Publ. 6. V. 1930. 
PHALAENAE; ZYGAENIDAE. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
Phalaenae, Moths. 
The relationship of the Phalaenae (the designation of which in the main is the same as that of the 
Heterocera), to the considerably more homogeneous “ Diurna ”, is still viewed m the same way as 20 years ago 
when the relative paragraph of page 3 of the main Volume was written. The new denominations for o . - 
of the supplementary work are not so numerous as for Vol. 1 and the reason for this may be that the collecting 
of Heterocera is more the inclination of scientific than merely sporting collectors. Our knowledge of the detai l 
of the life history of the Bombyces and Sphinges has therefore considerably increased, whilst the purely sporting 
mania of denominations is less prominent; only the single group of Zygaenidae has had an inundation of names 
for constantly recurring aberrations, whilst a similar flood is setting in for other favourite groups, such as t le 
Syntomidae and Arctiidae. 
I. Section: Bombyces. 
As already mentioned in the main Volume, we have included under thisjieadmg in our “Macrolepidoptera 
of the World” all those Heterocera macrolepidoptera which are contained in Vol. 2 of Ivirby s Catalogue and m 
addition thereto a few moth Families, such as the Aegeriidae and Thyrdidae, which are held by many people 
to be “ Microlepidoptera ”. Because the Sphingidae (which are much more closely allied to the Notodontidae 
than to any other Lepidoptera) are placed between the families of the Bombyces, it is apparent that this con¬ 
ventional classification does not represent a final definite systematic grouping. It would be incorrect to attribute 
any such significance to the retention of this grouping in the supplementary Volume and as expressed m e 
closing sentence of the main Volume when dealing with this section. 
1. Family: Zygaenidae, Burnets. 
In dealing with the family of Zygaenidae in the main work (Vol. 2, p. 18) stress was laid on the fact 
that in this family certain variations probably can occur in all species m one and the same direction. For instance 
species with 6 spots can exceptionally bear only 5 spots and further species with 5 spots are frequently o ^served 
bearing a sixth. Then again the spots of the forewings can be confluent in pairs or groups or all together. F inaily 
in the red-belted Zygaena, the red abdominal belt can be exceptionally absent and in other species, wiere 
normally absent, may exceptionally occur. This may characterise a subspecies or may be purely aberrative 
of a single individual specimen. Therefore certain denominations of sub-forms of a definite type of variation 
constantly recur, such as sexmaculata, confluens, cingulata, interrupta, flava etc. The discovery of such specimens 
is purely a matter of chance and it might be more important to ascertain which species do not vary m these ways, 
than to multiply the number of names year by year, when applying a denomination for each variation to fur ler 
species Already in the main Work dozens of “ confluens ” and “ cingulata ” have been registered m relation to 
Zyqaena and it seems only a question of the immediate future when the same names will be applied to those 
species in which so far they are absent. When the question of a reduction in the innumerable names m Ento¬ 
mology is seriously approached, a decision will have to be taken as to whether such separate denominations 
cannot be dispensed with (i. e. when the forms of variation are almost universal and when this can lie mentione 
when describing the Genera). Some may claim justification for the names by referring to the old ( lassies who 
had already allotted them, but in opposition to this, one can contend, that m those days insufficient material had 
been collected to give a decisive answer to such a question as this. The subsequent classification m this wor' 
does not vary from the rules observed in the original Volumes. No alteration is possible until some de ime 
ruling has been made in authoritative quarters, applicable to the entire Zoology, m regard to the question o 
denominations of individual forms. 
Supplementary Volume 2 
