THE BRITISH NOCTU^E AND THEIR 

 VARIETIES. 



Class: NOCTILE, Linn. 

 III. Sub-class : MINORES, Gn. 

 1. Family : Acontidce, Bdv. 



This is the last Sub-class included in Guende's NOCTILB TRIFID^E 

 and contains five families, of which one Hcemerosidce is unrepresented 

 in Britain. Guenee writes : " All the little species, which have at first 

 sight the appearance of Geometers, Py rales or Tortrices are comprised 

 in this sub-class. This appearance is not otherwise contradicted by 

 the earlier stages, which approach, in fact, these different divisions of 

 Lepidoptera. A certain amount of practice is also necessary to re- 

 cognise these Noctuelles " (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 199). The species 

 included in the MINORES are generally, as Guenee remarks, very much 

 like Pyrales and Tortrices with which indeed, many have been classed 

 by various authors. The Acontidce, in part, resemble in the perfect 

 state some of the Heliothidce, and have somewhat similar habits. Of 

 this family Guenee writes : " If one only examined European species, 

 it would be difficult to understand why Agrophila and Acontia are 

 placed in the same family. One finds, however, that they are closely 

 connected, and that the succession of genera Agrophila, Anthophila, 

 Eugraphia and Xanthodes is natural. On this account, this last genus 

 has hitherto been confounded with the true Acontice. Otherwise, 

 the characters of the family are, as we see it, numerous and well- 

 marked " (' Noctuelles,' vol vi., p. 203). 



Agrophila, Bdv., trabealis, Sc. (sulphuralis, Linn.). 



As might be expected from the peculiar character of the markings 

 of this species there is considerable variation. Normally, there is a 

 subterminal row of black dots, a complete angulated line formed of 

 united dots, a longitudinal line along the inner margin and another 

 parallel to it ; three dots on the costa, and two dots between these 

 and the second longitudinal line. We frequently find the subterminal 

 dots united into a line, the costal dots uniting to form streaks (1) with 

 each other, (2) with the dots below ; whilst these dots again fre- 

 quently unite with the angulated or upper longitudinal line forming 

 streaks in other directions ; sometimes the costal dot is continued so 

 as to unite with the angulated line, etc. Guenee describes a var. A 

 of which he writes : " The black spreads over the superior wings, 

 leaving only some yellow spots (Engr. 598e) " (' Noctuelles/ vol. vi., 

 p. 206). Of this species Humphrey and Westwood write : " This 

 pretty species is rather less than 1 inch in the expanse of the fore 



A 



