566 Pomona Coi.lkge Joi'hnal of Entomology 



The only specimens known to me are from San Diego, California, and were 

 sent in by Mr. George H. Field. 



Merolonche Grt. 



This has the same general appearance as Acronycta, but the vestiture is 

 coarser, more divergent, and this gives the species a heavier appearance. The 

 head is small, rather closely applied to the thorax, front a little protuberant, eyes 

 small, tongue weak and useless for feeding, antennae shortly pectinated toward 

 base in the male, simple in the female. Altogether, while the habitus is unmis- 

 takable, the structural differences from Acronycta are strongly marked. 



There are only three species thus far known and these in such small series 

 that they can scarcely be said to be well known. In my synopsis of the species in 

 1898, I separated them as follows: 



Median shade line distinct, angulattd, forming the most prominent feature 



of the primaries ; ordinary spots obsolete spinea 



Median shade line subordinate or wanting; ordinary spots present 

 Less powdery; all the ordinary markings fairly 



evident; with a vague yellowish tinge lupin'i 



Densely powdered, obscuring the ordinary markings; 



total impression a bluish ash gray ur/tina 



I had only the types of spinea from the Edwards collection, seven examples 

 of lupini, and a series of ursina from Colorado, with which I associated three 

 examples from Sierra Nevada, California, rather doubtfully. 



In 1909, Hanipson, in his catalogue, makes quite a different separation while 

 making no suggestion of an error in the identification on my part. He writes: 



A. Forewing witli strong black medial diffused line lupini 



B. Forewing with the medial shade indistinct 



a. Forewing thickly irrorate with black ursina 



b. Forewing suffused with purplish graj' tpinea 

 Hampson had of lupini tliree types from tlie Grote collection; of ursina, two 



females from British Columbia and Colorado, of spinea three examples — types — 

 from the Grote collection. All the lupini and spinea came originally through Mr. 

 Henry Edwards and Mr. Grote labeled all the specimens "type", some remaining 

 in the Edwards collection, now in the American Museum of Natural History ; the 

 others going with his collection to the British Museum. 



It appears from the above that the species are variable, especially in so far 

 as the median shade is concerned, Hampson finding it indistinct in his three 

 examples of spinea, while in my seven it stood out strongly as compared with the 

 same ornament in lupini. A better difference is, perhaps, that in spinea the 

 ordinary spots are only indicated at best, or entirely absent; while in lupini they 

 are well defined. Neither of the species is known in the larval stage. 



Ursini Smith, was described from Colorado, and is recorded by Hampson 

 from British Columbia. I have California examples, from the Sierra Nevada, 

 which I believe to be the same; but there is at least a doubt, and a thorough col- 

 lecting for the species of this genus should give interesting and important results 



I 



