72 Mr. A. G. Butler on the Noctuid Moths 



The admirable drawings of the structural characters 

 occurring in this group, prepared by ray friend Mr. Frohawk, 

 have not only confirmed my decision as to the generic dis- 

 tinction of many of the species formerly associated under one, 

 or latterly under four, genera, but in one or two instances 

 they have revealed to me differences which I had overlooked 

 when comparing one species with another. All the drawings 

 are taken from male examples, as the most trenchant dis- 

 tinctive characters are found in that sex. 



Should the structural differences upon which these genera 

 are based be considered insufficient on the ground that they 

 are secondary sexual characters, consistency will demand 

 that at least half the genera already cliaracterized in the order 

 Lepidoptera shall be set aside. 



The following; are in the British-Museum collection: — 



Methokasa, Moore. 



Type Methorasa Latreillci. (PI. IX. fig. 2.) 



Eriopiis Latreillci, Duponchel, Lf5p. Eur., Suppl. iv. p. 327, pi. cxxiii. 

 fig. 2. 



Europe and India. Coll. B. M. 



Methorasa argentilinea. 

 C'allopistria ay<jentilima. Walker, Lep. Het, xii. p. 8Go. n. 6 (1857). 

 United States. Type Coll. B. M. 



Methorasa cordata. 



Bombi/x cordata, Liung, Kongl. Veteuskaps-Akad. Ilandl. p. 347, 

 pi. ii. figs. D 1, D 2 (1825). 



West Indies. Ilab. ? Coll. B. M. 



We had a specimen of this species without locality under 

 M. monetifera ; it differs from tlie latter chiefly in its much 

 more rufous primaries and rufous-brown secondaries ; the 

 latter are described thus : — " posticis brunneis, immaculatis ; 

 margine pallido," tlie fringe being pale. All the specimens 

 of M. monetifera which we possess liave whitish secondaries 

 suffused with bronzy greyish towards tlie outer margin ; .so 

 that M. cordata is probably the West-Indian representative 

 of M. monetifera. Should the latter prove to vary considerably 

 in a large series so as to include the West-Indian form, tlie 

 name M. cordata will have to supersede it. 



