Article beginning on page 321.
Psyche 9:321-323, 1900.

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March, zpa] fS YaT.E, 821
This species occurs, long before snow
has gone, in large colonies, under loose wet bark and under soil, in crevices at
the base of a tree. Although most
common on pine, it lives also on elm and apple. In mild weather, it wanders
about on the trunks of trees or on the
ground, and it occurred in enormous
numbers as a " snow-flea," in Maryland,
as recorded above. Captive specimens
laid eggs between April 9 and April 13.
On April 12, I found abundant eggs of
this species among a colony of adults at the base of a white pine; the eggs were
white, spherical, and deposited in irregu- lar heaps,
I have never been able to find this
species in its customary haunts at any
time of the year after April 12 ; it is
probably at least digoneutic, however,
and may prove to be dimorphic.
ON THE LIMITS OF THE FAMILY SATURNIIDAE, WITH A NOTE ON THE GENUS ROTHSCHILDIA.
BY A. S. PACKARD, PROVIDENCE, R. I.
The elimination of so many non-spin-
ning genera from the Saturniidae as pro- posed in this paper leaves that family
very much curtailed.
As 1 pointed out some years ago,* it is
divided into two subfamilies, of very
simple larval characters, i. e., whether the two dorso-median tubercles of the 8th
abdominal segment of the larva remain
separate, or are united in a single me-
dian one,
The subfamily Saturniinae, character-
ized by having six separate tubercles
(the two median ones being separate)
on the 8th abdominal segment, com-
prise the following genera, Perkomena,
Cricula, Saturnia (I cannot see that Calo- *Studies on the transformation of moths of the family Saturniidae. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sciences, Boston. {n. s.) XX, p. 58.
1893.
saturnia mendocino differs from Saturnia), Heniocha, Loepa.
The subfamily A t t a k e was at the
same time characterized by thelarvae
having but five tubercles on the 8th ab- dominal segment, the median one being
double, resulting from the fusion of the tubercles belonging to the two dorsal
series. The imaginal characters bear
out this arrangement.
The following genera belong to this
group, beginning as heretofore with the
most generalized forms, the
exact se-
quence being subject to farther modifi-
cation : Copaxa, Opodiphtera, Tagor-
opsis, Syntherata, Rhodia, Rinaca, Neo-
ris, Caligula, Graellsia, Argema, Actias, Tropaea, Antheraea, Telea, Metosamia,
Callosamia, Samia, Epiphora, Philosa-
mia, Rotl~scl~ildia, Coscinocera, Attacus.



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322 PSYCHE. [March, iqoa
This subfamily is divided into several,
at least five groups of genera, in two
series, for example a Copaxa group,
an Antlieraea group (Anthcraea, 'I'clca, Metosamia) ; a Samia group (Samia,
Epiphora, Callosamia) a 'l'ropaea group
(Graellsia, Argema, Actias, Tropaca),
and an Attacus group (Rothscliildia,
Philosan~ia, Attacus).
Whether Rliodia, Rinaca, and Neon's
belong with Loepa, which has six tuber-
cles on the 8th abdominal segment, or
with Copaxa which in stage I has but
five, the median one being double, rc-
remains to be seen after we know more
of their larval forms.
Note on the genus Kothschildia.
As originally written, I had proposed
a new generic name for the American
Moths referred to Attactis.*
This name was proposed by MI.
Grote for the American, chiefly Naeo-
gaeic, species heretofore referred to
Attacus. The latter genus, comprising
Attaczds atlas, A. mwi and A. ed-
zaardsiz; is restricted to southeastern
Asia and the East Indian Archipelago
or the olicntal region. In fact it is
much more closely related to Philosaniia than to Rothschildia.
From a study of the venation and
*Mkr this
article was put in type and a day hefore receil,ing the proof, I received by 'Mr. Grote his excellent article, Bcitrag zur Classification der Sclmetterliiigc, ~896, in which IE separates the American species of Attacus the name of Rothschildia.
J therefore suppress the
generic name I had proposed. The characters he gives are msmtially vdnt I 11aw pointed ont in the present t i We seem, quite independently of each other, to have arrived at the same results.
other features of six species of Roths-
childia, it becomes quite evident that the new world or naeogaeic species form a
group readily separated from tlie species of Attacns of the Oriental region, both
by the larval and imaginal characters,
though in the general appearance of the
moths, the shape of the wing's and mark- ings there is a close resemblance.
Rothschildia. differs from Attacus in
the followiiig characters ; the antennae have pectinations nearly one-half shorter, and the end of the antenna is ST-il?filiform; the palpi are 3-jointecl, those of Attacus I-jointed ; the fore tibia1 epipliysis is in Rotlischildia narrow, very sharp at the
end, about halt as wide as in Attacns, in which (A. atlas) it is oval, and the end obtuse.
The tore wings are less falcate than
in Attacus, and tlie hind wings more
rounded at the inner angle, not so tri-
angular in outline as in Attacus, nor so much produced posteriorly : indeed they
are closely like those of Philosaniia.
In the venation the difference between
the Asiatic and American forms is strik- ing; in all the Rotlischildiae examined
there is no first subcostal vein (or vein 11.). In Attacus atlas, crameri, and
edzuardsii the first branch of the subcos- tal vein is fully developed, arising at a point near the middle of the discal cell, i. e., within the origin of tlie common stalk of the other subcostal branches. In this respect it is closely allied to Philosamia, where vein I1 is present. Vein I12 is
minute, very short ; I13 present, normal. In Rothschildia vein I1 is wanting, 112




