THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 1 07 



ON HOMOPTERA AND ALLIED FORMS. 



BY A. R. GROTE, 



Director of the Museum, Buffalo Society Natural Sciences. 



The species of Homoptera stand in need of a revision. They are 

 usually but partially and confusedly named in such collections as I have 

 had access to. With regard to the generic title, its acceptance is only 

 provisional. Two species, Phaeocyma lunifera Hiibn. and Phaeocyma 

 fluctuaris Hiibn., are unknown to me. The descriptions hitherto pub- 

 lished in this genus are difficult to use for identification ; no comparative 

 characters are given, no analysis of the lines entered upon. The char- 

 acters separating Zale and Ypsia are in great part unexplained, and of the 

 latter dependant on larval characters. Obliqua, duplicata and benesignata 

 are allied, the two first perhaps synonymous ; nigricans is unknown to 

 me ; probably no one has yet correctly identified calycanthata of Abbot 

 & Smith. Walker's and Bethune's " calycanthata " is Zale horrida Hiibn. 

 Guenee's calycanthata I think I have identified. Minerea I think I know. 

 Walker's herminioides is Epizeuxis aemula ! Leaving Walker's names out 

 of the question, we have lunata, edusa and Saunders ii generally fixed in 

 collections ; besides this, I have calycanthata Guen. and albofasciata Beth, 

 determined. Airitincta and edusina are small dark forms from Texas. 

 The present paper calls attention to the want of information and is written 

 in the hope that material will come in so that the species may be worked 

 over. It is necessary in studying the species to observe the course of the 

 thread-like transverse posterior (t. p.) line. In lunata it is waved ; in 

 its course superiorly, opposite the cell, it will be seen to be dentate in 

 addition to the usual central indentation. It is also dentate in Saundersii 

 and edusa. Poses Behr. , from California, from a single specimen, does 

 not seem to me distinct from lunata. Drury's fig. (pi. 20) is hardly well 

 enough drawn to decide, but the t. p. line appears to be given as some- 

 what jagged, so I do not venture to alter our usual determination of his 

 species, which is our dark brown and stouter form. Another species, 

 which I propose to consider as minerea. is similar to lunata, but differs by this 

 line, frequently obliterate, being nearly even except the discal notch ; it 

 is a little waved inferiorly, but is not dentate superiorly. Minerea is of 



