68 VARIETIES OF NOCTU^E 



them. The hind wings of the male are white, nervures slightly 

 darker, occasionally with a trace of a transverse row of black dots, 

 lunule indistinct ; of the female, the hind wings are variable in colour, 

 from white to dark grey, lunule generally distinct, but sometimes 

 faint or absent. The stigmata of the anterior wings are strikingly 

 variable. I have specimens in which the claviform is a short fine 

 black line, others, in which it is blunt with a pale centre, others, in 

 which a faint brownish outline indicates its position, and one in 

 which it is practically absent. The orbicular varies from a minute 

 dot or total absence to a large circular or oval stigma outlined in black 

 or pale brown and sometimes ocellated ; the reniform is also variable 

 both in shape and colour ; in some specimens, it is of the ground 

 colour surrounded by paler, in others, it is dark grey outlined in 

 blackish, with every intermediate form. Guenee does not seem to 

 have seen the type from his statement (' Noctuelles,' vol v., p. 284) : 

 " Not having seen specimens from the Baltic, I do not know exactly 

 what separates them from var. desillii. If it is necessary to compare it 

 with Hiibner's figure, and above all, with that of Freyer, these 

 differences would be considerable." The second figure in Newman's 

 ' British Moths ' shows a remarkable development of the dusky 

 nervures, which are developed also in some other species of the genus, 

 vide, A. segetum var. venosus. The species was taken at Portland in 

 1890, by Lieut. E. W. Brown, and, among his specimens, were some 

 beautiful examples, many almost white, others cream-coloured, whilst 

 others were more ochreous, but none came near the type. Of these 

 he writes : " The handsome cream coloured ripce occurred at Portland 

 in the same locality as the darker forms " (in litt.}. Like tritici, 

 cursoria and obelisca, this species has distinct " pale-costa " and 

 " non-pale-costa " forms, some of the latter being very striking. 



The following is an attempt to classify the principal varieties : 



1. White, with faint ochreous tinge, stigmata and transverse lines 



indistinct = var. obotrictica, Schmidt. 

 2. White, with faint ochreous tinge, stigmata and transverse lines 



distinct = var. weissenbornii, Frr. 

 3. Pale ochreous, with reddish tinge, indistinct transverse lines and 



stigmata = var. desillii, Pier. 



4. As in No. 3, but with white costa = sub- var. albicosta. 

 5. Pale greyish, inner margin reddish- ochreous, distinct transverse 



lines and stigmata = ripce (type). 

 6. Pale greyish, without the reddish area under the stigmata, base 



and outer margin fuscous = var. nebnlosa, St. 

 7. Pale greyish, witn indistinct transverse lines and stigmata = var. 



desertorum. 

 8. Reddish-brown, with distinct transverse lines and stigmata = var. 



brunnea. 

 9. Dark greyish, with a slight si; ty tinge ; much suffused = var. 



grisea. 



I am quite aware of the incomplete character of the above table, 

 but ripce is one of those species which I have never found abundantly 

 myself, and I have therefore had to rely on the comparatively short 

 series in my collection. 