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March, qoz] PSYCHE. 32 3
is a little longer than in Attacus and.the other veins of the wings are as in Atta- cus. The venation of the hind wings is
nearly the same in both genera. The
wonderful similarity of markings, espe-
cially the large, clear discal spots in gen- era quite remote is an interesting case of convergence.
The larva of Rothschildia approaches
Samia, rather than Attacus. That of A.
atlas has been well described and care-
fully figured in all stages by M. Poujade, (Annales Soc. Ent. France, X, 1880; p.
183, PI. 8.)
The larva of ^ftacz~s atlas in its final stage is provided with long finger-shaped tubercles; those, however, on the ter-
gum of the 2d and 3d thoracic segments
are very different in shape, being large, short and rounded, those on the abdom-
inal segments long and slender. Re-
duction occurs on the thoracic segments
only; the two rows of tubercles on the
sides of the thoracic segments are of the same shape, but a little longer than those on the abdominal segments.
In Rothschildia, as shown by blown
examples of RothscJzildia orizaba received from Mexico, the tubercles arc more ru-
dimentary; they are low, short, fleshy,
and are crowned with 5-7 small sharp
spinules, while those of Attacus atlas are long, finger-shaped and unarmed with
any spinules. The median tubercle on-
the 8th abdominal segment is very small, inconspicuous, and but slightly larger
than the other dorsal tubercles of the
abdominal segments. The dorsal tu-
bercles on the meso- and metathoracic
segments are scarcely larger, if any, than those in the abdominal segments.
Burmeister has figured the larvae of
Roihsch~ldia hesperq ethra, aurota, betis, and s$ecuLife~. In all except R. betis,
they agree well with the larva of R. ori- zaba ; the thoracic dorsal tubercles being no larger than the abdominal ones, this
species approaching nearest to K. aziro- ta. In R. betis, however, no traces of
tubercles are given, and in the text it is stated that the larva has no spines ; the larva is blackish, banded transversely
with deep pink-red. The larvae, then,
of the American species hitherto re-
ferred to Attacus, appear to present ex- cellent clistinc~ive characters.
Judging by the larvae, whose tubercles
are more like those of Samia, Roths-
childia is the more primitive type, and
Attacus the more specialized. Attacus
is in venation and the shape of the wings closely allied to Philosamia (P cynthia) its larva is more specialized than that of Philosamia; but the latter has begun
to be specialized in the reduction of the dorsal tubercles of the prothoracic seg- ment, which are short, rounded, and un-
armed.
Attacus is confined to the Oriental
region, while the older more primitive
genus Philosamia is represented in equa- torial Africa as well as the East Indies; it 'is probable that the Ethiopian realm was the original home ol these two gen-
era, unless Attacus separated after mi-
gration into the East Indies, India and
the East Indian ~rchi~elag-o.




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