

synonymy of the genera of Noctuites. 679 



2. Gortyna micacea. 



Noctua micacea, Esper, Eur. Schmett., pi. 145, fig. 6. 



Hydrcecia immanis, Guenee, Noct., i., p. 128, n. 201 

 (1852). 



Apamea obliqua, Harvey (see Grote, Check List, p. 29, 

 n. 560). 



Europe, Japan, United States. Coll. B. M. 



The Japanese and American examples are, as a rule, 

 though not invariably, a little larger and darker than 

 those from Europe. 



Gortyna nebris, Guen., is considered by Grote to be a 

 variety of G. nitela : this may be the case, although the 

 latter resembles G. petasitis, and the former is more 

 like G. limpida ; but, if Gortyna is capable of so much 

 variation, why is G. harrisii described as distinct from 

 G. rutila, into which it grades almost insensibly (one of 

 Grote's types agrees in all respects with that of 

 M. Guenee, having whitish secondaries; whilst another 

 is clearly the female of his Ochria! sanzalitce, a very 

 slight variety of G. rutila, not worth a name) : the 

 darkest examples, having brown secondaries, may, 

 perhaps, stand as var. harrisii. The G. rutila of Grote's 

 collection is not Guenee's species, but the female of 

 G. purpurifascia, Grote. 



XANTHIA, Ochs. 

 1. Xanthia indirecta. 



\nnthia indirecta, Walker, Lep. Het., x., p. 468, n. 22 

 (1856). 



Scopelosoma grcefiana, Grote (see Check List, p. 32, 

 n. 753). 



United States. Coll. B. M. 



Staudinger, in his Catalogue, regards the Noctua 

 falvago of Linneus' ' Fauna Suecica ' as the Xanthia 

 cerago of Schiffermiiller ; he is certainly wrong, for the 

 Linnean description proves it, without question, to be 

 the Kuperia fulvago of Haworth. It is described as 

 " somewhat glaucous and pale, with ferruginous bands 

 across the primaries ; secondaries paler ; under surface 

 of palpi and abdomen fulvous, of the wings pale 

 yellow." 





