218 REVISION OF MAMESTRA — SMITH 



Fuscous, with gray shadings aud gemiuate bhick transverse lines. 

 Basal line present, geminate, inner portion darkest. T. a. line upright, 

 slightly irregular, outer portion of line darker and heavier than the 

 inner, included space concolorous. T. p. line exserted over reniform, 

 strongly incurved below, narrowing the median sj)ace by one-half, 

 inner portion of line darkest and broadest. S. t. line narrow, pale, 

 partly obsolete, marked by three preceding and one following sagittate 

 black dashes which detiue the distinct W. A row of small, terminal 

 dark lunules. Claviform concolorous, outlined in black, extending 

 nearly or quite across the median space. Orbicular large, round, bluish 

 white, with narrow black outline. Reniform moderate, upright, hardly 

 constricted, concolorous. An oblique, bluish- white shade through s. t. 

 space, distinct at apex and hind margin, else obsolete. Secondaries 

 smoky fuscous. Beneath pale, powdery, with exterior common line and 

 discal dots. Head and thorax concolorous with primaries, with white 

 admixtuie, the collar with a black line. 



Expands 32"'"' (1.28 inches). 



Habitat. — "Middle States," Maryland, Florida. 



A single specimen from Maryland (J. B. S.) is in the Museum col- 

 lection. xMr. Grote gives Middle Sta.es as localily for the si)ecies. 

 Guenee aud Walker both give Florida as localities for their types. The 

 synouymical reference above follows Mr. Grote, but the description of 

 Raphia propulsa disagrees utterly with what I have identified as 

 Guenee's species. I have not seen any specimens labeled by Mr. Grote, 

 and therefore do not know how he has identified it. I have seen a very 

 few specimens agreeing with the figure in drawing aud color, and with 

 the brief comparative descrii)tion as well ; but 1 do not see how even 

 Walker could have made such a description as his from the present 

 species. The reference by Messrs. Grote and Robinson was made after 

 an examination of types, and must be accepted as correct until some 

 one equally competent can make the same comparisons. 



The thorax is rather short, not strongly tufted, abdomen almost un- 

 tufted. The primaries have the apices somewhat acute, outer margin 

 obliquely rounded. 



The harpes in the male have the tip dilated and obliquely drawn out 

 superiorly. At inner margin, just below tip, is an acute, short, dentin 

 form process. The inner face of the dilated tip is spinulose. The 

 clasper is very stout, rather short, hardly curved, beak-like. 



Mamestra vittula Grt. 

 1882. Grt., Trans. Kaus. Ac. Sci., viii, 48; Mamestra. 



Ash gray, powdered, median space darker. Transverse lines gemi- 

 nate, black, included spaces pale. Basal line distinct, angulated. Me- 

 dian lines unusually approximated. T. a. remote from base, outwardly 

 oblique, and very slightly irregular. T. p. almost parallel with outer 

 margin, slightly sinuate, but not strongly incurved below reuiform. 



