THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 257 



CARTEROCEPHALUS PAL^MON. 



Sir, — Mr. Thomas E. Bean, in an interesting article in the June number 

 for this year, points out the identity of Carterocephalus mandan, Edw., 

 and C. palcemon, Pall. I think he has well proven his position, and in 

 the proper way, which is by a study of the geographical distribution, 

 which will always show the intergrades between the two extremes of the 

 series. The Palcemon of Middle Europe and the Mandan of the White 

 Mountains of N. H. look different enough, but when the series is completed 

 by material found between the two extremes there can no longer be a 

 doubt as to their identity. In the species that fly from the Atlantic to 

 the Pacific, and that also exist in Europe, it will be found that the Pacific 

 Coast examples are far closer to the European ones than those individuals 

 found on the Atlantic slope. (See Ent. News, Vol. I., p. 84.) 



The fact that Mandan was identical with Palcemon was pointed out by 

 Moschler in Verhandlimgen der Zoologisch-botanischen Gessellchaft in 

 Wien, Vol. 34, 1884, p. 283. My attention was called to this synonymy 

 by Prof. E. Bergroth, of Tammerfors, Finland. 



Dr. Henry Skinner, Philadelphia, Pa. 



VARIETY OF PRIONOXYSTUS ROBINI^E. 



Sir, — In looking over my specimens of this common moth, I find a 

 singular form that I never met with before, nor do I know of any descrip- 

 tion that has appeared in any entomological publication of a varied form 

 of P. (Cossus) robinice, unless it may be Walker's plagiatus, of which I 

 have not seen the original description. The example that I wish to make 

 note of is a female, and differs from the regular form only in the follow- 

 ing respects : — The whole of the sub-central inner space of the second- 

 aries, ".edging on the discoidal cell," is semi-transparent orange, similar 

 to that which is so characteristic of the male, but it is not quite so intense 

 in brightness of colour. The specimen is in fine condition, and is unique 

 in appearance, when I compare it with the many examples that I have 

 taken during the past season and previously ; hence I feel convinced that 

 the form is remarkable enough to be burdened with a name of its own. 

 I propose, therefore, to give it the name P. robinice, var. quercus, because 

 the species is not restricted to the extermination of Robinia pseudacacia 

 alone, but also does great damage to Quercus alba, rubra and coccinea. I 

 have also found the pupa shells protruding from the trunks of Fraxinus 

 sambucifolia in the same locality. 



George A. Ehrmann, Pittsburgh, Pa. 



