LUPERINA (?) (aPAMEa) GUENEEI, DOUBLEDAY, AS A SPECIES. 89 



Luperina (?) (Apamea) gueneei, Doubleday, as a species, and as 

 a British species {irith jdate.^). 



By Hy. J. TURNER, F.E.S. 

 [Continued from page 26.) 



It was noticed among the specimens taken in 1909 that most were 

 slightly lighter in appearance than the ordinarj- forms previously ob- 

 tained, and to these examples having somewhat less intensified markings 

 the name ba.rteri was given by Mr. R. South [Ent., xlii., 290), in honour 

 of Mr. Baxter, of St. Anne's-on-Sea, the rediscoverer of L. (jueneei in this 

 country, and a most enthusiastic collector and observer for many years 

 past. The difference of the type from this form, however, is small, 

 and has been recently expressed as " merely due to the pale gray 

 ground colour (of very fresh examples) having in course of time 

 assumed a somewhat ochreous tinge." From the examination of 

 worn and quite fresh examples, I do not think that this remark holds 

 good, although as it has been freely stated at meetings, where the 

 species has been shown, that the difference is not very marked. Still 

 var. ha.vtcri is an appreciable form and needs noting (pi. iii., fig. 7). 



The first of the new forms of the 1910 season, to which my atten- 

 tion has been called by Mr. A. Murray, of St. Anne's-on-Sea, is an 

 aberration, which I am calling ab. nntnai/i from its captor (pi. iii., 

 figs. 5, and 6 worn). In texture, general depth of colour, and in 

 markings, it is quite of the typical form, except that the submarginal 

 area, between the dark marginal lunules and the submarginal line, 

 is much paler than any other part of the wing, by contrast th rowing- 

 out these dark lunules very conspicuously. In a worn example of 

 the same form this feature is even more apparent than in the perfectly 

 fresh specimen." In the baxteri form this area is uniform with the 

 rest of the coloration, but in the type form (pi. iii., figs. 3 and 4) it is 

 perhaps a shade darker than the general wing coloration. 



The second of the new forms has all the markings exactly as in 

 L. gueneei of the type, except that it is a melanic form. Less than a 

 dozen of this have so far, I believe, been taken. All the markings are 

 much intensified, and even tde ground colour is darker. The increased 

 sharpness of the darker markings, in contrast with the ground colour, 

 emphasises this contrast, and tends to make the specimens appear 

 darker when looked at with the naked eye, than when the contrast is 

 registered by means of the photographic lens. This melanic form I 

 have called var. fioira (pi. iii., figs. 1 and 2). In a worn example the 

 contrast is equally well shown. The general colour is a very dark grey, 

 with, in good light (day), faint flushes of a ferruginous tint in the 

 discal area. In this var. fiiHca there is no trace of the ochreous tinge 

 apparent in many of the typical forms, nor does the pale grey ground 

 colour appear. 



At the same time I ought to record a much smaller form which 

 has occurred, particularly, I believe, at Lytham, but not confined to 

 that place. It is quite typical in coloration so far as I have seen, and 

 the one I have before rne measures 29mm., while the ordinary examples 

 measure 37mm. Presumably we must call this ab. minor (pi. iii., fig. 8). 



* The plate does not sufflcienlly show the contrast between the ground and 

 the submarginal area, which latter does not appear white enough. 



