The purpose of the following study is twofold. It seeks primarily to present a workable key to the species of the genus Septis for the use of students of the Phalaenidae. The lepidopterist is dependent, to a considerable extent, upon a large reference collection in the determination of material. Such collections, however, are not always accessible to the worker, especially the amateur. In the absence of such a collection the student is forced to rely on keys. In the past, subfamily and generic keys have been based largely either on venation or on such characters as spining of the tibiae, hairiness of the eyes, structure and vestiture of the palpi,etc. Keys based largely on venational characters such as those found in Forbes's Lepidoptera of New York and Neighbouring States, are rendered useless to a large degree by the scaling of the wings, unless the specimen be destroyed to make a suitable venational mount. [...]

DuPorte, E. (Supervisor)

Typewritten mss.