LIBRARY

LEPIDOPTERA 483
(Holarctic, Neotropical, and Oceanic), both feed on members of the CON­
VOL VULACEJE.
Acherontia Laspeyres. three species. includes the famous death's head moth,
A. atropos (Linn.), a large black species with various shades of brown and
yellow with dorsal thoracic markings resembling a human skull. The adults
are nocturnal and make a distinct squawking noise by forcing air across an
aperture in the antlia or spiral proboscis. The adults have long been feared
by the peasants of Europe as an omen of ill luck. The moths in early days won
much notoriety as robbers of beehives, but they can easily and effectively be
excluded from the hives by a suitable entrance. The huge green, yellow. and
gray caterpillar may measure up to 100 mm. in length. The death's head moth
is able to make a noise by rasping its mouth parts (Schnack). The larvre Ieed
chiefly on various solanums but are also somewhat of general feeders. The
distribution is Ethiopian and Palrearctic.
Protoparce Burmeister, 35 species (Nearctic and Neotropical): the tomato
worm, P. quinquemaculata (Haworth), and the tobacco worm, P. se.tla (Johanssen),
are the most important economic representatives and are pests of solanaceous
plants in much of North and South America. The former has been
introduced into northern Europe and Hawaii. Sphinx Linn., 31 species (Holarctic
and Neotropical): the privet hawkmoth, S. ligustri (Linn.). is one of the
commonest species in Europe and northern Asia. The larvre feed on privets
and various other members of the OLEACEJE.
Other species which should be mentioned are the willow hawkmoths, Smerinthus
ocellaia (Linn.), of Europe and northern Asia and S. cerisyi (Kirby) of
North America; the poplar hawkmoths, S. populi (Linn.), of Europe and northern
Asia and Pachysphinx modesta Harris of North America; the grape hawkmoths,
Pholus achernon Drury of North America and P. uitis (Linn.) of tropical
North and South America. The white-lined sphinx, Deilephila 1 lineata (Fab.)
(Deilephila Ochsenh.), cosmopolitan and the most widely distributed species in
the family, is often abundant and injurious to a large variety of plants. Th"
adults often fly during the day. The spurge hawkmotb, D. euphorbire (Linn.), and
the sea buckthorn hawkmoth, D. hippoPhJ3s (Esper), of Europe and the Caucasus,
and the madder hawkmoth, D. galli (Rottenberg), are all Palrearctic.
The oleander hawkmoth, Dapknz's nerii (Linn.), is Ethiopian, Palrearctic, and
Oriental. .
(19) Superfamily GEOMETROIDEA Forbes 1928
KEY TO IMPORTANT FAMILIES
1. Fore wings with areole usually present 2
Fore wings with areole absent . 4
2. Hind wings with Sc + R, and R, coalesced for a short distance near the
beginning of the half of the discal cell. thence rapidly diverging; fore
wings with Rl often {using with areole and never fusing with Se.
t The genus DoilePhila was erected by Laspeyres in 1809 whereas the genlls CeleTio was not
established until ]815 by Oken. Therefore the former has priority.