34 CATOCALA DESPERATA. . 



very pale grey ; tl.e space fion this laltir to the transverse posterior liuc is brown of uo very 

 decided tint. 



.Secondaries, base covered witli tfreyish iiairs, rest of wing blade, witli Ijroad pure wiiite 

 fri nges. 



Under surface, primaries while, with black marginal, nicdian and sub-basal bands, which 

 art' confluent near interior margin ; fringis white, with grey at tiie terminations of veins. 



Secondaries white, with broad black marginal and narrower mesial bands; fringes wiiite. 



The caterpillar which is figured by Abbot feeds on various species of oak. 



The commonest of all the black winged Catocalrc, and is found in most localities from 

 >i'cw York to Florida. 



Tlierc has been the most iutcrminable confusion in regard to the identity of this species ; 

 for years it has been confounded with, and represented in American collections the C. Viduata 

 or \'idua of Guenc'C, a larger and entirely distinct species peculiar to the Southern States; by 

 comparing the figure of the latter on plate III of this work with that of the present species on 

 plate Y, the many obvious points of difference will be readily perceived without inflicting on 

 me the misery of pointing them out piecemeal. 



CATOCALA SUBNATA. cuote. 



Pi-oc. Eiit. Soc. Phila. Vol. Ill, j). 32G. (1^61. ) 

 Traiij. Am. Eiit. Soc. Vol. IV, p. !>. ( 1872.") 



( PLATE V, fk;. .S 9 ) . ' 



Expands 3j inches. 



Head and throax, above, pale grey with dark lirown lines ; abdomen bright ochre yellow; 

 beneath yellowish white. 



Upper surface, primaries greyish white with pale blueish and brown shades ; transverse 

 lines and other markings dark brown and very distinct; reniform medium size, sub-reniform 

 large and open ; fringes brown. 



.Secondaries bright yellow ; marginal ;uul mesial bands irregular and not extending to the 

 interior margin ; frinjics vellow. 



Under surface yellow, with all the black bands narrow. 



Habitat. Middle and Southern States, of rare oceuiTeuce. 



This has the appearance of being an improved edition of and is closely allied to C 

 Xeogama, but can be easily distinguished from that species by its much greater size, the more 

 i)rilliant yellow of abdomen and secondaries, and by the open sub-reniform, also the ground 

 color of primaries is much lighter and the markings generally more prominent. 



The c? figure on plate IV, Vol. Ill, Proc. Eat. Soc. Phil., which accompanied Mr. 

 Grote's original description of C. Subnata, resembles It in size and shape, but the markings 

 mainly, and the colors precisely are those of Neogama, it has even the closed sub-reniform 



