212 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



and bifurcation of third vein. Femurs grayish-black ; tibiae brown, darker 

 on distal ends ; a fringe of black hairs on outer margins of the second and 

 third pairs ; tarsi brownish-black. 



NEW SPECIES AND NOTES ON STRUCTURE OF MOTHS 



AND GENERA. 



BY A. R. GROTE, A. M. 



The veins of the wings in the moths are usually considered to fall into 

 four main branches. I would, however, consider them to afford only two 

 series ; vein i of the German Entomologists belonging to the median 

 series, and vein 12 to the sub-costal series of venules. In describing the 

 neuration of Euherrichia ( = Herrichia Grote non Staudinger) I have 

 accidentally written " sub-median " for " median." Generic characters 

 in the Noctuidce are offered by the disposition of veins 6 to 9 on the fore 

 wings and of the median series on the hind wings, from which vein 5 is 

 sometimes ( Spragueia ) absent. In addition there is the presence of an 

 accessory cell to be noted on primaries, which is caused by the peculiar 

 position and course of the subcostal series of venules. 



Genus Conservula Grote. 



It is surely not necessary to go over the entire structure in the diagnoses 

 of related genera ; the record of a single distinguishing structural feature 

 should suffice. I have, however, usually recapitulated the characters ; in 

 the present case the entire primaries and even external or hind margin 

 distinguishes Conservula from B^-otolomia Led. and Trigoiwphora Led., ex. 

 Hubn. In Lederers monographic work several genera are partially but 

 sufficiently characterized. I have followed so excellent an authority in 

 considering secondary sexual characters (e. g. as in Thecophora) of generic 

 value. In Conservula the body vestiture is less hairy and shorter than in 

 Euplexia, which the species approaches in size. While Walker and 

 Guenee' do not usually give the structure of eyes and feet, Ochsenheimer, 

 whose genera are all accepted, gives, as I have shown, no characters at 

 all. Hubner's phrases are usually imsatisfactory, though his genera are 

 sometimes good and always remarkable considering his times In a mono- 

 graph all the characters should be gone over, but in descriptional work 

 the main object is to make the insect recognizable and to spare words, i 



