THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 229 



ON SPECIES OF CATOCALA. 



BY A. R. GROTE, 



Director of the Museum, Buffalo Society Natural Sciences. 



Catocala simulatilis Grote. 



The male is now taken by Mr. Jas. Angus. The species is larger than 

 obscura, agreeing with it in tone and in the white fringes of hind wings ; 

 it may be distinguished by the strongly marked median lines of primaries 

 with a deeper toothing. The lines in obscura are thread-like, incon- 

 spicuous, and with shallower indentations. The opinion expressed that 

 simulatilis is the ^ of obscura must be the result of error ; as I remarked 

 at the time of describing the species, such a sexual variation would be 

 without a parallel in the genus. Residua is distinguished from obscura 

 and simulatilis by its blackish fringes to the hind wings. 



Catocala flebilis Grote. 



There occurs a variety of C. retecta with shaded fore wings, which 

 may be mistaken for C. flebilis, which has peculiar pearly ash fore wings 

 with the outer margin more oblique. Whether Mr. Strecker has figured a 

 variety of retecta for flebilis is uncertain from the coarseness of his figure. 

 This suffusion of the primaries occurs in amatrix among the red-winged 

 species (Group 3). 



Catocala A?igusi, n. s. 



$ $ . Six specimens received from Mr. Angus belong to a new form 

 with black hind wings and blackish fringes, except at apex. It belongs 

 then with the series of C. insolabilis and C residua, and is similarly sized. 

 It may be distinguished from residua by its paler, evenly grayish primaries 

 and by the t. p. line having a longer costal tooth, as in simulatilis. Lines 

 distinct ; subreniform open. From insolabilis it varies by the want of the 

 bright blue gray tint of fore wings and the absence of the darker shade 

 on internal margin. It varies by having in some specimens a basal black 

 shade, and again another from reniform to below apex. Behind the t. p. 

 line its last sinus is usually a blackish shade. Beneath the body is white 

 and the wings as in allied forms, with the outer white bands very narrow. 

 One specimen has the black suffusions very broad, the ground color of the 

 wing very pale gray, and the subterm inal gray band distinct, as it usually 



