VARIETIES OF NOCTU^ IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 377 



Apamea, Och., unanimis, Hb. 



This is an almost constant dimorphic species, one of the 

 forms resembling somewhat the reddish variety, rufescens, of 

 gemina, the other having the same ground colour, but having 

 the peculiar claviform »^-like development seen in the var. 

 intermedia of gemina; but the smaller size of this species, the 

 well-developed, white-outlined reniform, narrower wings, and 

 other minor characters serve at once to distinguish it ; the dark 

 transverse shade from the costa to the inner margin, extending 

 between the stigmata, and so noticeable in some other genera, is 

 very distinct in some specimens. Why Newman wrote that this 

 species was larger than gemina (' British Moths,' p. 305), I 

 cannot understand, as his description would not lead one to 

 suppose that he was in doubt about the species. I have one very 

 dark specimen labelled " Shoeburyness," and two others from 

 Cambridge, with the central area inclining to a banded character 

 (as in 'pahulatricula). There is a certain amount of sexual 

 variation, the females being, as a rule, somewhat smaller and 

 darker than the males. Guenee says of this species, " It varies 

 rarely, and is, in this respect, very different to its congeners " 

 (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 209). Hiibner's figure 556 (which is a 

 very poor one) represents the type, and is of a dull brownish 

 colour, with typical transverse markings. The figure represents 

 a small female. It has " the anterior wings dull brown, with an 

 abbreviated, followed by a complete basal line ; the orbicular 

 small and faintly outlined ; reniform outlined in white ; a pale 

 angulated line directly beyond reniform ; another pale line 

 parallel to hind margin ; extreme hind margin slaty grey. 

 Hind wings dark grey, base paler, lunule darker." Freyer, in 

 his 'Neuere Beitraege,' &c., vol. iv., pi. 371, figures both 

 sexes of this species. His fig. 1 represents a " male, of a pale 

 greyish brown ground colour, quite grey at base, with a short 

 dark basal streak under the base of the median nervure, a 

 fine double black basal transverse line, followed by a distinct 

 orbicular and large reniform, both outlined in pale ; the 

 claviform is distinct and dark brown ; a double line runs from 

 base of reniform to inner margin ; a transverse row of small 

 white dots, followed by a wavy line, near hind margin ; median 

 area mottled with brown, outer area very dark grey. Hind 

 wings pale grey, with a distinct lunule and darker hind margin." 

 His fig. 2 is a female, " marked like fig. 1, but a little darker in 

 ground colour. Hind wings darker grey." Haworth's secalina, 

 var. jS (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 210), would appear to be the 

 darker form of this species, his a representing the type, his j3 

 representing the form with the >— (-like mark under the stigmata. 

 We have, therefore, only to deal with two forms : — 



1. Without an t-H-like mark and without a partially-developed 

 central band, = unanimis. 



