THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 113 



elevated with a black irregular punctured spot ; elytra minutely and 

 confluently punctured, somewhat dilated externally ; obsoletely tricarinate ; 

 legs black ; knees rufous. 



[Synonymous with Podabrus tricostatus Say ; a common species in 

 Canada. 



FAMILY LAMPYRIDjE. 



343. Lampyris corusca Linn. — Length of body 4^ lines. Taken 

 at New York and Cumberland-house, Lat. 54 . In Canada by Dr. 

 Bigsby. 



Body oblong, pubescent, brown-black. Nose and mouth elongated : 

 prothorax nearly semicircular, disk elevated ; a rose-coloured arched 

 streak dilated and yellower anteriorly adjoins the elevated part on each 

 side ; elytra obsoletely carinated, most numerously and minutelv 

 punctured. 



[Belongs to Ellychnia Lee. Very common in Canada.] 



ON GENERA IN THE MOTHS. 



BY A. R. GROTE, BUFFALO, X. Y. 



Since I am recently criticized for erecting new genera in the Sphingidae, 

 as it is thought unnecessarily, I have put together some of my thoughts 

 on the subject in the present paper. In a review,-' the friendly spirit of 

 which I most gladly recognize, Mr. Moschler speaks of my division of the 

 old genus Smerinthus, which I have restricted to the type ocellatus, 

 geminatus, &c., and says in effect that since hybrids are known to occur 

 between certain of the species, these could not be generically or tribally 

 separated. t This brings up the question as to what the value of the 

 higher divisions really is. And a little reflection will, 1 think, show us 



* Stettiner Ent. Zeit., 1S75, pp. 202 et seg. 



t " Demi in welche Tribus gehorten wohl die hybriden Nachkommen Beiden ?" 

 1. c. 208. Here the word Tribus is used, but the idea seems to be that of Gattuncj. 

 At any rate " Tribus " is merely a still further extension of the idea of relationship 

 and what objections I find applies to either. 



