70 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Related to Ctdaphurus superbus, Cress. 

 Type : Coll. Am. Ent. vSoc. 

 Type locality, Massachusetts. 



One female specimen. I take pleasure in naming this fine species 

 after Mr. E. T. Cresson. 



AN ABERRATION OF ACTIAS LUNA. 



BY A. RADCLIFFE GROTE, HILDESHEUI, GERMANY. 



My friends have not always forgotten me, but have occasionally sent 

 me live Saturnian chrysalids, spun up no doubt with the intention of the 

 insect to emerge in America. Instead, the poor deluded creatures 

 appeared as moths in my German room, allowing me to deceive myself 

 for the moment that I was at home. Cy?ithia, promethea, cecropia, 

 polyphemus, io and even imperia/is, came out just as in America. The 

 only difficulty I had was with my few cocoons of /una, the moths in 

 some cases failing to expand their wings. But, if my memory does not 

 fail, this accident happens also more especially with /una in the breeding 

 cage at home. Among the examples which emerged here is one small 

 male, expanding 78 mil., which is the most curious example of the 

 species I remember to have seen. The wings are almost perfectly 

 expanded, a little unevenness of the costa of the right primary, which is 

 somewhat concave, and a slight crumpling of the costal region of both 

 secondaries, are traces of retarded development; the "tails" are fully out. 

 The eye spot on the left primary is interlined with red, and the spot itself 

 is connected by a reddish-purple bar with the purple costal margin. On the 

 right primary the suffusion of the eye spot with purple is entire, and a wider 

 reddish-purple bar fuses it with the costal band. This bar is finely edged 

 with black outwardly and gives the appearance of the eye spot being 

 distorted. On the outer margins the reddish terminal band is very 

 distinct (var. dictynna). But the most curious feature is the appearance 

 over the eye spot of the right secondary (the wings on the right side are 

 the more abnormal) of a straight purple bar, intersecting the eye spot over 

 the middle and projecting somewhat before and behind it. The eye spot 

 on the left secondary is normal, and there is no other apparent deviation, 

 except that on the under surface all the four eye spots are suffused with 

 reddish-purple. There are some blackish discolorations on the hind 

 wings, accidentally caused, I think, by body fluids. 



I have exhibited the specimen at Frankfort and at other entomological 

 meetings here, but the species not being well known, it excited but a 

 passing interest. I would have sent the specimen to America, but hope 

 to live to bring it myself. 



