148 



fi. var. amurensis, Stdgr. A variety of alsines appears under this 

 name in the last trade lists of Dr. Staudinger and Herr Heyne of 

 Leipzig. 



Caradrina, Och., ambigua, Fab. 



This species, common on the Continent of Europe, is very rare in 

 Britain, but probably its rarity is due to the fact that it is so often 

 overlooked. I have taken specimens at Deal and Yarmouth (Isle of 

 Wight), Mr. Vine has captured it at Brighton, and Mr. A. J. Hodges 

 at Freshwater (I. of W.). This species has a somewhat close resem- 

 blance to taraxaci in the fore wings, but these are much paler, and 

 rather more ochreous; the distinguishing feature, however, is the pure , 

 white hind wings of ambigua. The original Fabrician description 

 is : " Noctua. La3vis alis deflexis cinereis ; atomis strigaque pone 

 medium nigris." " Kustica indistincta. Alee cinerese punctis aliquot 

 baseos strigaque pone medium nigris. Maculae ordiiiarise in medio. 

 Posticse albidse subtus puncto medio, nigro " (' Entomologia Systema- 

 tica,' &c., No. 131. p. 48). Guenee says of this species : " It is easily 

 distinguished from the preceding (taraxaci) by the inferior wings being 

 bluish or pearly, pure in the male, a little tinted with grey on the 

 outer edge in the female." I have a specimen which shows traces of 

 a series of longitudinal blackish marks between the reniform and sub- 

 terminal line. Guenee further writes : " It is certainly the ambigua 

 of Fabricius, who says : ' alis cinereis ' and * posticas albidse' " (' Noc- 

 tuelles,' vol. v., p. 247). This typical form of ambigua, in which the 

 dark transverse shade which runs from the lower part of reniform to 

 the inner margin is well developed, forms the plantaginis of Hiibner. 



a. var. plantaginis, Dup. In Duponchel and Godart's ' Histoire 

 Naturelle des Lep.' &c., vol. vi., p. 59, we get a description of the 

 ordinary form of this species. Taking as the type the form in which 

 a median striga is developed, the pale form is described by Duponchel 

 as : " The body and the superior wings are of a pale ashy grey. One 

 notices near the outer margin a transverse angulated yellowish shade, 

 a little farther in a transverse row of small black points on an arcuated 

 line, then the two ordinary stigmata of reddish-grey bordered with 

 yellowish, and lastly a wavy line of interrupted black streaks ; the 

 inferior wings of a shiny white, tinged on the outer margin with 

 reddish." Duponchel also figures the species in the same work, plate 

 76, fig. 2. 



Caradrina, Och., superstes, Tr. 



The superstes of Treitschke is treated as a distinct species by Dr. 

 Staudinger (' Catalog,' p. Ill), but as a var. of blanda by Guene'e 

 (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 246). Treitschke (< Die Schrnet. von Europa,' 

 p. 260) describes superstes as : " Car. alis anticis flavo-cinereis, nigro 

 adspersis strigisque punctatis." Guende writes : " It partakes at the 

 same time of alsines, of blanda and of ambigua, and may even prove to 

 be a distinct species when the larva shall be discovered. The inferior 

 wings are paler than in blanda, almost white, and not of the bluish 

 tint as in ambigua but rather a little yellowish. The superior wings 

 are paler and more whitish than alsines and less brown than blanda. 

 The row of dots which borders the elbowed line is very strongly 



