 
often overlooked even when they are sitting right in front of our eyes. Only single species, the exterior of which 
is reiterated in all the faunae, are easily found, because their appearance is familiar to us, as for instance 
Macrosenta longicauda resembling the palaearctic Pterostoma palpina and Lophopteryx angulata resembling the 
Eurasian Loph. camelina. 
Of the African Notodontid larvae we know exceedingly little. But we may suppose that they exhibit 
the same diversity of shape as their European allies do. A great number are presumably green and adapted 
to the leaves, or brown and adapted to a branchlet. Wherever this adaptation fails to occur, they exhibit other 
XIV 51 
