214 J. B. SMITH. 



collar, and an indistinct posterior tuft most evident in lucens; sides dis- 

 tinctly bounded, giving it a decidedly quadrate appearance from above ; 

 wings proportionately small, primaries with rounded outer margins and 

 unusually long fringes ; tibia spinose, anterior scarcely abbreviated, ob- 

 liquely truncate at tip, where it is armed at inner side with a long strong 

 spine-like claw, a shorter spine at outer side and two or three strong- 

 spines at outer and a similar number at inner lateral margin ; tarsal claws 

 strongly dentate ; abdomen conic, somewhat exceeding secondaries, with 

 a decided basal tuft in lucens which is wanting in Meadii. 



This genus is separated from Helioihi* by the more robust form, shorter 

 primaries, the differently armed anterior tibia, by the strongly dentate 

 tarsal claw and quadrate decidedly bounded thorax. 



Lucens may be considered the type, and the two species which I 

 place in it are distinguished as follows : 



Abdomen tufted at base, primaries carmine, with the usual lines silvery white, 



lucens. 

 Abdomen not tufted ; primaries green, with silvery lines and paler blotches, 



Meadii. 



D. lucens, Morr., Proc. Ac. N. Sc. Ph., 1875. p. fi» (Heliothis) ; Grt. Can. Ent. 

 xiv. p. 175 (Tamil a), Id. var. luxuriosa ; PI. VII, fig. 1 and la, tibia and tarsal 

 claw, and PI. VIII, fig. 4, wing. 



Readily distinguished by the carmine primaries crossed by silvery lines 

 as shown in the figure ; the tibia differs somewhat from that of the fol- 

 lowing species, as will be seen by a comparison of the figures, and this 

 species has a distinct basal tuft on abdomen — a feature not found in any 

 other species of the group with spinose tibiae. With Heliothis this spe- 

 cies could not remain united, the whole appearance of the insect is too 

 entirely different. 



Habitat. — Nebraska, Montana and Colorado. The specimens from 

 Nebraska appear almost universally of a paler color while equally fresh 

 than those from other sections. Mr. Grote has named the dark variety 

 luxuriosa, in my opinion without sufficient reason. 



Expands 1 inch, 26-30 millim. 



D. Meadii, Grt. Buf. Bui. 1 p. 121, pi. 3, fig. 5 {Heliothis) ; Id. 2. p. 35 (Tam- 

 ila) ; PI. VII, figs. 2 and 2a, tibia and tarsal claw, and PL VIII, fig. 3. wing. 



At a glance distinguishable from the preceding by the greenish color 

 of the primaries, though the style of marking is identical and the relation- 

 ship otherwise extremely close ; it lacks the abdominal tuft and is some- 

 what slighter than the preceding species. Described as a Heliothis in the 

 "sub-genus" Tamila and placed with nundina in the subsequent lists by 

 Mr. Grote, in which Tamila, is given generic rank. With nundina it has 



