synonymy of the genera of Noctuites. 679 



2. Gortyna micacea. 



Noctua micncea, Esper, Eur. Schmett., pi. 145, fig. 6. 

 Hydroecia immanis, Guenee, Noct., i., p. 128, n. 201 



(1852). 

 Apamea obliqua, Harvey (see Grote, Check List, p. 29, 



n. 560). 



Europe, Japan, United States. Coll. B. M. 



The Japanese and American examples are, as a rule, 

 though not invariably, a little larger and darker than 

 those from Europe. 



Gortyna nehris, Guen., is considered by Grote to be a 

 variety of G. niteUt : this may be the ease, although the 

 latter resemldes G. j^etasitis, and the former is more 

 like G. limpida ; but, if Gortyna is capable of so much 

 variation, why is G. harrisii described as distinct from 

 G. rutila, into which it grades almost insensibly (one of 

 Grote's types agrees in all respects with that of 

 M. Guenee, having whitish secondaries ; whilst another 

 is clearly the female of his Ochriaf sanzalitce, a very 

 slight variety of G. rutila, not worth a name) : the 

 darkest examples, having biown secondaries, may, 

 perhaps, stand as var. harrisii. The G. rutila of Grote's 

 collection is not Guenee"s species, but the female of 

 G. purpurifascia, Grote. 



Xanthia, Ochs. 

 1. Xanthia indirecta. 



Xanthia indirecta, Walker, Lep. Het., x., p. 468, n. 22 

 (1856). 



Sc()2)eloso)na grcefiana, Grote (see Check List, p. 32, 

 n. 753). 



United States. Coll. B. M. 



Staudinger, in his Catalogue, regards the Noctua 

 fulvago of Linneus' ' Fauna Suecica ' as the Xanthia 

 cerago of Schiffermiiller ; he is certainly wrong, for the 

 Linnean description proves it, without question, to be 

 the Eupcria fulvago of Haworth. It is described as 

 " somewhat glaucous and pale, with ferruginous bands 

 across the primaries ; secondaries paler ; under surface 

 of palpi and abdomen fulvous, of the wings pale 

 yellow." 



