102 



CONISTRA SIDUS Gn. 



In our recent List we followed Hampson in making ivalkcri Grt. 

 a synonym of sidus Gn. and listing vinulenta Grt. as an aberrational 

 form. We believe, however, after a study of the original descriptions 

 that it will be more correct to list vinulenta as the synonym and walkeri 

 as the form. 



Guenee in his description gives the color of sidus as even brick- 

 red with a yellow reniform which he remarks will probably also be 

 white in some specimens as in the European satellitia; Grote's descrip- 

 tion of vinulenta was based on a red specimen with white reniform 

 as a reference to his description and the colored figure given clearly 

 shows; the difference between the two is therefore merely a slightly 

 different shade of the reniform which scarcely warrants a name in our 

 opinion. There is no type of vinulenta labelled as such at the Phila- 

 delphia Academy where the type should be, but there is an old speci- 

 men with a label "No. 239" which agrees excellently with Grote's 

 figure and which is probably the original type specimen. 



Walkeri is based on an ochreous-brown specimen rather suffused 

 with smoky, the color probably being due to the fact that the speci- 

 men had hibernated, as we have noticed that nearly all specimens 

 taken in early spring lack the brilliant color of those of the fall ; no 

 type is marked as such at Philadelphia but there is in the series a speci- 

 men on an old pin without a label which agrees so well with Grote's 

 figure that it could very well be considered the original of it ; the name 

 walkeri may be used for the dull ochreous form of sidus with suffused 

 and indistinct maculation but we can see nothing in either Grote's 

 figures or the presumable types to warrant specific separation. 



CONISTRA GRAEFIANA Grt. (PI. XV, Fig. 16). 



This species should be removed from the synonymy of indirecta 

 Wlk. in our list ; our error was due primarily to an apparent mix-up 

 in the British Museum series as the specimens figured by Hampson 

 (Cat. Lep. Phal. VI, PI. CVI, Figs. 27, 28) as indirecta Wlk. and 

 moffatiana Grt. and based seemingly on type material certainly re- 

 present but one species and Hampson in his text had already referred 

 graefiana to indirecta Wlk. (Cat. Lep. Phal. VI, 466). 



