77 



NEW GENERA AND SPECIES OF LEPIDOPTERA 

 BELONGING TO THE FAMILY NOCTUIDuE. 



By a. Jefferis Turner, M.D., F.E.S. 



The Noctnidcti of Australia have been brought, by the labours of 

 a series of entomologists, into such a state of confusion that it has 

 been impossible for any local worker unable to examine the t3^pes to 

 identify any of the more obscure species with any degree of confi- 

 dence. To attempt to describe new species under these conditions 

 would have been only to add to the existing confusion. The only 

 remedy for this state of affairs is the revision by an observer 

 working with real scientific method of the whole group, including 

 a critical examination of the types, more especially of those in 

 the collection of the British Museum. This much-needed work 

 is at present being carried out by Sir George Hampson greatly 

 to the benefit of workers at this group of insects in all parts of 

 the world. To him I am particularly indebted for his generous 

 assistance in examining and classifying the whole of my Austra- 

 lian collection within the limits of this family. Upon this 

 foundation I have been able to write the present paper. The 

 sub-families and generic identifications are those made by him, 

 with a few exceptions, some of which are indicated in the text. 



Altogether some ninety new species are here described. 



I am particularly indebted to Mr. F. P. Dodd for many new 

 species from Northern Queensland, and for a still larger number 

 not yet recorded as Australian; to Mr. P. Illidge for a few species 

 from Southern Queensland otherwise unknown to me; and to Mr. 

 G. Lyell for all that I know of the Victorian species. 



J have been at some pains to identify the species described in 

 various papers by Dr. T. P. Lucas. Many I have so far failed alto- 



