57 



sometimes obsolete, the dorsal line sometimes interrupted by a 

 row of brownish spots ; a brownish or yellowish line below the 

 spiracles ; venter greenish, with a light or yellowish line in the 

 middle ; lo legs ; head brown or greenish, sometimes marked with 

 about four vertical brown dashes; length 15 mm. Feeds on 

 clover. Found from June to September. 



NOTES ON CATOCALA SAPPHO, STRECKER. 



By G. H. French, Carbondale, III. 



Mr. Strecker, in noticing this beautiful species (part 1 1 of his 

 Lep. Rhop. et Het.) intimates that he hesitated as to the propriety 

 of describing it as a species, as he thought it might prove to be 

 but a variety of Agrippina. Mr. G. D. Hulst, in commenting on 

 the species in his " Catalogue of the Catocalae of North America, 

 with Notes," (No. 2, vol. 3, of Bulletin, Brooklyn Ent. Soc.) says, 

 "We incline very strongly to the opinion suggested by Mr. 

 Strecker when he described it, that this very charming insect is 

 but an extreme variety of Agrippina^ 



I can see why the namer of the species should hesitate when 

 he already had a form of Agrippina with primaries suffused with 

 white, and before him, perhaps, only a single specimen of Sap- 

 pho ; but my observations do not confirm his fears. As this is 

 a very rare insect, and as I have been so fortunate as to capture 

 two specimens, I will give briefly my reasons for believing it to 

 be distinct from the allied form Agrippina. First. I do not know 

 that Agrippina has ever been found in this State. I have hunted 

 this region thoroughly, taking over forty different species of Cat- 

 ocala, and have never found it. Besides this, I have by consider- 

 able research and correspondence, been making a list of the Cat- 

 ocalae of Illinois, and I do not find that any one else has taken 

 that species here. 



The two specimens of Sappho above referred to, are as nearly 

 alike as two specimens of Desperata or any other well marked 

 species, the primaries having the two black patches extending 

 from the costa, well defined; these and all the other marks agree- 

 ing with the figure accompanying Mr. Strecker's description. 

 To find so well marked a form in such widely separated local- 

 ities as Texas, Georgia and Illinois, all the examples agreeing 

 with each other, and with no intergrades is in my mind, strong 

 proof of its specific value. Cara, Laclirymosa and others have 

 their well marked varieties, but in the extreme forms they usually 

 vary somewhat, while the intergrades are more common than the 

 extreme varieties. For these reasons, I am of the opinion that 

 Sappho is a good species. 



