172 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



used in describing this specimen, except in regard to its most aberrant 

 markingthereniformstigma,ofwhich the concavity and margin generally 

 may actually be called "white." L. nicherUi is the species where this last 

 character is very strongly marked, but the consensus of the remaining 

 characters, to my mind, give no weight to a contention that it is that species. 

 Out of the thirty specimens in the Museum Collection and some forty 

 examples of my own (from all parts of Europe), in only one example 

 is the reniform rendered conspicuous by a white concavity as in this 

 so called baxteri. This specimen is a dwarf, very dark example, from 

 Wallasey. (A pathological form [?] ). The white is not very conspicuous, 

 by no means as obtrusive as in L. nicherUi, but still sufficiently well 

 marked to be noted at the first glance. 



The Doubleday specimen of L. (lueneei has already be endiscussed 

 by Mr. South, Mr. Bankes, and others, but I might note that the 

 marginal lunules are strongly black and fairly distant from each other, 

 the light parts of the chequered fringe go well up between the lunules 

 so far as can be seen in the worn and faded specimen. Still, in spite 

 of the age-fading, these black lunules, in depth of colour, shape, and 

 distance apart, are a conspicuous feature such as never occurs in 

 L. te.^tacea, in fact in some examples of the latter species they are con- 

 spicuous by their absence. 



From the figures on Plate vi. it will be easily supposed that L. 

 diiDierilii is in no way identifiable with L. fpieneii, and I believe that 

 investigation of the genitalia shows that they are abundantly distinct, 

 thus confirming what all the other evidence of form, markings, and 

 colour points to. This leaves us with only L. nickerlii to consider. 

 There seems a difficulty in obtaining specimens of true L. nickerlii, and 

 there is very strong suspicion that the examples obtained by Mr. 

 South and sent to Mr. Pierce for examination were not that species. 

 Dr. Chapman has obtained some undoubted examples of this species 

 and I hope shortly to be able to give figures of the genitalia of all the 

 four species in question, since Mr. Murray has very kindly sent on 

 several L. (jueneei for dissection. 



Freyer in his Neuerc Beitriige zur Schmetterlinriskunde wit Abbil- 

 dunr/ea nac/i der Natiir, vol. v., page 140, describes a species of 

 Luperina, which he names nickerlii after Dr. Nickerl of Prague, its 

 captor. He also figures the species on Plate 466, fig. 4. This was in 

 the year 1845. As regards the figure it is wooden in the extreme, 

 perfectly useless for the purpose of identification, and absolutely 

 unlike the real moth. 



The following is Freyer's description, which I have thought it' 

 advisable to put in the original so that nothing of the force of his 

 words be lost. 



"Von der Grosse, Gestalt und fast auch Zeichnung der N. echii. 

 In der Farbe und Zeichnung nahert sie sich auch der N. testacea. 

 Das Bruststilek und die Vorderfiugel sind rothlichgrau, letztere mit 

 den gewohnlichen 3 wellenformigen Binden, welche am Vorderrand 

 aus weissen dreieckigen Flecken anslaufen. Im Mittelfeld steht die 

 sehr deutliche weisse Nierenmackel mit dunkler Ausfiillung. Die 

 runde Mackel ist sehr klein, ebenfalls w^eiss, mit dunkler Fhllung. 

 Die Zapfenmackel ist schwarzbraun und verfliesst in eiuen gleichge- 

 fiirbten Schattenstreif der sich bis zur zweiten Wellenlinie oder Binde, 



