AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 35 



lar. It is preceded by a brown shading, and the terminal .space is usually a little 

 darker than the s. t. space. Ordinary spots varying much in distinctness : they 

 may be almost obsolete, they may be indicated by smoky or blackish clouds, and 

 they may be distinct and white marked. In the latter case the orbicular is 

 small, rather irregular, often with a central dot. The reniform is rather narrow, 

 upright, marked with yellowish in the center and this with white outer margins. 

 The claviform is divided into two spots, of which the upper may be wanting or 

 punctiform : the lower is irregular in shape and may be anything from round to 

 square. Secondaries smoky to blackish, the veins darker, in some case with a 

 smoky lunule. Beneath gray, powdery, the secondaries a little paler than the 

 primaries: both wings with a more or less obvious outer line, which tends to 

 become lost on the primaries. Both wings with a small discal spot, which also 

 tends to become lost on the forewings. Expanse 1.40-1.60 in.; 35-45 mm. 



Hub — Canada to Georgia, west to the Rocky Mountains, East- 

 ern States in September; northern Illinois September 15th; Nor- 

 mal, Illinois, July, August 20th, September 23rd and 25th ; Sche- 

 nectady, N. Y., September 23rd. Westchester County, N. Y., in 

 September; Kansay City, Mo., August 18th; Mississippi in August. 



This insect has two very well marked forms that have received 

 different names. The typical nitela is that form in which the 

 ordinary spots are barely traceable and are never white marked. 

 The most prominent feature of the wing is the pale t. p. line, from 

 which a light shading extends through the s. t. space. In the form 

 nrhris the t. p. line is not so prominent a feature and the ordinary 

 spots are all white marked. In other respects I have been unable 

 to find any difference, and in a long series of examples, such as I 

 have had under examination, it is easy to pick out a series showing 

 all the intermediate forms. The male offers no points of special 

 interest, but agrees in a general way with the structure of the group. 

 As this insect has an economic interest it has been written about 

 more than any other, except immanis and the supposed nit-titan*. 

 Like the rest of its tribe the caterpillar is a borer and infests 

 grasses of various descriptions, as well as a number of other plants. 

 Figure 22 illustrates the genitalia of the form iiebris, and this figure 

 is better than 21, which is distorted on the slide. The two are 

 introduced to show that apparent differences may present themselves 

 from differences in the preparation. 



Hydrcecia neliia Strecker. 



1898. — Streck., Lep. Ehop. and Het, Supplt. No. 1, p. 8, Hydrcecia. 



Ground color a reddish gray or fawn brown. Collar tipped with white scales. 



On the primaries all the markings are obscured, neither the basal nor the t. a. 



lines traceable. The t. p. line seems single: in course it is bent outward and 



then is almost straight or outwardly oblique to the hind margin, a short distance 



TRANS. AM. KNT. SOC. XXVI. MAY. L899 



