102 VARIETIES OF 



Haworth's description of latruncula,var. ft, when writing of latruncula, 

 Haw. var. a. 



D. Ground colour black. 



a. var. fasciata, mihi. The basal area black with the ordinary 

 transverse lines generally more or less obsolete, the fascia from apex 

 to anal angle white or whitish-grey. This is one of the more common 

 forms, I believe, on the Southern part of the Continent, but is not so 

 common as the red-brown forms in Britain. 



/3. var. cethiops, Haw. This is the most extreme variety, being 

 unicolorous black. Haworth's description is as follows : " Noctua 

 (The Blackamoor) alis omnibus nigris, anticis atro nebulosis." But 

 he describes two forms : "a. Totus niger, alis anticis medio aliquot 

 saturatioribus nebulis atris." " ft. Alis fuscis, vel fuscescentibus medio 

 saturatioribus nebulis nigris. Longe pallidior quam a." This variety 

 is well distributed in Britain. It is common in London and York- 

 shire, and I have received it from Sligo. I was quite astonished a 

 short time ago, to learn from Mr. Anderson of Chichester, that this 

 perfectly unicolorous black form was unknown in that district. 

 Miana, St., fasciuncula, Haw. 



This species, which is generally treated as a variety of M. strigilis 

 by the Continental authors, is so exactly like that species in shape and 

 markings, that, besides colour there appears to be no distinguishing 

 mark in the imago state by which it can be separated. There are two 

 very distinct forms, one very red, the other pale reddish-grey. The 

 type of the species is described in Haworth's ' Lepidoptera Britannica ' 

 pp. 215,216 as follows : "Noctua alis runs, in medio fascia lata satu- 

 ratiore stigmatibus ordinariis pallidioribus interrupta." He then pro- 

 ceeds to give a full description of both forms. The type he describes 

 as : " Thorax, alseque anticaa saturate rufe, fascia magna brunnea 

 marginem tenuiorem versus, valde attenuata et albo obsolete mar- 

 ginata ; margo posticus fascia tenuiore rufo-brunnea, ciliis rufo-fuscis. 

 Posticse alee nigrae ciliis albis interdum cinereis." He then describes 

 the ab. cana of Staudinger. There are intermediate forms between 

 the type with a deeper central band and var. cana, some of which are 

 very interesting. Guenee, in his ' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 217, treats 

 fasciuncula as a variety of strigilis and writes : " This differs from the 

 var. latruncula, W. V. in the brown being replaced on all the wings by 

 a bright ochreous-red. The lower part of the two median lines es- 

 pecially the angulated line, is well marked in white ; the black streak 

 is wanting. The fringe of the inferior wings is tinged with reddish." 



a. var. rubencula, Freyer. This is an almost unicolorous form, the 

 ground colour less red than in the type, and the central band not de- 

 veloped. My note of Freyer's pi. 468, fig. 2 = rubencula is : " This 

 is a var. of fasciuncula with the ordinary deep red colour of the type 

 much paler." 



ft. var. cana, Stdgr. Staudinger thus describes this variety : 

 " Multo dilutior, al. ant. fere canescentibus, fascia media rufa." This 

 is the var. ft. of Haworth ' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 216, where he 

 writes: "Longe pallidior, alis cano-rufescentibus, fascia ut in a 

 (= type, vide above), sed rufo-fusca ; posticis nigris, ciliis cinereis." 

 I have taken this pale var. in all the localities where I have found the 

 type, but it is a rare occurrence to find the pale var. with a distinct red 



