38 VARIETIES OF NOCTUJE 



by Mr. J. H. Carpenter " is recorded without comment in the ' Proc. 

 Sth. Lond. Ent. Soc.,' 1888, p. 67. 



a. var. virgata, mihi. The anterior wings with the central area 

 (between the basal and angulated lines) filled in with darker colour, 

 thus making a dark band, bounded by the paler transverse lines ; the 

 outer area on each side of the subterminal line strongly shaded with 

 black. The finest specimen of this form that I have seen was in the 

 collection of the Rev. G. H. Kaynor, and I have a specimen, given to 

 me by the same gentleman, and captured at Brentwood, somewhat 

 similar ; whilst another approaching it, came from Mr. Alderson of 

 Farnboro' (Kent). This variety seems to approach very nearly to, if 

 not to be identical with the North American A. pyramidoidcs of Guenee, 

 described in the ' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 413. 



P. var. obscura, Oberthiir. The type of this variety was first 

 described in a paper on the ' Lepidopterous Fauna of the Isle of 

 Askold * by Mons. Oberthiir, who writes : " Differs from the type by 

 its constantly darker colour, which even extends to the inferior wings, 

 in f which the reddish is sometimes entirely brown. 10 $ , 4 ? " 

 (' Etudes d'entomologie,' v., pt. 1, p. 85). 



(?) y. monolitha, Gn. The monolitha of Guenee is by some con- 

 sidered only a form of pyramided, whilst by others it is considered as 

 a " representative species " replacing pyramided in the East Indies 

 and on the East Coast of Asia and not being identical with it. Mr. 

 Leach combines the two, together with magna, Walk, and var. 

 obscnra, Oberth., and writes : " In a long and variable series of this 

 species (pyramided), taken by myself in Japan, there are specimens 

 which agree with monolitha, Guen., others with magna, and one or two 

 examples with Oberthiir's variety. These forms are connected one 

 with the other and with pyramidea by intermediates"; whilst he 

 adds : " From the neighbourhood of Kiukiang, I received two speci- 

 mens only, one of which is the var. obscura and the other magna, 

 Walk. " (< Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.,' 1889, p. 135). When we consider 

 how closely allied some of our undoubtedly distinct British species 

 are, e.g., Cuspidia tridcns and C. psi, Agrotis tritici and A. cursoria etc., 

 we must take such general lumping as this with a certain amount of 

 reservation. Not, that monolitha might not be specifically identical 

 with pyramidea, probably it is, but the capture or receipt of a long 

 series of specimens of a species which we do not know intimately, and 

 which appear to run without break into the normal form of a species 

 which we do know, should hardly be held conclusive proof of 

 the specific identity of the two forms, as the keenest entomologists 

 often fail to distinguish the allied British species mentioned above, 

 and, until the earlier stages are known, " representative species " 

 should not be too generously lumped, as they are certainly far better 

 separated than united when there is any doubt about them. Guenee 

 writes of monolitha : " This is also very near to pyramidea but much 

 more distinct than the preceding (pyramidoides, Gn. from North 

 America). The superior wings little indented, of a deep violet-brown, 

 velvety, unicolorous and not clouded as in our pyramidea, with the 

 same lines marked in shiny grey, and also shaded interiorly. The 

 orbicular stigma forming a very distinct grey dot, but not ocellated. 

 The subterminal line barely distinct, with the dark streaks which pre- 



