6 GROTE — SEARCH FOR THE TYPE OF XOCTUA LTNN. [Jan. 3, 



NOCTUA. 



LiNNE, SysL Naturcc, ed. x, Holmiae (Salvii), 1758, Phalaena 

 Noctua. 



The '^Phalaense " (496 footnote) are divided into seven groups, 

 of which the *'Noctu8e" — antennis setaceis, nee pectinatis — form 

 the second. Linne gives the foot-structure of the larva of his 

 ** Phalaena Noctua" (497 footnote), so it seems reasonable, in a 

 selection of the type, that this should be sought among the species 

 whose larvae he described. These are : Phalaena Noctua strix, fagi, 

 bucephala, humuli, dominula, fuliginosa, iacobaese, quadra (this 

 would be, however, excluded by Linne's nota bene), pacta, pro- 

 nuba, gamma (not a "possible type" from Linne's remark — Dur- 

 rant /. /.), festucae, meticulosa, psi, chi, aceris, umbratica, exsoleta, 

 verbasci, brassicae, rumicis, oxyacanthae, oleracea, pisi, atriplicis, 

 praecox, triplasia, pyramidea, typica, delphinii, citrago. 



If we date the commencement of our nomenclature from Linne's 

 tenth edition, the type of '^ Phalaena Noctua" should then be one 

 of these. Geoffroy makes no use whatever of Phalaena Noctua 

 or of Noctua, simply using Phalaena with unnamed subdivisions 

 (Durrant /. /.). The earliest restriction of the species of Phalaena 

 Noctua brought to my notice is: Poda, Ins. Mus. Grcec, 88-91, 

 1761. The species there cited from Linne are : Noctua iacobaeae, 

 quadra (not a "possible type," vide ante), dominula, pacta (Poda, 

 90: this is not Linne's species, but is nupta Linne, therefore the 

 name has no effect), pronuba, gamma (not a "possible type "), ex- 

 clamationis (excluded, since Linne did not describe the larva), 

 ? secalis. 



Of these species iacobaeae is made the type of Hipocrita Hiibn.j 

 1806, dominula of Callimorpha Latr., 1810, and there would re- 

 main pronuba as the type of Noctua ; exclamationis being conge- 

 neric with segetum, taken as type of Agrotis Hiibn., 1806, and 

 secalis being cited with a query. This latter is the same as didyma 

 Esp., made the type of Apamea Ochs., 1816, through Duponchel, 

 1829. Before following the subsequent fate of pronuba, we will 

 examine Linne's own restriction of his term Phalaena Noctua, 

 which has given rise to the idea that the type of Noctua falls within 

 the limits of Schrank's genus Catocala, the type of which I have 

 shown to be fraxini, through Hiibner's restriction in the Ver- 

 zeichniss. This type covers our modern use of Catocala Schrank, 

 1802, which should in no case be disturbed. ' 



