301 



XXIII. On the Genus Agrotis with Additions to the 

 "List of North American Noctuidae" 



BY AUG. K. GROTE. 



[Read before this Society March 5th, 1875.] 



In my " List of the Noctuidae" I have stated that my arrange- 

 ment of the species of this genus was provisional. Up to the present 

 time I am still without sufficient material to enable me to adapt 

 our American species to the classification of Lederer, Avho divides 

 the European species into nine primary groups (A to I). The 

 principal character used by Lederer is the form of the genitalia. 

 He then appears to give weight to the form of the antennae, then to 

 the spinosity of the tibiae, then to the shape of the abdomen and 

 then to the vestiture of the thorax. This latter character is used 

 by Lederer to form a subsection for linogrisea, a species not known 

 to me. A proper study of these characters can only be made from 

 large material, and, in its absence, I have only the following notes 

 to make on some of our species. 



Agrotis gilvipennis Grate. 



This species, from Anticosti, is our only described species with 

 yellow secondaries. It is stated by Prof. Zeller to be allied to Char- 

 dinyi, a Eussian species, which I do not know. Lederer gives un- 

 armed fore tibiae for Chardinyi. Two of my three specimens of 

 gilvipennis seem to me to show spines on the fore tibiae. The tibiae 

 are not strongly spinose in this species. On the third specimen I 

 can see no spines, but the spines frequently break off, and hence we 

 cannot be sure of their absence from an examination of single speci- 

 mens. 



