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NEW HYBRID BISTONIN^. 

 By J. W. H. Harbison, B.Sc. 



I HAVE succeeded in producing several " Biston " hybrids, 

 and in order to secure leisure for an extended and detailed study 

 of their early stages, and at the same time to protect myself 

 from being forestalled, I am publishing this preliminary state- 

 ment of their names. 



Before doing so I must point out that Mr. L. B. Prout has 

 shown that our ordinary English applications "of the various 

 generic names are incorrect, and that the following are the 

 valid names : — 



(1) Biston is inapi^licable to hirtaria; as sirfltona was selected 



as the type, Amphidasys sinks to this as a synonym. 

 Lycia, Hilbner, 1826 (type hirtaria, selected by Hulst in 

 1896), must be accepted. 



(2) Apocheima, type hispidaria, cannot be used for zonaria, 



which is generically distinct. 

 Ithysia, Hiibner (1826), must be used, therefore, instead. 

 Type zonaria (Hulst, 1896). Nyssia, Duponchel, sinks 

 to Ithysia. 



(3) This leaves the three species, pomonaria, lapponaria, and 



rachelcB without a generic name. 

 In anticipation of my detailed paper, I propose the name 

 Poecilopsis for the rough-haired, red-speckled forms 

 named above, with type pomonaria. 



(4) Although I am not dealing with the species usually 



known as ''Biston'' grcecaria and "B." alpina, as they 

 also require a generic name, I propose Melanocoma. 

 Type alpina. 



The hybrids, of which a list appears below, are without 

 exception named after those who have taken an interest in and 

 have supplied material in the past for their production. In 

 England my special thanks are due to Messrs. Denham and 

 Smallman for help with zonaria and lapponaria, whilst for 

 pomonaria I have to thank my esteemed friend Herr Lange, 

 of Freiberg. 



Ithysia, hj'brid langei =■ I. zonaria ^ x Poecilopsis pomo- 

 naria $ . 



Ithysia, hybrid harrisoni = I. zonaria ^ X Lycia hirtaria ? . 



Poecilopsis, hybrid smallmani =: P. lapponaria ^ x Ithysia 

 zonaria ? . 



Poecilopsis, hybrid helence = P. pomonaria <? x Ithysia 

 zonaria ? . 



Lycia, hybrid denhami = L. hirtaria 3- x Ithysia zonaria ? . 



