Ɛpsilon

From A. G. Butler   24 August 1875

British Museum

24th. August 1875

My dear Sir

The moth is rightly named (Ophideres Fallonica) it ranges from N. India to Australia, & is also found in the South Sea Islands.

It belongs to the Noctuites (Family Ophideridæ),1 its nearest European allies are the species of Catocala Red-underwing moths: C. nupta would be a good English species for comparison, being both large & common: The Catocalidæ however differ much in the form of the palpi from the Ophideridæ & therefore may differ as much also in the proboscis.2 If your son3 has examples of any of the European species of Catephidæ or Ophiusidæ4 I think there will be more similarity in mouth structure amongst them; unfortunately I am just about to take my holidays, or I would relax some of our genera & tell you the result at once; as I shall not be here after today, I shall not have time at present.

Of British species Catocala fraxini5 (a rare insect) seems most similar in structure to Ophideres, it is moreover of about the same size.

Believe me to be | yours very sincerely | Arthur G Butler

Ch. Darwin Esq F.R.S. | &c &c &c

1
See letter to A. G. Butler, 23 August 1875. CD had been sent specimens of the moth Ophideres fullonica (now Eudocima phalonia, the Pacific fruit-piercing moth). Noctuites was formerly the order of full-bodied moths (see E. Newman 1841, pp. 211–12), which included the family Ophideridae. The moth is now placed in the family Erebidae (tribe Ophiderini). For more on the revision of the taxonomy of noctuid moths, see Zahiri et al. 2012.
2
Catocala nupta (the red underwing moth) was in the former family Catocalidae of the order Noctuites. The moth is now in the family Erebidae (tribe Catocalini).
4
The former families Catephidae and Ophiusidae of the order Noctuites are now in the family Erebidae (tribes Catephiini and Ophiusini).
5
The blue underwing.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10134,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10134