1G4 MEMOIKS OF TUE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Notodonta Ochseuheiiufr. 

 (PI. XLI, lig. (J; XLII, lig. 1, veuiitiou.) 



Nulodonta Ochs., Schmett. Eiir.. ii. |i. 4.">, IslO. 



Hlibner, Verz. Schmett., p. 14(3, 1816. 

 Hylesia (iu part) Hlibner, Verz. Schiuett., p. 186, 1816. 

 Xoiodunta Boisd., Gen. et lud. Moth., p. 86, 1840. 



and I'eridia, Dupouchel. Cat. Meth. Ldp. Eur., ]i. 111. 1844. 

 yotoddiita Herr.-Schaeft'er, Syst., Bearli., Schmett., Eur., ii, 1845. 



Walk., Cat. Lep. Het. Br. Mas., v. p. 995, 1855. 



Pack., Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil., iii, p, 356, 1864. 



Stand., Cat. Lep. Eur., p. 72, 1871. 



Grote, Check List N. Am. Moths, p. 18. I,s82. 



Smith, List Lep. Bor. Amor., p, 30, 1891. 



Kirby, Syn. Cat. Lep. Het., i, p. 599. 1892. 



(in part) Neum. and Dyar, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, xxi, p. 184, June, 1894; Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc, 

 ii, p. 113, Sept., 1894. 



Moth. — Head uot prominent: front ratlier narrow, its vestiture long- and loose, forming a 

 median cre.st between the autennie; the hitter pectinated to near the tips, often with short stout 

 branches which are ciliated at the end; the .joints iu 9 simple; a tuft of scales at the base of each 

 antenna. Masilhv .slender, about the length of the front. Palpi porrect, reaching' to the front, 

 moderately stout; third joint not very distinct from the second, wliich is hairy beneath. Eyes 

 hairy. Thorax smooth, not tufted. Fore wings a little less tiian one-half as broad as long; costa 

 convex near the base and toward the apex much more rounded than usual; outer edge obli(]ne, 

 nearly as long as the internal edge; the aju'X much more rounded than usual; internal edge full 

 near the base, with a prominent tuft in the middle. Venation: Costal region rather wide; no 

 subcostal cell; fourth subcostal venule long; discal vein transverse, not oblique, each vein curved; 

 those of the hind wings oblique, both in the same line, not being oblique to each other. Legs 

 densely liairy. Abdomen rather full, simple at the end. Coloration of the species usually gray, 

 ■with reddish brown markings, and usually a discal spot. 



The species of this genus differ from those of the allied genera in the well-rounded apex of 

 the fore wings, the feebly pectinated antenna^, the branches being short and ciliated, in the tuft 

 on the inner edge, and iu the presence or lack of a subcostal cell, while the outer edge of the 

 -wings is not scalloped. 



I find that altlnnigh our JV. straf/uhi in its larval and most of its adult structural characters is 

 closely related to the European iV. ziczac, yetthe latter has no subcostal,cell, though one is present 

 in N. stragula (three S examined). In N. simplaria, however, there is no cell. In larval characters 

 our i*i^. strayxla agrees with the European X. (h-omedarius, trit02)hufi, and ziczae. 



Larva. — Head large, square; a large high nutant hump on second and a lower one on third 

 and a very prominent one on eighth abdominal segment, the latter ending in two tubercles. Anal 

 legs long, but used in walking. The European species have from three to live humps. In the 

 European N. ziczac there are, judging by Buckler's flgures, as in our species, but three humps; in 

 N. tritophux there are four, while the larva of N'. dromedarins most approaches Nerice in liaving 

 five humps, four on each of the four basal abdominal segments and one on the eighth. 



Pupa. — No distinct cremaster, the body being smooth and rounded at the end. 



Ge(){iraphw((l di.strihnfion. — It is interesting to notice that in the European forms (and iu 

 Europe there are more species than iu North America) there is a tendency among the species, 

 which vary in the number of dorsal humps, to fill up the gap between the genus Notodonta and 

 Nerice. In fact, the latter genus exists in northeastern Asia,' and this fact adds another point of 

 resemblance between the fauna of northeastern America and northeastern Asia. 



SYXOI'SIS OF THE SPECIES. 



Fore winiTS rounded, mouse-gray, with reddish brown spots; no cross lines; tuft narrow, pointed; a distinct 



linear discal spot jV. straiinJa 



Ash-gray, with no brown; fore wings with two dark scalloped lines N. simphiria 



i Nerice davidi Oberthur, from the north of China. 



