THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 243 



men is Iiardly more thinly pcnlcd than the ^ , except tliat the lateral and 

 terminal tufis are absent, is shorter than i?i discolor, does ?iot taper so 

 sharply, and the ovipositor less often protrudes. 



In the above descriptions I have only mentioned those characters 

 which I have found to be of value in separating the two species, and have 

 italicized those points which I believe to be of the most importance. As 

 is so frequently the case with closely allied species, it does not seem pos- 

 sible to find any one distinctive character which is quite constant, and 

 though a long series of each at once conveys the impression of distinct- 

 ness, a few individuals are, I admit, rather hard to place, and differentia- 

 tion must be sought in a sum total of all the characters. A recapitulation 

 of the points of difference may be useful. 



(i) Discolor is the brighter coloured of the two, has more of a rosy 

 and less of an orange tendency, and does not run to such dark smoky- 

 brown forms. 



(2) The t. a. line in discolor is usually not only more sharply angu- 

 lated, but the angle tends to be pointed rath.er than blunt or rounded, as 

 it generally is in piuictirena. Though this difference is perhaps the most 

 obvious of any in a series, it is not constant. It is, however, much easier 

 to iind punctirena in which the angle is sharp or pointed than to find dis- 

 color in which it is blunt or rounded. 



(3) The discoidal spots are generally more contrastingly pale in 

 discolor than m putictirena, and though in the latter species they are some- 

 times contrastingly pale, a concolorous tendency is much more frequent 

 than in discolor. 



(4) A dark spot in lower portion of reniform in discolor is rarely 

 developed to any marked degree, but in punctirefia it is generally promi- 

 nent, and often the most conspicuous mark on the wing. This is quite 

 characteristic of the two species as a whole, though as a matter of fact I 

 have discolor with a more distinct dot than some oi my punctirena, which 

 all but lose it. 



(5) The secondaries in discolor have usually more of a dusky, often 

 rosy shading in their posterior portion, which is sometimes darkest on the 

 veins, and the pale costa contrasts rather strongly. Punctirena has 

 dusky, but not rosy, secondaries, with slightly paler, but not contrasting, 

 costa. Either species may sometimes have secondaries almost immacu- 

 late, but as a rule they are darkest in discolor, except on the costa. This 

 is another conspicuous feature in a series. 



