synonymy of the genera of Xoctuites. 655 



In the species of Anicla the secondaries are white, as 

 in most of the species of Mentaxya, but they are more 

 opaline and less thickly scaled. 



XYLOPHASIA, Stephens. 



I am unable to see any reason for ignoring this very 

 natural group of moths, the bulk of which can be dis- 

 tinguished at a glance by the character of their markings ; 

 they doubtless only form a subgroup of Mamestra, so far 

 as structure goes, but it is convenient to keep them 

 separate. 



1. Xylophasia rurea. 



Noctua rurea, Fabricius, Sp. Ins., ii., p. 240. 

 Europe and United States. 



I can discover no characters by which to distinguish 

 X. vultuosa, Grote, from this species. 



2. Xylophasia lignicolora. 

 Xylophasia lignicolora, Guenee, Noct., i., p. 140, n. 221 



(1852). 



United States. 



X. qucenita, Grote, only differs from X. lignicolora in 

 its slightly paler colouring, and X. auranticolor only 

 appears to be a darker form of the same. 



3. Xylophasia cariosa. 

 $ , Xylophasia cariosa, Guenee, Noct., i., p. 144, n. 232 



(1852). 



United States. 



Hadena idonea of Grote is the male of this species ; 

 the females labelled H. cariosa in the Grote collection 

 do not agree with Guenee's type, and, in my opinion, 

 represent a distinct and altogether a finer species. 



It seems to be generally supposed, in the States, that 

 the whole of M. Guenee's types are in the possession of 

 M. Oberthiir. An examination of the descriptions in 

 the three volumes of the ' Noctuelites/ or, indeed, of any 

 of the volumes of the ' Histoire Naturelle ' (Lepidopteres) 

 will show that nearly the whole of the N. American 

 species were described from specimens lent to the author 



2x2 



