140 



Mamestra niveiguttata, Grote, Plate 4, fig. 16, (, . 



S ? . — Eyes hairy ; female abdomen pointed at the extremity, but without 

 perceptible extrusion of the oviduct. The shape of the $ abdomen seems to 

 be intermediate between Dianthoecia and Mamestra, and to weaken the validity 

 of the former genus. Size quite small, smaller than conspurcata. Wood" 

 brown, with the usual lines black, geminate, without any included whitish 

 shades. Claviform small ; orbicular vague, a little paler than the ground color. 

 Reniform large, with a double cuneiform white spot at the extremity of the 

 median nervure, divided by vein 4. Subterminal space deepening in color to 

 the pale subterminal line, which latter lacks the usual W-shaped mark, and 

 contrasting with the pale terminal space. Terminal pale dentate line, as in 

 cuneata, but reduced to pale dots. Hind wings very dark fuscous. Beneath a 

 little paler, with faint common transverse line. Body vestiture dark. Abdom- 

 inal tufts obsolete, except at base. 



Eocjpanse, 26 m. m. HaMtat, California (coll. Mr. Hy. Edwards, 

 Ko. 796). Five specimens, in good condition, examined. 



Mamestra (Dianthoecia 1) leucogramma, Grote. 



3 . — Eyes hairy. Smaller than JUigramma, and with the yellow scales con- 

 fined to the subterminal line, before which they appear as minute guttiform 

 marks, following interspaceal cuneiform black dots. Median lines with dis- 

 tinct white centers, dentate or denticulate. The ground color is an olivaceous 

 wood-brown. Ordinary spots moderate, rather vague, paler than the ground 

 color. Subterminal line white. Secondaries dark fuscous, becoming paler 

 basally, with whitish fringes. Beneath the secondaries are palest, primaries 

 fuscous ; a common line and subterminal fuscous shading. Thorax like the 

 fore wings ; abdomen untufted, except at base. 



Expanse, 33 m. m. Habitat, California (coll. Mr. Hy. Edwards, 

 No. 3198). The discovery of the female may place the species in 

 Dianthoecia. 



Mamestra (Dianthoecia ?) 4-lineata, Grote, Plate 4, fig. 15, t, . 



ti . — Size small. Eyes hairy. Primaries whitish gray ; the median space 

 powdered with blackish, contrastingly dark, wedge-shaped, owing to the 

 course of the geminate median lines. Of these the transverse anterior runs 

 outwardly oblique, leaving the sub-basal space wide. The ordinary spots are 

 smaller than usual and appear more crowded, tolerably distinct, pale with 

 dark rings, rounded, with dark central scales, while a reddish stain obtains be- 

 tween them and soils the reniform ; the small claviform is distinctly marked. 



