REVISION OF .Si'lX'lH.S OF THE GENUS AGROTIS. Cyl 



Genus AGROTIS Tr. 



Anterior tibisB spinose, the tibi;e not abbreviated, spines moderate. 

 Front smooth, antenntc of S bipectinateor lenf^thily serrate and bristled. 

 Vestitiire moderately ch)se, no distinct thoracic tnft; primaries varia- 

 ble in shai)e. In the ibrin of the iJ genitalia ypsilon and (/cniciildtd a;^ree; 

 hadinodes diifer.s very decidedly, wiiile the (^ of violaris I have been 

 unable to examine. 



The species of this group, agreeing as they do in structural characters, 

 are yet totally dissimilar in general appearance and in the details of 

 ornamentation. The s[)ecies are therefore easily recognized. Badinodes 

 is at once known by the brown color, and very even, [)ale transverse 

 lines. The collar is also dcej) brown. The antenn;eof S are evenly bi- 

 pectinate, the anterior tibia sparsely spined, and the accessory cell of 

 primaries often open outwardly. The S harpes are broad, rather short, 

 somewhat spoon-shaped, rounded outwardly, with an acute tooth at 

 middle of tip. The clasper is long, corneous, and curved. Violaris is 

 somewhat similar to the preceding in ornamentation, but the color is 

 bluish gray, with outer half of median space dark, reniform outlined in 

 yellow. The primaries are narrower, but otherwise the habitus of the 

 insect refers it here. 1 have not been able to examine the 6 genitalia. 

 Yp.silon is peculiar. The habitus would seem to refer it to Saucia and 

 allies, but the front is distinctly smooth. The species can be recog- 

 nized by the dark ground color, pale s. t. space, and a distinct saggitate 

 black dash from middleof outer sideof reniform, meeting or closely ap- 

 proaching sintihir dashes, marking two strong dentations of thes. t. line. 

 The autenuai of the S are lengthily pectinate on the upper side only, the 

 pectinations on the outer side being short, acute. The S genitalia are 

 very close to those of the inuraenulatyiMi, consisting of tiic long broad 

 harpes, obliquely terminated at tip and furnished with spinules ; the 

 clasper is short, beak-like, corneous. The tibiie are rather broader and 

 more heavily spinose than in the preceding species. It is closely allied 

 structurally to scf/ctum, and seems rather to belong to a European type 

 of structure, for with its tibial armature and genitalia the front ought to 

 be roughened or tuberculate. Geniculata agrees with ypsilon in the sex- 

 ual and tibial armature, but differs not only iu wing form and ornamen- 

 tation but also in having the antennie rather serrate and bristled thau 

 pectinate. This insect also agrees in structural details with the murae- 

 w?<?a group, but the front is decidedly smooth and the ornamentation 

 entirely ditierent. The color is dark ash gray, darker beyond t. p. line; 

 space between the ordinary spots black. 



Assuming segetum as the tyi)e of the genus Arp-otis, the foregoing are 

 the only species structurally identical witii the European forms. The 

 combination of characters is delinite and easily limits the series. The 

 small number of species agreeing with tlie European type is remarka- 

 ble, and not less striking is the dissimilarity of the species associated 



