VARIETIES OF NOCTUJE 



?/. var. Icevis, Wood. This is another obsolete form, resembling 

 the egens of Ha worth and alsines of Wood in ground colour, but without 

 the distinct markings of those varieties. It is described as " re- 

 sembling the var. alsines but the stigmata scarcely visible " (Humphrey 

 and Westwood's ' British Moths,' p. 144). Haworth's Icevis is now 

 generally referred to Noctua neglecta. 



Caradrina, Och., quadripunctata, Fab. (cubicularis, Bork.). 



The type of this species is thus described by Fabricius : "Noctua 

 leevis alis incumbentibus griseis fusco undatis ; punctis quatuor mar- 

 ginis exterioris nigris." " Alas grisese, strigis obsoletis undulatag. 

 Stigmata ordinaria parva, obsoleta, posteriori albo punctata. Puncta 

 quatuor nigra ad marginem crassiorem. Margo posticus obscurior. 

 Posticae striga marginali punctata fusca " (' Entomologia Systematica,' 

 &c., No. 46). Of the variation of this species Guenee writes : " This 

 varies much both in shape, intensity of colour, and clearness of mark- 

 ings, but it is difficult to classify the varieties as races, because there 

 are so many intermediate forms. Those from the South are particu- 

 larly large and strongly coloured. Others, generally smaller, appear 

 to have the upper wings more rounded, their markings clearer ; these 

 come near selini. Lastly, others, generally larger, have the ground 

 colour very pale almost without markings, but with the reniform 

 well-developed and clearly surrounded by white spots " (' Noctuelles,' 

 vol. v., p. 251). In our British specimens there is a great deal of 

 difference in the intensity of the dark shade on the outer margin 

 (which is occasionally red), and also in the ground colour, which varies 

 from pale whitish and ochreous-grey in its paler forms to dark grey- 

 ish fuscous. There is also a great deal of variation in the number of 

 transverse lines, some specimens being quite irrorated with the num- 

 ber of lines, others again are quite clear and exhibit an almost com- 

 plete absence of transverse markings, especially in the central area. 

 This excess or absence of markings is perfectly independent of the 

 colour. The reniform stigmata are occasionally of an orange colour, 

 generally they are greyish surrounded with white dots ; in some 

 specimens, however, the white dots are absent and the stigmata are 

 simply grey of a slightly darker shade than the general ground colour. 

 The different varieties mentioned in Staudinger's ' Catalog/ p. Ill, are 

 ill-defined, and it appears difficult to classify the varieties satisfac- 

 torily. Bentley writes of this species 'Entomologist,' vol. i : "Cara- 

 drina cubicularis and superstes. The large and dark varieties are gene- 

 rally named in British collections superstes, all that I have seen are 

 mere varieties of cubicularis." The blanda of Haworth, and the segetum 

 of Esper are apparently identical with the quadripunctata of Fabricius. 

 Haworth's diagnosis is : " Alis canescentibus fusco pulverulentibus, 

 striga postica undulata rufo-fusca extuspallida " (' LepidopteraBritanni- 

 ca,' p. 208). The following is an attempt to classify the named forms : 

 1. Pale whitish-grey, with distinct transverse lines and stigmata = 



cubicularis, Haw. 

 2. Pale whitish-grey, with indistinct transverse lines and stigmata 



= grisea, Ev. 

 2A. Pale whitish-grey, with indistinct transverse lines and stigmata, 



but dark outer margin = congesta, Ld. 



