IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 87 



Apamea, Och., ophiogramma, Esp. 



The type of this species is represented by Esper's plate 182, fig. 

 2, * Die Schmetterlinge,' &c., and may be described as having " The 

 anterior wings yellowish ochreous, with a large dark red, somewhat 

 triangular-shaped, costal patch, enclosing the yellowish reniform, and 

 then extending narrowly along the costa to the base ; the orbicular 

 obsolete ; below this and forming an outline to its lower edge is a yel- 

 lowish, followed by a slaty line extending from centre of base to anal 

 angle ; below this line the colour is yellow ochreous, as is also the outer 

 margin to apex ; several dark marks on outer margin. Hind wings 

 grey, with greenish tinge." Hiibner's figure 355 is " a pale grey- 

 brown ground colour, with a large black costal patch extending from 

 the base, so as to include the dark stigmata ; this patch is outlined in 

 whitish ; a pale line parallel to hind margin, a dark patch in the 

 middle of the hind margin, and dark forked ( > ) mark at the anal 

 angle. Hind wings dark grey, with lunule." Haworth describes the 

 species under the name of biloba ( ( Insecta Britannica,' p. 209). His 

 description is : " Alis griseis fascia abbreviata marginis crassioris sub- 

 dolabriformi nigra, in qua stigma reniforme griseum." 



Apamea, Och., gemina, Hb. 



The type of this species is represented by Hiibner's fig. 482, of 

 which I made the following description : " Anterior wings blackish 

 grey, with a pale basal line ; stigmata faintly outlined ; f and followed 

 by a pale transverse line, a row of white dots, and a pale toothed line. 

 Posterior wings dark grey, with paler base and dark lunule." Dr. 

 Staudinger writes of the type : " forma obscura magis." This par- 

 ticular form is the one represented in Newman's ' British Moths,' fig. 

 2, p. 3(H. It will be seen that very few of our British specimens 

 would answer to the above description, which represents quite a melanic 

 form of the more mottled type. Our specimens of this latter form are 

 generally brownish grey or brown, although I have specimens, taken 

 by the Aberdeen collectors, and others taken by Mr. Percy Buss of 

 Sligo and Mr. Newman of Darlington, which are either altogether 

 greyish black or otherwise very dark, and closely resemble the type. 

 The species is variable within certain limits, and extends from the 

 more unicolorous type in blackish grey and brownish, through speci- 

 mens of the same coloration, but with a distinct line under the stigmata, 

 to an extreme variety with all the median space and costal area very 

 dark, and the outer and inner margins pale grey, and bearing a strong 

 superficial resemblance to Hadena genista: in some specimens. The 

 first (mottled) form follows the group,* of which I consider basilinea 

 the type, having the short longitudinal basal line and paler transverse 

 lines ; the latter (dark central area) forms an extreme development, 

 which I consider typical* in pdbulatricula, having the development of 

 the dark HH -like mark under the stigmata, and the central area banded, 

 although there is a complete gradation of intermediate forms. There 

 would thus appear to be two varieties in the unicolorous form, (1) 

 grey, inclining to blackish, with no brown or very little brown ; (2) 

 grey, much suffused with brown, and sometimes entirely reddish 

 brown. In both of these, differences in intensity of colour, and in the 



* Vide introductory notes to genus 



