70 JOHN B. SMITH. 



Acontia aprica Hbn. 



1803, Hbn., Schmett. Eur., Noct., f. 371, Noctua. 



1818, Hbn., Verzeichuiss, 261, Tarache. 



1829, Steph., 111. Brit. Ent. Haust., iii, 113, Acontia. 



1852, Gn., Spec. Gen., Noct., ii, 219, Acontia. 



1857. Wlk., Cat. Brit. Mus., Het., xii, 785, Acontia. 



1868, H. Sch., Cuba, Corr.-Blatt, 1868, p. 10, Acontia. 



1874, Morr., Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., xvii, 212, Tarache. 



1885, Gundlach, Cont. Ent. Cuba. 312, Acontia. 

 Head brown. Thorax and abdomen white or with a creamy tinge. Primaries 

 white to just before the t. p. line; a gray or brown shade band preceding that 

 line from the costa to the inner margin, though it may be broken just above the 

 reniform. As a rule this band across the costal region cuts off a large, quadrate, 

 white ante-apical spot. T. a. line marked by a blackish costal patch which rarely 

 becomes a half baud. Sometimes the basal space is gray mottled, and in one case 

 a washed-oui gray pervaded the entire space. T. p. line broken, black, deeply 

 incurved below the cell, followed by blue or violet scales, which partly fill the s. 

 t. space below the middle. Outwardly this space tends to become rusty brown 

 or deep crimson. S. t. line very irregular, broken, whitish, preceded by broken 

 black spots and followed in the narrow terminal space by shadings of brown, 

 luteous and violet. A broken black terminal line. Oi'bicular a small black dot, 

 sometimes hardly traceable. Secondaries white, with a mere trace of a smoky 

 outer shading. Beneath, primaries yellowish or a little tawny, outer and apical 

 region more or less smoky, the subapical white patch more yellowish. Second- 

 aries white, a small smoky mark at costal two-thirds, aud a small smoky discal 

 spot. 



Expands 22-28 mm. = .88-1.12 inches. 



Hab. — Hazleton, Pennsylvania, August (Dietz) ; Central Mis- 

 souri (Riley); Florida; New Mexico; Texas. 



Has probably the same range as biplaga. Ten examples are 

 before me, repi'esenting both sexes. There is really not much 

 variation, and its general type has been referred to under the pre- 

 ceding species. ' 



Wing form aud venation are also practically like its ally, save 

 that the branching of 3 and 4 takes place further beyond the end 

 of the cell. 



Acontia areli Streck. 



1898, Strck., Lep. Het. et Het., Suppl. I, 11, Acontia. 

 Head chocolate-brown. Thorax white or creamy ; abdomen white, or with a 

 yellowish tinge. Primaries white or creamy to the middle of the median space, 

 the line of separation on the whole pai-allel with the t. a. line. Basal line gemi- 

 nate, gray, obscure. T. a. line geminate, gray or olivaceous, not prominent, out- 

 wardly lunate to the median vein, inwardly lunate below. Above the median 

 vein the gray-brown shading is not margined, below that vein it is edged with 

 blackisl), and in the submedian interspace, resting on the t. p. line, is an ovate 

 patch of metallic blue scales. At the inception of the t. p. line is a quadrate 

 white patch on the costa; below, the line is broken, black marked, deeply in- 



