CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD A MONOGRAPH OF THE LP:PI- 

 DOPTEROUS FAMILY NOCTUID.E OF BOREAL NORTH 

 AMERICA. 



A REVISION OF THE :\I0TII8 REFERRED TO THE (iENUS LEUCANIA, 

 WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES 



By John B. Smith, Sc, D., 



0/ Butgers College, Xew Brunswick, New Jersey. 



As it stands in our lists at present the genus Leucania includes all 

 those species with hair}' eyes and unarmed legs in which the vestiture 

 is more or less hairy, the colors pale 3'ellow or luteous tending to 

 reddish, and the markings more or less strigate; normal noctuid macu- 

 lation rarely complete. The antenna? of the male are simple or nearly 

 so and the front of the head is without moditication. 



Setting aside a small series of narrow- winged, long-bodied forms as 

 generically distinct under the name Neleucania^ the remainder of the 

 species agree in the somewhat robust body, moderate, not retracted 

 head, long and functional tongue. The eyes are round, moderate in 

 size, and the palpi reach the middle of front. These palpi are stout, 

 hairy, the terminal joints short and obtuse. Pilipaljns is an exception, 

 chiefl}' in the male. The thorax is usually quadrate, with collar and 

 patagiffi fairly well marked; but in some series it is quite loosely 

 clothed, with the parts indeiined. The vestiture varies from thin hair, 

 through flattened hair to a mixture of long scales and hair; the latter 

 an unusual feature. Behind the collar centrally there may be a small 

 ridge or crest, a small divided crest, or no obvious tufting at all. 



The abdomen is untufted except at sides in the males. The vestiture 

 on the under side is loose and woolly, the males being apt to have the 

 legs sexually tufted. 



The primaries vary somewhat in shape and may l)e quite stumpy or 

 trigonate with marked or even acute apices. 



The species occur throughout the United States and north as well as 

 southward, though on the whole the genus may be said to l)e Northern 

 rather than otherwise. 



In the preparation of this paper my i-eliance has been first of all on 

 the material in my own hands, which was more complete than that of 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXV— No. 1283. 



159 



