154 THE entomologist's record. 



wings is developed for flight and the hind pair aborted. The eon- 

 verse has taken place in the Coleoptera. The petagic position of the 

 elytra is retained during flight in the Cetonidae, the true wings being 

 unfolded and thrust forwards and downwards from beneath the closed 

 elytra. A study of the families Avith abbreviated elytra will more clearly 

 demonstrate the steps in the development of the petagic processes ; 

 while Hoffbauer shows conclusively that the structure of the elytra 

 resembles that of the i)ronotum and differs in every essential feature 

 from that of the wings. It will thus be inexact to call the elytra of 

 the Shard-borne beetle the " front pair of wings." 



We have before jiointed out that various American species so-called, 

 are nothing but our common Tephrosia crepuscidaria. Dr. Hulst writes 

 {Ent. News, Feb., p. 41) : — " Tephrosia occiduaria, Gn., i., 266 ; Boarmia 

 SHjuaria, Wlk., 346 ; Tephrosia spatiosaria, Wlk., 403 ; Boarinia intra- 

 taria, Wlk., 403, and Tephrosia ahraxaria, Wlk., 403, are the same as 

 Boarmia crepttscularia ; ahraxaria is quite a distinct variety, and has 

 been described by me as fernaldaria. Boarmia cineraria, Wlk., 488, 

 is another synonym." This is not bad even for Walker. Here is 

 another reference (I.e., p. 43) : — " Cidaria ? frigidata, Wlk., 1729 ; 

 Larentia ? rennnciata, Wlk., 1187, and Ypsipetes plnviafa, Gn., ii., 378, 

 are synonyms of trifaseiata. Mr. Moffatt tells me Cleora divisaria, Wlk., 

 489, is the same species." On the same page we read " Petrophora 

 trnncata var. thirK/vaUata, described, T think, by Stei)henst, is the insect 

 afterwards described by me as Cleora atrifasciata. The Museum speci- 

 mens are very much smaller than mine, expanding scarcely one-half 

 as much." Again, we read "Larentia cervinifascia,W\\i., 1184, is a 

 variety of popidata. It is very close in appearance to the variety 

 comma-iiotata,Jiaw.* Cidaria remotata,'Wlk., 1388; C.mollicnlata,^lk., 

 1390; C. 2:>ropnlsafa, ^N\k., 1389, and Pelurg a similis, Wlk., 1425, are 

 all forms of the same species, the American populata, called hy Prof. 

 Lintner packardata. The variations are very wide, but are all shown 

 in the set of populata in the British Museum." We would ask Dr. 

 Hulst whether the "American jJO|nfZa/rt " is " populata, Ij." European 

 entomologists will scarcely understand the former term, the latter is 

 intelligible. We should suppose that there are some other interesting 

 items in the paper but, as our readers will observe, the American 

 nomenclature (especially the generic) is so different from our own, 

 that we must confess to an inability to understand many of Dr. Hulst's 

 remarks. British entomologists interred Walker's British Museum 

 entomology with his bones. Some American entomologists appear to 

 delight in the gruesome business of resurrecting and re-interring it. 



Mr. Ai;ld gives (E.M.M., March) a detailed account of how to get 

 larv^ of Phorodesma smaragdaria. His directions are : Fenchurch Street 

 for Southend line to Benfleet Station, then work right along the coast 

 to St. Osyth ; examine closely every patch of Artemisia maritima ; 

 caterpillar is a " fluffy-looking, spider-like creature " clinging to the 

 twigs. Clothing itself as it does with little pieces of its food-plant, it 

 is very difficult to detect. 



A description of the larva of Tephrosia extersaria, of which there 

 are two distinct types as regards coloration — pale pea-green and 

 purplish-brown — is given by Mr, G. T. Porritt {E.M.M., March, p. 67). 



* The comma-notata, Haw., is a variety of Cidaria truncata (russata), a very 

 different-looking species from C. populata. — En. 



tWe would refer Dr. Hulst to tStaudinger's Catahnj dcr Lep-, etc. (1871), p. 183. 

 This book should be in the hands of every s3'nonyniist. A wild guess like this 

 only makes confusion worse confounded. — En. 



