120 NOTES, NEW SPECIES, ETC. 



Adelpha coiUaiiniig >even species ot'tlie insects more familiarly known as, and now embraced in Boisduval's genus Heterochroa, and one 

 Nymphidium. t'oitus 2, Xeplis, contains two astonishingly dissimilar insects gcnerically, though superficially bearing some resemblance : 

 the Eresia (Pup.) Naiiplia, Linn., and Olinn \Pap.) Emilia. Cram. Coitus -i, Metamnrpha, (defined as having "the wings verv oddly 



Adelpha 



l^ymphh 



the £■)•('..- >-,.,. . . - -,...- 



formed, grandlv decorated with green spots,'' I is coiuposed of Vic'orina Sulspilia, Crum., V. Steneles, I,., and Colrfnis Dido, L., whilst 



Cokenis belila and Alctonea are jnit not only in another coitus, but in another stirps, with some forty coitus between them and 0. Dido. 



But, alter all, there is this one most important difference between Hnbner and his present imitators, that though his writings 

 were fanciful he gave most accurate and relialjle figures of his species, which they do not. 



It is nnfortunate, most unfortunate, that owing to the existence of the mutual admiration society which embraces so many of the 

 American Lepidopteri.sts, there lias been but little protest against the phantasms of the authors alluded to; there is no fear tluU the 

 scientists of Europe will at their diction adopt such Laputian nomenclature, but there are here many beginners and less advanced 

 students who have, mdiappily, partly adopted the style of nomenclature of these Chams of Lepidopterology, as their catalogues, lists, 

 etc., are published in cheap periodicals, easily obtainable, whilst the solid, real work of the older as well as the present standard authors 

 on entomological science are not so easily accessible, which is the more to be regretted, as though Seudder and Grote are actuated by 

 widelv dirterent motives in their writings, still both produce the same pernicious results ; Scudder's lists, theories, etc., seem to be gotten 

 up to show what amount of time and labor one human being is capable of completely wasting; whilst, were it not for bis overweening 

 egotism, it might possibly occur to Mr. Cirote that there was some other object in publishing catalogues, etc., than that of the endless ' 

 repetition of the name of the compiler. 



NOTES, NEW SPECIES, ETC. 



Samia Ceakothi is the correct name of the Saturnia fig. 2, Plate XII. It was fully described by Dr. Herman Behr in Proceed- 

 ings California Acad. Xat. Sc, Vol. I, p. 47, April, 30, 18.5.5 ; the author at the same time presented the Academy with a drawing of the 

 insect, as well as a specimen of the cocoon, remarking that it was found on Ceanolhus Ihyrsijtoius, also on a Ehamnvsand a Pfintinus, and 

 that it was likely to prove valuable. Again, on pages 68-69 (1. c. ), Aug. 27, 1855, in recording donations to the Cabinet of the Academy, 

 is the following": "From Dr. Belir, a specimen of the Cal. Silk Worm (Salumia Ceanothi, Behr)." 



Ten vears later Grote, entirely ignoring the above description, redescribed the species as Platysamia Cali/ornica in a foot-note in a 

 a paper on "Bombycidfc of Cuba" in Proc. Ent. Soc, Phila., Vol. V, p. 229, Dec, 1865. At the conclusion of his description he adds: 

 "It is not impossible that this species may be 'Saturnia Euryale,' Boisd. ; if so, this latter name cannot obtain, since it has not, as far as 

 I am aware, been sanctioned by any description." 



Sancla simpticilas ! 



Lyc.ena Catalina. Dr. Behr informs me that his Lycana Lorquini is identical with this species ; its citations are thus : 

 Lvr.ENA Catalixa, Reakirt, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc, Phila., p. 244 (1866). 



Lycana Lonjuini, Behr, Proc. Cal. Acad. Xat. Sc, Vol. Ill, p. 280 (1867). 



Lyaena Ehira, Boisdura!, Lep. Cal., p. 51 (1869). 



