VARIETIES OF NOCTD^ IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 306 



y. var. ohlonga, Haw. — Haworth describes a variety of gemina under the 

 name of oblonga, treating it as a distinct species. He writes : — '• Alis 

 cinereis nebulosis, costa maculaquae oblonga fuscis, strigaque alba postica 

 undulatissima." " Alae anticae longitudinaliter seraifuscse, in qua parte 

 puucta costalia, apex, et stigmata ordinaria, cinerascentia. Altera pars 

 alae etiam cinerascit, macula majuscula postica cuneiformi fusca, et alia in 

 medio oblonga marginem tenuiorem versus. Alae posticae albicantes, 

 fimbria fusca; caetera ut in variis sequentibus " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' 

 pp. 188, 189). This is very little different to some forms oiiidermedia, but 

 seems to have a darker costal area, in which are situated the paler stigmata. 



J. var. remissa, Hb. — About the synonymy of this variety there 

 seems to have been some doubt, although Hiibner, Haworth, and 

 Treitschke appear to have described rather more or less extreme forms 

 of the same variety under the same name. Dr. Staudinger, however, 

 calls the variety remissa, Tr, (why Treitschke I do not know, except 

 that Hiibner's rather more extreme form is more rarely obtained), and 

 says of it, "dilutior, variegata." Hiibner's figure 423 may be described as 

 having " a pale basal patch, with two short black basal streaks, while the 

 transverse basal line is followed by a large blackish patch extending from 

 the costa, not quite to the inner margin, in which is placed the pale 

 orbicular and the inner half of the pale reniform ; the inner margin and 

 space beyond the reniform is pale, with a paler line parallel to the hind 

 margin. Hind wings grey, with the base paler." Haworth's remissa is 

 described much in the same way. He writes : — "Alis pallide fuscescentibus 

 nebulosis, lineolis duabus basi, arcuque medio, crassissimo nigricautibus." 

 " Praecedenti (oblonga) afiinis costa pallidiore strigaque postica minus 

 dentata, et fere evanescente ; macula oblonga nigra superne alte fusco 

 adnata et inde stigmata subcinerea arcuatim includente. Posticae alte 

 fuscescentes." He also adds that there is a form of this variety, " charac- 

 teribus pallidioribus, at magis distiuctis " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 189, 

 No. 79). Guenee writes of Hiibner's remissa: — "Superior wings a little 

 more rounded, having the subtermiual space, the two ordinary stigmata, 

 a part of the basal space, the inner margin, and an apical patch of a pale 

 greyish ochreous colour, which contrasts very strongly with the almost black 

 colour of the median space." Guenee only gives "North America" as a 

 locahty for this variety, but adds directly after; — "I have not seen an example 

 agreeing exactly with Hiibner's figure ; our European specimens agree 

 more or less with the var. a (i. e., var. intermedia), of which this variety is 

 only an extreme form. It is, therefore, very possible that it occurs with 

 us, and very probably the specimen which served as Hiibner's type was not 

 exotic " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 208). This variety in its extreme form is 

 not common in Britain, but at the same time it is not very rare, and I 

 should most certainly consider Hiibner's type an European one. The 

 greater number of our specimens are referable either to the type var. 

 rufescens or var. intermedia. 



(To be continued.) 



ENTOM. — NOV, 1889. /i ^ 



