2 VARIETIES OF NOCTUJE 



wings, which are sulphur-coloured, with nine black spots and two 

 thick bars of white, of which three spots are upon the costa, two on 

 the disc, preceding the bar, the latter running from the base parallel to 

 the hind margin, which is also black, extending nearly to the anal angle, 

 when it is bent into an oblique bar, which runs nearly to the apex of 

 the costa ; the apical margin has four black spots ; these are some- 

 times confluent, forming an irregular subapical bar ; the strigae and 

 the other spots are also sometimes more or less confluent together ; 

 the oblique part of the black bar is silvery in fine specimens " 

 (< British Moths,' p. 242). Newman in his ' British Moths,' p. 442, 

 figures a specimen in which the black spots exhibit a tendency to 

 unite. The type is thus described by Scopoli : " Lon. lin. 4J. Alee 

 anticse paleacese ; fasciis binis, trabe longitudinal! maculisque (5) 

 nigris." " Margo alae super, niger, fasciae in limbo positse subundulatse, 

 trabs margini inferiori parallela, maculas tres superiori margini adnatae, 

 palpi breves, alae anticse subtus fuscescentes : margine paleaceo ; 

 posticse supra fuscescentes ; subtus pallidiores : litura transversa 

 punctoque medio fuscis " (' Entom. Carniolica,' pp. 240-241). 



Acontia, Och., luctuosa, Esp. 



Some specimens of this species are slightly greyer in the ground 

 colour than others. The large white spot which occupies the reniform 

 area in this species is sometimes continued to the costa, and although 

 normally white in colour, is occasionally distinctly ochreous. In the 

 hind wings, the band is distinctly narrower in some specimens than 

 in others. Guenee notices some variation in this species which I 

 have not seen. He writes : " The white band of the inferior wings 

 is sometimes continuous and sometimes spotted, the spot on the 

 superior wings is white or pale rosy, but these differences are not 

 found united in the same specimens in such a manner as to form a 

 constant variety " (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 223). Esper's diagnosis of 

 the type is as follows : " Alis superioribus fuscis characteribus atris, 

 macula trapeziformi, inferioribus fascia albis " (' Die Schmet in Abbild.' 

 p. 71 ; PI. 88, fig. 4). Newman in his ' British Moths,' figures a variety 

 from Mr. Vaughan's collection with the characteristic spot in the fore 

 wing reduced almost to a lunule, and the transverse band on the hind 

 wings much reduced. 



a. var. ochracea, mihi. Like the type, but with the large 

 characteristic pale spot in the fore wings ochreous instead of white. 



Acontia, Och., lucida, Hufn. (solaris, Esp.). 



There seems very little to lead us to suppose that this species now 

 occurs in Britain. Of Solaris, Guenee writes : " Superior wings 

 having the white base marked with a black basal spot, an abbreviated 

 basal line and some clouds, leaden-coloured, the remainder of the wing 

 of a dull brown mixed with grey, with a large quadrilateral costal spot ; 

 the lower half of the outer margin and that of the fringes white. A 

 terminal series of irregular spots of a leaden-grey. Keniform very 

 fine, whitish, formed like an 8. Inferior wings having the base 

 white, with three or four blackish rays and an uniformly broad black 

 border. Fringes white, with the first half spotted with black at the 

 base " (< Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 221). Esper's diagnosis is : " Alis 



