Sept., 1907.] Smith: Notes on Some American Noctuids. 



157 



frons smooth ; 

 eyes large, rounded ; 

 head and thorax roughly clothed 

 with scales mixed with some 

 hair, the pro- and metathorax 

 with spreading crests ; 

 pectus and tibiae clothed with long tibite fringed with long hair ; 

 hair ; 



frons smooth ; 



eyes large, rounded ; 



head and thorax clothed chiefly 

 with scales, the pro- and meta- 

 thorax with crests ; 



abdomen with 

 crests. 



dorsal series of 



Fore wing with veins 3 and 5 from 



near angle of cell ; 

 6 from upper angle ; 



abdomen with dorsal crest on first 

 segment, some rough hair at 

 base and lateral tufts of hair. 



Fore wing with veins 3 and 5 from 

 near angle of cell ; 



6 from upper angle ; 



9 from 10 anastomosing with 8 to 9 from 10 anastomosing with 8 to 



form the areole ; 



II from cell. 



Hind wing with veins 3, 4 from 

 angle of cell ; 



5 obsolescent from just below mid- 

 dle of discocellulars ; 



form the areole ; 

 1 1 from cell. 

 Hind wing with veins 3, 4 from 



angle of cell ; 

 5 obsolescent from middle of dis- 

 cocellulars ; 

 6, 7 from upper angle or shortly 6, 7 from upper angle ; 



stalked ; 

 8 anastomosing with the cell near 8 anastomosing with the cell near 

 base only. base only. 



Absolutely the only differences here given are the slight points in 

 differences of vestiture and even these are more matters of words than 

 of facts. The abdominal tuftings as between gussafa and negussa are 

 exactly identical at base and laterally ; but there is only one distinct 

 dorsal crest in gussata. The thoracic tuftings and the vestiture are so 

 nearly alike that I can see no differences. In plica fa which is cited 

 as a synonym of negussa, the second abdominal segment has a very 

 small crest, the other segments have none. 



Comparing the cJ* genitalia on mounted slides I find an identity 

 of type in the three species, and only small differences of detail be- 

 tween them. Now identity of type, if the type is a simple or general- 

 ized one does not mean very much ; but where the type is specialized 

 and characteristic, it means a great deal, and any classification that 

 separates such very similar forms as gi/ssafa and negussa by several 



