Introduction Almost 100 years ago Adalbert Seitz started to realize his vision as an animal which can survive temperatures below 0°C duri­ of compiling all known Macrolepidoptera of the world. He ng the winter time, the number of the notodontids included in wanted to enable the reader to identify any butterfly or moth this book would be reduced by about 40%. On the other hand species from any part of the globe. it would be then impossible to define a border. In the higher The principles of this monumental series of 20 volumes mountains of Sichuan and Yunnan Palaearctic species occur, he edited were few: all species should be illustrated in colour but in the lower valleys tropical moths fly. as adults. The more important geographical subspecies and individual forms would also be included. The text describing The system used in the present book follows generally those each taxon would be brief and refer only to the main features. of Schintlmeister 1989, 1997, Schintlmeister & Fang 2001 and As an appendix the original reference to each taxon was Schintlmeister & Pinratana 2007. The genus concept used here given. The production of a large number of copies in three follows pragmatic rules rather than reflecting a true phylogenetic languages (German, French and English) would secure a system. Larger genera are often grouped into subgenera instead wider distribution. The editing concept of Seitz, who intended of using many genera which may be monotypic or contain only to finish the whole work by 1912, was quite unrealistic. Also a few species. The morphological differences between several the economics would not approved by any modern-day species unified in a genus may therefore represent differing the financial officer of any serious publishing house! So the taxonomic distances. However the reader should be clear publications stopped in 1954, with several volumes remaining that the only existing, real taxonomic category is the species. unfinished. However the ,,Macrolepidoptera of the World" was The decision to classify a taxon as a species or a subspecies surprisingly successful. The series is established as standard is often practically difficult if we have groups of taxa showing literature today, cited in most publications dealing with the allopatric distribution patterns. I tend to treat an allopatric taxonomy of Macrolepidoptera. Even in far-flung regions and taxon as a subspecies rather than a species unless really countries one will find libraries owning the ,,Seitz". remarkable morphological differences are evident. Examples of sympatric sibling species-groups, such as in the genera Since Seitz, our knowledge of the Lepidoptera has increased Furcula, Cnethodonta or Phalera, contain morphologically rapidly. The Palaearctic region has become much better known. very similar species, which are often indistinguishable on New collecting techniques, explorations of hitherto uncollected superficial examination. The present classification of species regions and collecting activities over the whole year has led to and subspecies is therefore somewhat subjective. The reader the discovery of many new species. The dissection of genitalia should accept that nothing in nature is really constant and as a standard tool and comparison of series from various everything is subject to variation. So there are sometimes cases localities has led to the identification of many sibling or sister­ of overlapping variation in two similar species making the species. correct identification difficult. It was not the intention of this The table of the number of Palaearctic notodontids known compilation of the palaearctic notodontids to resolve all such at different times shows that, their number is growing almost problems. exponentially: Number of described taxa Staudinger & Rebel 1901: 96 species known 900~--------------------- Grunberg 1912 (in Seitz II): 163 species known Gaede 1933 (in Seitz II Suppl.}: 211 species known ,oo +-------------------------f Kiriakoff 1967: 330 species known Schintlmeister 1989: 436 species known 700 +-----------------------+- The present book 2008: 716 species known 600 +-------------------------- Notodontidae, accepted actually as If we analyse the year of description of each of the Palaearctic valid on species- or subspecies level 500 +---------------..---------,#--- Notodontidae on the present check-list (independent of when they were recorded for the Palaearctic region) we get a similar graph (fig. 1). The graph of this ,,virtual growth of knowledge", e.g. the number of described synonyms, shows that we have perhaps reached a period of saturation. It is likely, that the introduction of further new methods such as DNA barcoding 200 will dramatically increase the number of known species. The scope of the Palaearctic region is illustrated in fig . 2. It Year contains the whole territory of China including Taiwan and Pa­ 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 kistan but exclude the territories of India and Nepal. The fixing of a border is of course artificial, but pragmatic. If, for example, Fig. 1. Real and virtual growth of knowledge about the Palaearctic we define a Palaearctic species from an ecological point of view Notodontidae. 