CTENUCHA. 1 1 9 



America, as far south as Buenos Aires and Chili ; but they are 

 most numerous in California, and the other Eastern United 

 States. The typical species are very easily recognisable. They 

 are black, or blue-black, the head and thorax being often 

 marked with red or yellow, and the abdomen extends for nearly 

 half its length beyond the hind-wings. The antennae are pec- 

 tinated in the males, and thickened in the middle, and very 

 slightly pectinated in the female. The fore-wings expand 

 about two inches, and are generally lighter in colour than the 

 hind-wings, and are sometimes interlined with white or yellow. 

 The fore-wings form a long oval, and are considerably pro- 

 duced at the tips, but rounded ; the hind-wings are nearly as 

 broad as the fore-wings, and half as long ; they are also oval, 

 and rounded at the extremity, and the hind margin, especially 

 of the hind-wings, is sometimes slightly sinuated. 



GENUS CTENUCHA. 



Ctennchci) Kirby, Faun. Bor, Amer. iv. p. 305 (1837) ; Har- 

 ris, Amer. Journ. of Sci. xxxvi. p. 318 (1839); Walker, 

 List Lepid. Ins. Brit. Mus. ii. p. 281 (1854); Packard, 

 Proc. Essex Inst. iv. p. 33 (1864); Stretch, Zyg. & 

 Bomb. N. Amer. p. 23 (1872). 



The type of this genus is C. virginica (Charpentier = 

 C. latreillana, Kirb.), which is common in Canada and in the 

 Eastern and Central United States. It is blue-back above, 

 and black below ; the top and sides of the head, the palpi, 

 and the sides and under surface of the thorax are orange. The 

 fore-wings are blackish, without metallic gloss, and the fringes 

 of all the wings are white. The Moth flies in the hot sun, 

 hovering heavily over flowers, and may be found cl.'nging to 

 the latter in dull, cloudy weather. The larva, which feeds on 

 grass, is rather short and thick, and is covered with tubercles 



