THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 77 



NOTE ON CTENUCHA CRESSONANA AND VENOSA. 



BV A. RADCLIFFE GROTE, HILDESHEIM, GERMANY. 



In Sir George Hampson's volume on the Syntomids, Cat. Lep. 

 Phalaenae, Vol. I., London, 1898, Ctenucha Cressonana is referred as a 

 synonym to C. venosa, but erroneously so. Both species inhabit our 

 North American territory, but C. venosa has the wider and more southern 

 range, extending probably from Arizona, through Mexico, into South 

 America. I know C. Cressonana from Colorado and New Mexico only ; 

 this larger form is also variable in the colours of the stripes of the wing, 

 whereas C. venosa is quite constant, so far as the examples I have been 

 able to examine are concerned. I give liere the comparative descriptions 

 of the two species : 

 Ctenucha venosa. Walker. Brit. Mus. Lists Lep., IL, 284 (1854). 



Smaller, averaging 38 mil. in expanse ; two terminal joints of palpi 

 brownish black, basal joint orange red. Costa of primaries striped with 

 yellow ochre, shading into white over apical third ; a similar stripe over 

 M \, not reaching margin. Cubitus and the fork of J/ 2 and 3 striped 

 with the same shade, as well as an internal stripe over A 2. Fringes 

 white, broadly interrupted with brownish black at the middle on both 

 wings. 



The material in B. Mus. is probably all C. venosa, 



Ctenucha Cressonana, Grote. Proc. Ent. Soc, Phil, IL, 64 (1863). 



Larger, averaging 45 mil. in expanse. Antennae more lengthily 

 pectinate ; only the terminal joint of palpi brownish black, the rest 

 ■orange red. Costa of primaries striped with yellow ochre, hardly paler 

 towards tips. No stripe on M r; at most, in one specimen, a very faint 

 and narrow indication. Fringes entirely white, at base showing some 

 scattered black scales not medially interrupted. 



Typical form : stripes on primaries pure white ; costa ochre yellow. 



var. hitea, Grote : stripes ochre yellow \ costa orange red. 



It has been suggested to me in a letter that C. sanguinaria is a form 

 ■ot C CressonaJia with the stripes scarlet. I have not seen this latter 

 species, which appears to be a still larger form. 