Lyctena Dauniu, W. H. Eduards, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, Vol. Ill, p. 272 (1871). 



Lycjena Rapahoe, Reakirt. I have compared the types of this species with a large number of examples of Lye. Icarioides, and 

 can come to no other conclusion than that they are the same. Dr. Behr writes me that Ly. Rapahoe as figured in this work is identical 

 with L. Dredi-dus, in which event the nomenclature of the species would be 

 Lyc.ena Icarioides, Boisduval, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., p. 297 (1852). 



Lyccena Rapahoe, Reakirt, Proc Ent. Soc, Phila., Vol. VI, p. 146 (1866). 



Lyccaia Dccdalvs, Behr, Proc Cal. Acad. Nat. Sc, Vsl. Ill, p. 280 (1867). 



Lyc.ena Pheres, Bdl., and L. Evius, Bdl. Dr. Behr suggests maybe local varieties of the same species, as he has intermediate 

 examples ; in luy own caljinet are also a ninuber of the latter, showing various gradations from one form to the other, and I have no doubt 

 but Dr. Behr's surnuse is correct. 



Ly'C.ena Optilete Knoch. (Papilio O.) Beit. Ins. Ges., I, p. 76, t. 5 (1781). — This species may be added to the N. Am. 

 fauna, as through tlie kindness of mine honored friend. Dr. Behr, I have received several examples that were taken in Alaska ; they 

 present no difi'erencc whatever from the Eui'opean examples ; it is a species having a wide range, being found in Ciermany, Russia and 

 Siberia. 



Sphinx .Strobi, Bdl., which has been accredited to California, I have received from South Africa. It belongs to the same 

 group as <S'. Conijerarum, Pinaslii, etc. 



Through the kindness of Prof C. V. Riley I have examined the plates of Sphingida? recently published by Dr. Boisduval, two 

 new ones from N. America are figured in both imago and larvae under the names of Sphinx Catalpte, Bdl., and S. Cvpressi, Bdl., the lat- 

 ter from Georgia evidently lielonging to the Pinastri group. Prof. Riley has had the larva> of S. Calalpir, but has not so far, I believe, 

 been successful in rearing it. 



Melin,ea Doba, N. S. 



Expands 3J inches. Head l)lack, a yellow dor.sal line and yellow points at the eyes ; antennae yellow, except a short space 

 towards the head wliere they are black ; body above brown, below yellow ; on thorax a yellow central dorsal line. Inner half of pri- 

 maries brownish red ; a yellow, somewhat irregular bar extending from below middle of exterior margin diagonally to middle of costa, 

 exterior to this band the wing is black ; in the discoidal cell is an irregular black mark, and another at end of the cell joins the yellow 

 l)and, this latter is also joined inwardly by another irregular black mark reaching from the middle to the exterior margin of wing; 

 between this mark and the one in the discoidal cell is a black spot ; a black dash at base of wing ; on costa a black streak, and another 

 longer, broader one at inner nuirgin, extending from base to half the length of the wing. Secondaries brownish red, from middle of ex- 

 terior margin to apex very 'narrowly margined with black, widest at veins; beneath as above, but the black marks of primaries 

 smaller; base of secondaries yellow, accompanied with a short black streak ; a small black spot in discoidal cell. I received this ex- 

 ample from Mr. Reakirt, whose MS.S. name I have retained for it ; its locality was Esmeraldus. Allied closely to the lately de- 

 scribed M. Ribbei, Staudinger, but (lifters from it in the absence of all spots on the black apical part of primaries, in the absence of the 

 yellow spot at inner angle, in the absence of the broad black margin of outer half of interior margin, and in the presence of the black 

 dash on inner half of same; and on rever.se of secondaries, in the position of the black spot, which is within the discoidal cell in ours, 

 and outside of it in Staudinger's species ; the latter is from Central Am. To its author I am indebted for my examples. 



It has been accurately figured by Mr. Gustav Weymer in the Stett. Entom. Zeit. (1875). Taf. II, fig. 4. 



