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



The admirable drawings of the structural characters 

 occurring in this group, prepared by my 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 tliat 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 characterized in the order 

 Lepidoptcra shall be set aside. 



I'he following are in the Britisli-Museum collection: — 



Methoeasa, Moore. 



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



Eriojms Latreilki, Diiponchel, Lep. Eur., Sui)pl. iv. p. .327, pi. c.\xiii. 

 tig. 2. 



Europe and India. Coll. B. M. 



Methorasa argentiUnea. 

 Callopistria aryoitilinea, Walker, Lep, Het. xii. p. 863. n. 6 (1857). 

 United States. Type Coll. B. M. 



Methorasa cordata. 



Jjonihi/.v cordata, Ljiinjr, Kongl. Vetenskaps-Akad. IlainU. i>. .347. 

 pi. ii. figs. 1) 1, D 2 (182o). ' 



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



We had a specimen of this species without locality under 

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

 more rufous primaries and rufous-brown seco'ndaries ; the 

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

 niargine pallido," the fringe being pale. All the specimens 

 of M. monetifera which we possess have whitish secondaries 

 suffused with bronzy greyish towards the outer margin ; so 

 X\\i\i M. cordata is probably the West- Indian representative 

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

 ill a large series so as to include the West-Indian form the 

 name M. cordata will havr to supersede it. 



