Vol. XXlii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 



is recognized as very closely related to moesta, and an added 

 character, reduced venation, is mentioned as distinguishing pn- 

 trida. At the same time a race ( ?) from Rock Island, Illinois, 

 is mentioned which equals or slightly exceeds moesta in size. 

 Calvert, in A List and Bibliography of the Species (of Argia), 

 Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1902, lists pHtrida as a variety of 

 moesta. The same opinion is expressed on page 76 of the Biol. 

 Cent. Am. Naur. 



In studying some material from Texas and Oklahoma, I 

 have found it necessary to examine carefully the status of these 

 two nominal species, and my conclusion is that, if two species 

 exist, they must be defined in terms of other characters than 

 those used in the past ; and I am at present unable to detect 

 any such characters. I have studied specimens from Texas, 

 Oklahoma, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, District of Columbia. 

 Pennsylvania, Maine, Michigan and Ontario. 



Of these the palest male individual is from Ontario, which 

 has about one-half the mesepisternum and less than one-half 

 the mesepimeron dark colored. This individual has the ab- 

 domen black with pale on sides of i, lateral apical spot on 2, 

 and the customary narrow basal abdominal rings. It has the 

 abdomen 33.5 mm., hind wing 25 mm. The darkest male in- 

 dividual is from Wister, Oklahoma, in which the entire thorax 

 is dark, with a narrow pale antehumeral stripe, not reaching 

 the antealar sinus, and a narrow, abbreviated streak on the 

 metepisternum. This specimen has the abdomen black, with 

 the basal annulations present but dark. Abdomen measures 

 32.5 mm., hind wing 25 mm. 



To facilitate a comparison of thoracic pattern of males the 

 following five types of pattern may be defined and designated 

 by Roman numerals: 



I, mesepisternum one-half black, mesepimeron with black in a broken 

 pattern occupying less than one-half the area, metepisternum and 

 metepimeron without black, with the exception of a line, present or 

 absent, on the sutures. 



II, mesepisternum one-half black, mesepimeron black excepting a 

 narrow anterior stripe above and a narrow posterior stripe below, mete- 

 pisternum and metepimeron without black. 



