68 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



femora also have the tips black. The hind and middle legs are without 

 distinguishing characters. 



Thorax with distinct, sharp spines on both lobes, those of the 

 anterior lobe the longest. Breast spined, usually with blunt spines. 

 Disk of the posterior thoracic lobe convex, hardly impressed longitudi- 

 nally. Lateral angles quite acute, moderately prominent. Scutellum 

 black, triangular, with raised centre and slightly turned up at the tip. 

 Abdomen of both sexes wider than the hemelytra, considerably so in the 

 females, where the margins are somewhat elevated and the sides rounded. 

 Quite uniformly coloured, sometimes paler on the posterior borders of the 

 segments near the lateral margins. 



Described from specimens in the National Museum, from Los 

 Angeles, California ; collected by Mr. Coquillett. They were given the 

 manuscript name complexa by Prof Uhler. This name, with the kind 

 consent of the author, I gladly adopt. Type No. 4433, U. S. Nat. Mus. 



This species belongs to the sangiiistiga group, characterized by a 

 short, broad form, as opposed to the longer forms represented by 

 diadema, undtilata and coronata. It is quite a well-marked species, the 

 distinctly spined posterior thoracic lobe, together with the peculiar arma- 

 ture of the anterior femora, readily separating it from its allies. 



A NEW POPULAR NAME FOR CLISIOCAMPA DISSTRIA. 



\\\ the January number. Prof. Slingerland proposes a new common 

 name for the "forest tent-caterpillar," and proposes " forest tentless-cater- 

 pillar." The objection would be, that "tent-caterpillar" is an English 

 equivalent for Ciisiocainpa, and need not be altered whether the particu- 

 lar species makes a tent or not. What is needed in names is fixity, not 

 relevancy. Another objection is, that tentless is not the antithesis to tent, 

 but to tented. There is, on a previous page of the same number, a pro- 

 test against changes in Latin terms in entomology, and also systems of 

 classification. Whatever force lies in this protest is doubled when Eng- 

 lish names, which have no classificatory significance, are to be considered. 

 I should therefore be in favour of retaining the names, "apple tent-cater- 

 pillar " and " forest tent-caterpillar," for the two species of Clisiocampa, 

 now known under these common titles. If inapplicability were a valid 

 reason for changing names in entomology, we should be quite lost. And 

 the new name, " forest tenlless-caterpillar," besides implymg that the in- 

 sect is not a Clisiocantpa, ceases to be distinctive, for there are other 

 caterpillars of the forest which are unprovided with tents. 



A. Radcliffe Grote, Hildesheim, Germany. 



