August 1893.] 



PSYCHE. 



499 



NOTES ON GLUPHISIA AND OTHER NOTODONTIDAE.— I. 



BY A. S. PACKARD, PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



This paper is mainly based on exam- 

 inations of the types of the late Henry 

 Edwards, now preserved in the Amer- 

 ican Museum of Natural History ; and 

 for facilities and courtesies I am in- 

 debted to the curator of entomology, 

 Mr. W. Beutenmuller. 



I regard Gluphisia as the simplest 

 and most primitive genus of the group ; 

 its larva being noctuiform and without 

 any projections. The larvae are often, 

 perhaps usually, even, without any red 

 spots. G. trilineata Pack, is the typi- 

 cal species. 



G. ridenda Edw. is very closely 

 allied, representing G. trilineata in Col- 

 orado. The Edwards' collection con- 

 tains three $ . I have a 9 from Col- 

 orado which I compared with Mr. 

 Edwards's type specimen before his 

 death. Its venation is the same as in 

 G. trilineata ; its body and wings are 

 paler gray, the broad median band on 

 the fore wings is clearer, and pale 

 tawny yellowish. It is not improbable 

 that C. ridenda will ultimately prove 

 to be merely a climatic variety of the 

 eastern trilineata. 



G. rapta Edw. 1 ?, Colorado, I re- 

 gard as a variety which should be 

 united with G. ridenda. The single 

 (type) specimen is a 9 , without 

 antennae or abdomen. 



It is of the same size and with the same 

 shape of wings as in G. ridenda. Head and 



prothorax paler than in G. ridenda. Fore 

 wings pale gray, as pale as in ridenda and 

 whiter than in trilineata; base of wings 

 pale, with a black longitudinal streak, a little 

 oblique on the costa, and behind is a diffuse 

 black irregular band ; the inner line is black, 

 and as in ridenda. The inner black line 

 forming the inner border of the luteous or 

 tawny yellowish median band is very dis- 

 tinct, oblique, not bent outward as in 

 ridenda. The band is much narrower than 

 in ridenda, the outer and inner black lines 

 nearly meeting on the inner edge of the 

 wing. The outer line is not so much bent 

 on the costa. No middle line present. The 

 space beyond the narrow pale line just beyond 

 the outer line is dusky, much as in trilineata, 

 where it is pale in ridenda. Submarginal 

 scalloped line not so near the edge of the 

 wing as in ridenda. Fringe checkered as in 

 ridenda and trilineata. The hind wings are 

 as in ridenda, with no transverse line. Be- 

 neath as in G. ridenda, but with a broad 

 dusky cloud on the outer fourth of the fore 

 wings, not reaching the edge. 



G. albofascia Edwards. — The 2 £ 

 type specimens are from Utah, and 

 seem to be only a pale form of G. 

 ridenda, probably due to its living in a 

 drier, less rainy, more sunny region. 

 It is to be noted that the western varie- 

 ties named have no longer fore wings 

 than in the eastern trilineata. It 

 seems to be identical with G. formosa, 

 but scarcely separable from G. ridenda, 

 being, with little doubt, a climatic vari- 

 ety of the latter species. The two 3 

 marked albofascia resemble G. for- 



