94 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



CONTEIBUXrONS TOWARDS A LIST OF THE VARIETIES 



OF NOCTU^ OCCURRING IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



By J. W. TuTT, F.E.S. 



(Contiuued from p. 62.) 



Xylophasia, St., hepatica, L. 



The t3'pe of this species is described hj Linnseus, ' Systema 

 Naturae,' p. 853, No. 1C9, as " Noctua spirilinguis cristata, alis 

 glaucescentibus ; fascia ferruginea abbreviata terminalique plicata." 

 " Dorsum pluribus exasperatum. Alarum color hepaticus : 

 fascia ferruginea vix latus interius appropinquante." Guenee, in 

 his ' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 144, says: "Linnseus has badly 

 described it as ' wings glaucous ;' and Clerck has figured it with 

 bluish wings, which made Hiibner believe that it was tincta." 

 Hiibner figures tincta under the name hepatica. I am inclined to 

 think that Guenee, who was undoubtedly^ not well up in the 

 varieties of this group, did Linnseus an injustice. My own 

 impression is, that the Linnsean type was a glaucous one, and that 

 our forms are different to the Linnsean type. There is a constant 

 glaucous variety of rurea (closely allied to the type). I have a 

 glaucous variety of scolopacina. Why should there not be a 

 glaucous form of hepatica ? The British specimens appear to be 

 of two distinct forms, one clear dull brown, with typical 

 markings, as in Newman's ' British Moths,' p. 285, but with no 

 transverse markings, var. epomidion, Haw., the other of a redder 

 colour, and much marbled with transverse ochreous markings. 

 This latter marbled form is the characterea of Hiibner. 



a. var. characterea, Hb. — Hiibner's fig. 133 may be described as having 

 the anterior wings brown, with a reddish tinge, with the ordinary dark 

 markings, but a number of transverse Hnes, ochreous outlined with black, 

 gives the variety a very mottled appearance. The darker ground colour 

 shows up very distinctly between the pale line near the hind margin, and 

 the pale line just beyond the reniform. I believe this variety occurs 

 in most British localities. I have taken it in various locahties in Kent, 

 and have received it from the neighbourhood of Barnsley (Yorkshire), the 

 New Forest, &c. 



/3. var, epomidion, Haw. — This is the ordinary form which we get, 

 " brown, without the ochreous transverse markings which occur in 

 characterea.'" Haworth, in his ' Lepidoptera Britaunica,' p. 170, thus 

 describes it: "Alis griseo fuscoque variis strigis tribus pallidioribus obso- 

 letis dentatis." " Lineola basi anticarum alarum seepe geminata; striga 

 antica undulata (subinde omnino obliterata), altera pone medium denticulata 

 extus arcuata et subinde quasi geminata; tertiaque juxta raarginem 

 posticum alte et irregulariter dentata, et nebulis fuscis adnata. Margo ipse 

 posticus fusco punctatus. Alse posticse ut in prjecedentibus (rurea)." 



It must be noticed that in the ' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 

 169, Haworth copies the Linnsean description of hepatica, which 



