IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



orbicular and reniform 



the black elbowed line is followed by a broad 



remarks on this variety, 



I have a specimen of this form bred from a 



larva taken at Hunstanton. 



Triphcena, Och. 



Of the British species in this compact little genus, three, janthina, 

 interjecta and subsequa, are comparatively constant in their colour 

 and markings, whilst the remaining three, fimbria, pronuba, and 

 orbona, on the other hand, vary in both directions to a remarkable 

 degree. The Scotch specimens of orbona have attracted a great deal of 

 attention to this species, and one has to search among the more variable 

 members of Agrotis or Apamea to find an equal range of colour 

 variation. There is no doubt that the nomenclature at present in use, 

 viz. orbona, Hufn. and comes, Hb., will have to be respectively changed 

 to subsequa, S.V., Hb. and orbona, Hufn. 



Triphcena, Och., interjecta, Hb. 



This is another comparatively constant species, although some speci- 

 mens are of a brighter reddish than others. Hiibner's type may be de- 

 scribed as : " Fore wings of a very dull reddish-brown colour (almost 

 greyish), the black marks on the hind wings being very strongly de- 

 veloped " (' Sammlung europaischer Schinet.,' fig. 107). Newman writes 

 of it : " The colour of the fore wings is rusty-brown, sometimes inclining 

 to brick- dust- red, and having a broad but imperfectly defined band of 

 smoky-brown on the hind margin " (' British Moths,' p. 340). 

 There is a large amount of variation in the development of the trans- 

 verse lines, both in the type and the var. Taking the dull brownish 

 form as the type, there is only the bright red form that can be 

 looked upon as a variety. 



a. var. rufa, mihi. The anterior wings with the ground colour 

 bright red, the stigmata and transverse lines being marked as in the 

 type ; the hind wings also as in the type. The bright red form 

 appears to be more common than the duller brown form in Britain, 

 although neither are at all rare. 



Triphcena, Och., janthina, Esp. 



This species varies but little in any direction. There are two 

 distinct forms in colour, one, purplish, the other, red-brown, otherwise 

 there appears to be no variation worth noticing. Newman writes : 

 " The colour of the fore wings is remarkably rich and attractive, and 

 is less liable to vary than in any other species of Tryphcena " (' British 

 Moths,' p. 338). The purple form is Esper's type. Of the latter I 

 made the following description : " $ . Anterior wings purplish-grey, 

 with the orbicular and reniform (8-shaped) dark reddish in colour, 

 outlined in yellowish, a transverse, angulated line just beyond the 

 reniform, the space between this and the base tinted with green, except 

 a broad costal area which is purplish-red ; a dull red patch on costa 

 near apex, and a red subterminal line. Hind wings yellow (paler than 

 is usual with our British specimens), base dark grey ; broad, black 

 hind margin ; the nervures pale in the black band, dark in the yellow 

 part of the wing." " The ? is almost as the ^ , but the red apical 

 patch is replaced by greenish-grey. Hind wings orange, basal patch and 



