AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 6 



3. Catocala insolabilis, Guence. 



% f .—The primaries are frosted with glaucous white or ashen scales. The 

 lines are narrow, indistinct and the t. p. line, with two not very acute subequal 

 teeth opposite the cell, sweeps inwardly and includes the subreniform. Usually 

 the internal margin is suffused with black, obscuring the lines inferiorly, but 

 not always. Ren i form moderate, vaguely ringed, with a white external and 

 small brown ovate internal annulus. Secondaries wholly black above, with 

 black fringes. Beneath body and base of both wings white. Narrow and faint 

 white external bands on both wings. 



This is the first of a number of closely allied species of which the 

 stoutest is Guenee's C. viduata, than which this is much slighter. We 

 must look for the dusky primaries and powdery squamation with its 

 bluish tinge, and the ovate narrow internal brown annulus of the reni- 

 form as ready distinguishing characters. I have a specimen with uui- 

 colorous griseous smooth primaries, secondaries with whitish fringes, 

 which I think is a variety ; more material may, however, show that 

 we have to do with a distinct species. 



4. Catocala viduata, Guence. 

 Catocala vidua, Guenee, p. 94. 



% $. — Robust; altogether the stoutest bodied species of the genus. Wings 

 dentate. Primaries with the ciriereous colors underlaid with pale brown ; on 

 the nervures powdery glaucous scales. The reniform is large, vague and spheri- 

 cal. A very prominent black shade sweeps downwardly and outwardly from 

 costa above the reniform and runs to external margin which it joins below the 

 apices. This black shade, which is the median shade, is present in the follow- 

 ing and may be traced in other species, but is nowhere as determinate as in C. 

 viduata. The t. p. line is followed by the broad pale brown subterminal space, 

 which is edged again outwardly by the diffuse white border of the obsolete sub- 

 terminal line. Unusually long thick and pale hairs at the base and along in- 

 ternal margin of the black white fringed secondaries. Centrally the fringes 

 are interrupted with black. Beneath the body is dirty whitish ; wings white 

 at base ; bands tolerably distinct. Exp. 90 to 95 mm. Length of body 38 to 40 

 mm. 



For this species I have taken the name proposed by Guenee in the 

 appendix to his work. I do not believe this to be Abbot's species, 

 whose figure rather resembles C. desperata. But, under all the cir- 

 cumstances, it does not seem worth while to adopt Smith's specific name. 



Louisiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania. Rare. 



5. Catocala desperata, Guence. 

 ? Phalacna vidua, Abbot & Smith. 



% 9- — Well sized, clear grey, white and black. All the lines distinct and 

 colors bright. A basal longitudinal dash ; another crossing the outwardly 

 broadly marked geminate transverse anterior line. Reniform with double an- 

 nulus, whitish, well sized ; subreniform white, included by the t. p. line. Median 

 shade fainter than in C. viduata; subterminal line tolerably distinct, preceded 



