AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 43 



Xylina lepida Liiitner. 



1878, Lint., Ent. Cout., iv, 95, Xylina. 



1878, Grt., Bull. Geol. Surv., iv, 181, Lithophane. 



1893, Smith, Bull. 44, U. S. Xat. Mus., 230, Xylina. 

 Head, thorax and primaries deep bhie-gray. Head darker, with a gray line 

 between the antennae. Collar smoky brown, with white tip at the base of the 

 distinct, divided thoracic crest. Patagise with a lateral white line at base of pri- 

 maries. Vestiture mostly flattened hair. Abdomen reddish gray, untufted. Pri- 

 maries somewhat mottled with smoky brown shades, irregularly distributed. 

 Basal line geminate, black, broken, outcurved, connected with a short blackish 

 streak. T. a. line geminate, outer portion blackish, inner smoky and not relieved. 

 The line is unusually distant from base, outwardly oblique to the submedian 

 interspace, is then inwardly bent and forms an inward tooth on the internal vein. 

 T. p. line denticulate, very irregular, closely approaching the t. a. line in the sub- 

 median interspace and there connected with it by a black bar. S. t. line con- 

 colorous, a little irregular, marked by irregular smoky preceding s])ots of varying 

 sizes. Fringes cut with smoky. A smoky, diffuse median shade through the 

 centre of the wing. No claviform. Orbicular large, oblique, gray, open to the 

 costa, with a smoky outline. Eeniform of moderate size, gray, centrally con- 

 stricted, with a smoky outline. Secondaries pale, transparent carneous gray, the 

 fringes white tipped. Beneath reddish gray, powdery, with an obscure outer 

 line and a smoky discal spot on all wings. 

 Expands 40 n)m. = 1.60 inches. 



Hab. — Canada ; New England States ; Northern New York. 



Only the female is before nie at present and I have not had many 

 examples of this species under examination. It is so unlike any 

 other, however, that there can be no question as to its identity. I 

 have not noted any variation save in the amount of the smoky 

 shading. 



Xyliua thaxteri Grote. 



1874, Grt., Bull. Buff. Soc. Nat. Sci., ii, 196, Lifkophane. 



1875, Grt., List Noctuidae, pi., f. 3, Lithophane. 



1876, Speyer, Stett. Ent. Zeit.. 203, an var. lambda. 

 1878, Lint., Ent. Cont., iv, 127, an var. lambda. 



1882, Grt., Proc. Am. Phil. Soc, xxi, 160, ? an var. conforms. 



1891, Butler, Entomologist, xxiv, 263, = lambda. 



1893, Smith, Bull. 44, U. S. Nat. Mus., 2.30, an sp. dist. ? 

 Head, thorax and primaries bright blue-gray. Head with a brown frontal 

 line, below which it is reddish. Collar with a narrow but clear black transverse 

 line, margined above with white scales. Thoracic crest distinct, divided, not 

 very high. Patagise witli a deep brown line at the sides. Primaries with a black 

 streak at base, curved up toward the costa at the basal half line, which is there 

 marked by geminate sjjots. Superiorly the streak is margined by a white line. 

 Below and beyond it is diffuse and becomes brown shaded. T. a. line geminate 

 on the costa, then the inner portion is lost and the outer is black, even, oblique 

 to the submedian interspace, thence inward to form an acute tooth on the inter- 

 nal vein. T. p. line geminate, smoky, outer portion becoming lost over the ceil, 

 included space clear gray, inner line lunulate, more or less incomplete, as a whole 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XXVII. AUGUST, 1900. 



