18 
PAPILIONIFORM MOTHS 
The natural relations of this singular genus are by no means easily 
to be determined. As already stated, the peculiar arrangement of 
the veins of the wings, and the number of the spurs of the tibiae, re¬ 
move it from the Diurnal Lepidoptera, whilst the obsolete structure 
of the spiral tongue, and the want of a bridle to the wings beneath, 
are characters which it possesses in common with several moths. 
Mr. Edward Doubleday (who has long carefully studied exotic 
Lepidoptera, and whose opinion I requested as to the group of moths 
to which it was allied), after noticing its perplexing character, 
observes “ that it seems to partake of the characters of Papilio, 
Urania, and that group of the Bombyces to which B. Luna* belongs. 
This last named species has no bridle to the wings, no maxillm, and 
there is some resemblance in the neuration of the wings. But I must 
confess that I see no real connexion between the two insects. My 
impression is, that it must be nearer the Urania?, some of which, 
in form, nearly resemble it, but all these have maxilla? and the dis- 
coidal cell of the posterior wings open, and tw T o pairs of spines, I 
think, to the posterior tibiae. The one middle spine to the anterior 
tibiae is found in some Uranise.” 
The relationship suggested with B. Luna and its allies appears 
to me to be only analogical; that with the Uranise is certainly 
stronger; but it appears to me that a much nearer approach is 
made to Callimorplia and some of the aberrant Arctiidae, such as 
Hypercompa Dominula, in the general weakness of structure and 
splendour of colours. There is also an extensive group of weak¬ 
bodied moths, chiefly natives of India, in which we find the elongated 
fore wings (some having them similarly marked with black lines 
between the veins), and a nearly similar arrangement of the veins 
of the wings, such as Gymnautocera papilionaria, Guer., and some 
splendid species, figured by Mr. Hope in the Linnaean Transactions, 
from Assam ; and even in Ph. Rhodope of Cramer (pectinicomis 
Fab.), we find an approach made to the peculiar form of the hind 
w T ings. The arrangement of the veins of the w r ings of Agaristaalso 
closely resembles that of Epicopeia. It is to be feared, however, 
that, from our general ignorance of the exotic forms of Nocturnal 
Lepidoptera, it will be long before w T e can speak with precision on 
the relations of such insects as the present. 
The following are the specific descriptions of the two insects re¬ 
presented in the accompanying plate. 
* Tropasa, Hiibner. Aclasas, Leach, Zool. Mi sc. Both these names were, I believe, pub¬ 
lished in the same year, 1816. 
