290 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



A NEW NOCTUID GENUS. 



BY WM. BARNES, M.D., AND J. MCDUNNOUGH, PH.D., DECATUR, ILL. 



The publication by Dr. Skinner (Ent. News, 1902, XIII, 141) 

 of the species Psychophora fasciata, from Alaska, evoked consider- 

 able discussion at the time regarding the position of the species 

 (whether a Noctuid or Geometrid), and also concerning the genus 

 Psychophora Kirby and its type sabini Kirby (Ent. News, 1902 

 XIII, 191; 1. c. 1903, XIV, 193). In the latter paper Dr. Dyar, in 

 the belief that /a5c/a/a corresponds closely to the generic characters 

 given for Psychophora, leaves the species along with sabini in that 

 genus, and creates the genus Skinneria ior Jrigidaria Gn., which he 

 considered wrongly associated with sabini Kirby. 



In the 4th Volume of Scitz Macrolopidoptera Palai'arctica 

 (Geometrida") Mr. Prout (p. 232) sinks Skinneria to Psychophora, 

 placing frisidaria Gn. in this genus. In reply to a query of ours 

 regarding this action, he has kindly replied that there is a series 

 of specimens under the name sabini in the British Museum from 

 Grinnell Land, which "agree so perfectly with Curtis (and well with 

 Kirby) that one cannot hesitate as to the rightness of their de- 

 termination, especially as the localities are in the same main 

 geographical region, and there is no knowledge of any rival claimant 

 from thence." He further states that frisidaria Gn. from Norway, 

 Lapland, etc., "seems evidently a mere local race of sabini," but 

 that phocata Moesch, according to the figure, is a distinct but 

 closely allied species. All these species he considers to be typical 

 Larentiids. Regarding fasciuta Skin, he was unable to speak 

 definitely, as he had no material of this species. 



The. above remarks led us to examine more closely our speci- 

 mens oi fasciata , of which we have four d^'s front the type locality, 

 two of them being co-types. We find that Dr. Dyar in his otherwise 

 excellent characterization of the generic characters of fasciata 

 (Ent. News XIV, 194) has overlooked the fact that the mid and 

 hind tibiae are well spined. This fact would almost with certainty 

 prove the species to be a Noctuid, and it would fall into the family 

 Agrotince of Hampson, which reference would be further supported 

 by other structural characters, notably the obsolescence of vein 5 

 on the secondaries from near the middle of the cell. With regard 



August, 1916 