3 The purpose of this book is to enable the user to identify most not available to me, paratypes were examined. But it must be of the Palaearctic Notodontidae. clear, that the value of a paratype for the identity of a taxon is not comparable to that of a holotype. The arrangement of the species is as follows: After this, all nomenclatorical available synonyms and ho­ The number of each species corresponds with the numbers monyms are listed in their original combinations. Subjective in the checklist and the coloured plates. The author and the year or objectives synonyms and homonyms are printed in smaller of the description are cited according to the actual knowledge. (8 pt.) type. Taxa, recognized here as valid subspecies are of I do not use square brackets, as is conventional, to denote the usual size (10 pt.). true year of publication if it differs from those published in In case of descriptions of species or subspecies new to sci­ the original description; e.g. I write Hampson, 1893 instead ence the label of the holotype specimen is given with full refe­ of Hampson [1893], 1892 and Denis & Schiffermilller, 1775 rence and the original spelling. instead of [Denis & Schiffermilller], 1775 (the work was published anonymous and is attributed today to Denis & The Diagnosis is not a full description of the species. Together Schiffermilller). The following dates for the pages, plates and with the illustrations of the imago, their genitalia and the figures refer to the original description, which is cited fully in the distribution - map it should enable the reader to recognize chapter literature. The original combination of the description an insect at the species level only. This section includes short of the taxon is given in brackets. hints on individual and geographical variation, but names of ,,Tl.'.' means type locality and is cited complete according the infrasubspecific forms are usually omitted. to the original spelling in the original description or according Under Bionomics the flight period of the adults and the to the labels on the primary type. In [square brackets] are altitude of the occurrence are given. Where habitat preferences, additional datas to help locate the geographical location and host plants of the larvae, or other details relating to the life including of the actual spelling if necessary, e.g. Formosa [ = history are known, they are given. References of illustrations of Taiwan]. If the dates in the original description and the label the larvae of non - European species are also given if available. of the primary type are different, I cite the dates on the label. The larvae of most European notodontids have already been Gaede 1933, for instance, used in Seitz often generalized illustrated in many books, e.g. Spuler 1907-1913, Stakoe 1958, information on the type locality (such as ,,Japan") but the Sauer 1982, Sauer 1992, Ebert 1994, Weideman & Kohler holotype labels often bear more detailed dates, which are cited 1996, pro Natura 2000 or Hyden et alii 2006. Therefore no here. The collecting circumstances, such as altitude or year of references to illustrations of European larvae are given, except collection, are not repeated here. The latest known storage of with some less known species such as Paradrymonia vittata. the primary type is given. Sometimes this information might be The Distribution section is accompanied by a map, which not valid, particularly if I have not examined the types myself illustrates the whole distribution of the species; in a few cases also but have to follow to the information given in an older original the distribution of non - Palaearctic sister-species is shown. The description. distribution map of Holarctic species excludes North America. All accessible primary types of notodontids occuring in the The type localities of the species and the valid subspecies are Palearctic region were examined as the base for the identity marked as asterisks where it was possible to verify the position of a taxon. These are holotypes, lectotypes or syntypes. They of the type-locality. The distribution dots refer predominately to were usually photographed in the various collections (I took specimens examined by myself. Literature references are used some 19.000 individual photographs), adding a yellow label very critically and in cases where the risk of misidentification with the reference-number. In some cases I was only able to of species seems to be high, e.g. several Chinese or Russian examine a transparency or photographs of type specimens, authors, or in other doubtful cases, such references are not used which I received from colleagues. V Zolotuhin photographed for mapping. Not every examined specimen is recorded on the the Matsumura types (and other types in National Science map, particularly in better-explored regions such as in middle Museum Tokyo), further photographs of important type material Europe. Note, that an empty area does not automatically mean I received from BMNH, London (transparency collections of that the species is absent from the region.