NO. 1140. NORTH AMERICAN NOCTUIDAE— SMITH AND DYAR. 135 



form is large, kiduey shaped, outwardly somewhat indefined, the center 

 reddish brown, somewhat contrasting witli the rest of the wing. Second- 

 aries in the male white, a little margined with dusky at the base of the 

 fringes, in the female smoky, but variable in this respect and some- 

 times white. Beneath white, with black powderings varying to smoky 

 in dark females. Both wings with a more or less distinct outer line 

 and discal spot. 



Expanse, 1.20 to 1.50 inches (30 to 37 mm.). 



Habitat. — Canada, south to Cleorgia, west to New Mexico and Colo- 

 rado, Massachusetts in July; St. Paul, Minnesota, in June; central 

 New York in May; Hot Springs, New Mexico, 7,000 feet, July and 

 August; Denver, Colorado, July. 



This species varies considerably in ground color, but not in essential 

 characters. Sometimes the red shade is altogether wanting, and in one 

 case the specimen is as dark as tritona both in i^rimaries and second- 

 aries. There is a great difference between the sexes, the males being 

 much lighter throughout than the females. There seems to be a dif- 

 ference also between the Western forms and those from the more East- 

 ern local iti<'s; the former being lighter throughout and appearing dif- 

 ferent on casual comparison. I have been unable, however, to di.scover 

 any real difterence either in maculation or in structure after examining 

 the long series of specimens before me. The head is of good size, the 

 front full but not prominent, the palpi distinct, reaching to the middle 

 of the front or a little beyond. The legs are sliort and stout, the 

 epiphysis of the anterior tibia being small and situated at about the 

 middle. The genitalia of the male offer nothing i)eculiar, and simply 

 agree with the descrii)tion that has been already given for the group. 



ACRONYCTA OVATA Grote. 



(Plates IV, ligs. 7, 8, adult; V, fig. 3, larva; XII, fig. 10, female adult; XIV, fig. 12, 

 female ovipositer ; XXI, tig. 25, male genitalia.) 



Acrouycta oiuitn Grote, Bull. Buff. Soc. Nat. Sci. 187.3, 1, p. 80, pi. ii, fig. 14. 



Lepitoreuma oraia Grote, Papilio, 1883, III, p. 112. 



Apaiela ovuta Packard, Forest insects, 1890, p. 169. 



Hyhoma ovata Grote, Mitth., a. d. Koem. Mus., Hildesb., No. 3, 1896, p. 7. 



Ground color a dirty yellowish gray, the yellow powdering more or 

 less well marked in places, giving the characteristic shade to the wings. 

 Head with a dusky line across the front; collar with a dusky line at 

 base. Primaries with all the markings fairly evident. P>asal line 

 dusky and marked on the costa only. Transverse anterior lino gemi- 

 nate, black or blackish, the intervening space dusky. The line curves 

 outwardly from the costa to the black basal streak, where it is well 

 drawn in; beyond that point it again curves outwardly, but rarely 

 reaches the internal margin. It is usually also broken just below the 

 costa. The median shade line is oblique from the costa to the reni- 

 form, which is sometimes a little daikened by it, and occasionally the 

 line may be traced below the reniform to the inner margin. Transverse 



