THE VARIATION OF SARROTHRIPUS REVAYANA, SCOPOLI. 127 



and transverse lines very obscurely indicated, and having the 

 appearance of a dull fuscous, almost black insect. 



Common in the New Forest and near London, where the 

 great majority of the examples obtained are of this form. 



Degenerana Group. 



I have included in this group the very handsome ab. degene- 

 rana of Hubner, and what I regard as its British equivalent, 

 which I call ab. rosea. 



ab. degenerana, Hiib. 



Synonymy. — Degenerana, Hubner, Tort. pi. ii, fig. 8 (1797) ; 

 Haworth, Brit. Lap. p. 406 (1811) ; Duponchel, Hist. Nat. Lep. ix, 

 p. 47, and pi. ccxxxvii, fig. 6 (1834) ; Staudinger, Cat. Lep. d'Eur. p. 22 

 (1861); Sepp, Ned. Ins. 2nd series, i, pi. cccxxxiv, fig. 8, and p. 147 

 ( 1862) ; Staudinger, Cat. Lep. d'Eur. p. 50 (1871) ; Frey, Lep. Schweiz, 

 p. 72 (1880) ; Lampa, Tidsk. vi, p. 31 (1885) ; Aurivinius, Nord. Fjar. 

 p. 80, and fig. 17 (1890) ; Favre, Mac. Lep. de Valais, p. 78 (1899) ; 

 Staudinger, Cat. Pal. Lep. p. 361 (1901) ; Hofmann, Eur. Schmett. ii, 

 p. 124, and taf. ixxii, fig. 19 a (1908). 



Description. — Named and figured by Hiibner, but no des- 

 cription is given. The following is one I have made from his 

 figure : 



The ground-colour of the superiors is greyish-white, with 

 dark purple blotches and waved, fuscous transverse lines. The 

 bases are purple, with dark, fuscous, waved outer margins ; then 

 follows an area with greyish-white ground-colour, which extends 

 from the dark base to about one-third of the length of the 

 wings ; this light area contains two waved, dark, fuscous trans- 

 verse lines, and some fuscous blotches ; next this light area is a 

 dark purple central fascia, extending across the superiors from 

 the costal to the inner margin; this fascia is palest in the centre, 

 and outlined on both margins with dark fuscous ; it has in it a 

 transverse, waved white line, and a reddish-brown spot, which 

 presumably is intended to represent the discal spot. Outside 

 this dark central fascia is another greyish-white area, which 

 extends to the hind margin, and which has three waved, fuscous 

 transverse lines, the centre one of which is the broadest and most 

 conspicuous; the cilife are light fuscous, with darker longitudinal 

 lines ; the head and palpi are white ; the eyes and antennae are 

 dark fuscous ; the thorax is white, with dark fuscous blotches ; the 

 abdomen is light fuscous, the segments showing darker; the hind 

 wings are light fuscous, with a darker fuscous suffusion on the 

 outer margin. 



Ab. degenerana varies very much, perhaps more than any 

 other form ; each country that produces it seems to have its 

 special type. The only example which I have seen in British 



