1896.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 125 



maia. But it seems to me that this would be a foolish adherence 

 to rule, because, in the first place, we have aulea and picta, both 

 gray forms, in the latter of which, at least, we have an occasional 

 tendency towards yellow. 



But more especially because of the following: citra was de- 

 scribed from the Neumoegen collection, and was called a variety 

 of picta, after comparison with the specimens in the Neumoegen 

 collection labeled picta. Now I find that these specimens, 'supposed 

 to be the Californian picta, are really the Colorado maia. Thus 

 it would seem but proper to correct this error at the start, and 

 if one be the variety of the other, the gray form should be the 

 ground form, as it is throughout the genus. 



After close study of the material at hand, which embraces 

 three pairs of each citra, maia and picta, I am convinced that 

 we have to do with three distinct species, and I will first describe 

 the new species maia, and then point out differential character- 

 istics: 



Arachnis maia nov. spec. Male. Head gray between the eyes, white 

 above, a black line between. Palpi vermilion, with a few whitish scales. 

 Prothorax white, each half having a gray spot heavily outlined with black; 

 patagiae gray, outlined with black, white showing along outer margin. 

 Thorax gray, bordered with black, and a double median black line, sepa- 

 rating posteriorly, showing white between (the ground color of this genus 

 is white, but the gray pattern is so heavy that it will be easier to describe 

 it reversely). Primaries: upper side gray; all veins white, faintly outlined 

 with black and terminating at the margin in a minute triangle of white, 

 the base at the margin. The whole surface of the wing is reticulated with 

 white spots, dashes and bars, there being three more or less continuous 

 bands outwardly. All these white markings are heavily bordered with 

 black, the submarginal band being solidly black in places. The marginal 

 band is sharply dentate, one tooth extending between each vein and 

 reaching nearly to the outer margin. Reverse: the under side is slate 

 color, crossed by bands which practically agree with the upper side. The 

 marginal band is white, and the submarginal band is white near the costa; 

 otherwise the bands are orange, but there is a tendency in this species 

 towards vermilion, replacing the orange except at the costa, where the 

 orange persists. In one male before me (Las Vegas) there is no vermil- 

 ion, while in another (Colorado) the vermilion has replaced the orange, 

 except the narrowest streak along the costa. Secondaries: upper side 

 pale vermilion, the middle third hyaline; along the costal margin three 

 large gray spots margined with black, the spaces between being orange. 

 The outer margin is a narrow black band occasionally broken up into 

 spots, nearly or quite disappearing, two spots (the outer being the larger) 



