474 NORTH AMERICAN NOCTUID^ SMITH. 



Orthodes puerilis Grt. 



Buff. Bull. 1873, 2, G4 (Mamextra); C. E., 1879, 11, 20 (Grapluplwra) id., 1881, 13, 126 



(Tcniiocampa). 



Reddish luteous, sometimes with a blackish suffusion, often pow- 

 dered with white scales. Median lines indistinct, irregular, often 

 entirely wanting. T. a. geminate, variably sinuate, sometimes only a 

 narrow pale line. T. p. geminate, more or less interrupted or puncti- 

 forra. S. t. line always distinct, pale, tolerably even, preceded by a 

 darker shade. A row of pale terminal spots. Orbicular obsolete or 

 punctiform. Keniform usually white marked, rarely reddish. Second- 

 aries fuscous to blackish, with paler outer margin and fringes. Be- 

 neath with a more or less distinct outer shade line; secondaries with 

 discal spot. Head and thorax concolorous. Harpes of male with 

 superior margin irregular, but straight ; inferior margin gradually and 

 evenly curved to meet the superior margin in an obtusely rounded 

 angle. Clasper rather long, curved, corneous, acutely terminated. 

 Expands 1 to 1.20 inches (25 to 30 mm ). 



Habitat. — California. 



Easily recognized by the pale colors and the very distinct pale s. t. 

 line. Some specimens of virgula approach this species in maculation, 

 but are separable by the spots, which in the former precede the s. t. 

 line. In puerilis the line is either distinctly pale through a darker 

 ground or it is preceded by a darker shade. The thorax has an ante- 

 rior crest and a distinct posterior tuft. 



T.SJNIOCAMPA Gii. 

 Essay p. 477 ; Noct. I 34G. 



Eyes hairy, tibiae unarmed, vestiture hairy or mixed, never entirely 

 scaly, on thorax forming loose fore and aft tufts, or smooth, even, 

 without tnftings. Abdomen an tufted. Front with fine woolly clothing, 

 palpi usually short, hardly attaining front, drooping; rarely well de- 

 veloped and ascending. Antenna? of male simple, serrate, or pecti- 

 nate, the species dividing naturally into groups on this character. Pri- 

 maries ample, or short, obtuse. 



The genus Twniocampa as above defined embraces a number of groups 

 easily distinguished, and yet with the same general habitus. The 

 species are usually reddish luteous, or some combination of brown, red, 

 and yellow, and either have rather short, obtuse primaries, or ratner 

 large wings with marked apices and oblique outer margin. The groups, 

 though well defined, hardly deserve elevation to generic rank, and can 

 be distinguished by the following table: 

 Primaries with outer margins rounded, apices obtuse. 



Antenme of S simple Group fuufurata 



Antennae of $ serrate and bristled Group rufula 



Antennae of $ bipectinate Group oviduca 



Primaries with apices marked, outer margins oblique. 



Anteume of $ heavily bipectinate Group incincta 



Autenn;e of $ senate and brisll.d Group ALIA 



