102 VARIETIES OP NOCTILSS 



It tallied exactly with Hiibner's figs. 659-661. I was assured that 

 Hiibner had only repeated the name neurica in error, as dissoluta should 

 have been placed under the figures. Several consignments received 

 since have proved that Hiibner was undoubtedly right to designate all 

 the specimens dark or light on the upper side and black on the under- 

 side as neurica, as they all belong together, and are united by inter- 

 mediate and closely alike forms, and thus confirm what has already 

 been said about them " (' Die Schmet. von Europa,' vol. v., pt. 2, 

 pp. 319-321). 



With regard to the synonomy of this species (neurica) I wrote 

 some time ago : " Nonagria neurica, Hb. = arundineta, Schmidt. In 

 Stainton's ' Manual,' vol. i., p. 193, we find the Norfolk and Cambridge 

 Nonagria in question, described under the name of neurica. In 

 Newman's ' British Moths,' it is described under the name of arundineta. 

 Dr. Staudinger in his ' Catalog,' 1871, separates neurica, Hb. specifi- 

 cally from arundineta, Schmidt, and refers our British specimens to 

 arundineta, which he treats as a variety of Treitschke's dark form dissoluta. 

 I have been lately working at Hiibner, and there is not the remotest 

 doubt that our paler British specimens are identical with Hiibner's 

 figure 381, neurica. Some of the specimens sent to me by Mr. Warren 

 are exactly like his figure, except in colour, which is dull brown and 

 not reddish as in our forms, but there can be no doubt about its being 

 our insect in its palest forms. Schmidt discriminates between his 

 arundineta and Hiibner's neurica as being 'more robust' (a vague 

 difference it seems to me), and the underside spotted in neurica ' (i.e., 

 with a central spot on each wing). As Hiibner only figures the upper- 

 side, I do not see that this distinction would hold ; and I find that 

 our palest specimens have practically no central spots on the undersides, 

 but that these spots, which are absent in the pale forms, gradually in- 

 crease in intensity with the depth of colour on the upper surface. He 

 also gives different dates for the appearance of his arundineta ; but Mr. 

 Warren (' Ent. Mo. Mag.,' vol. xxii., p. 256) shows that neurica in 

 Norfolk, is a fortnight earlier than the same species in Cambridge. I 

 believe the dark form (dissoluta) used to occur in the Norfolk and 

 Cambridge Fens, but Dr. Staudinger himself groups arundineta, 

 Schmidt with dissoluta, Treitschke, and our species now gives us both 

 neurica, Hb. and arundineta, Schmidt. There can be no doubt, there- 

 fore, that the synonymy should stand : 



Nonagria neurica, Hb., Sta. 

 var. dissoluta, Treitschke. 

 var. arundineta, Schmidt." 



(' Entomologist's Monthly Magazine,' vol. xxv., pp. 56-57). 

 I have since been informed by Mr. Warren that the dark specimens 

 were not taken in " the Norfolk and Cambridge Fens " but in Yaxley 

 Fen. 



It is well to follow out the reasoning that led to Staudinger 

 keeping neurica distinct as a species from dissoluta and var. arundineta 

 which he united. Miiller translated Staudinger's critical note on 

 this subject in ' The Entomologist,' vol. v., pp. 45-46). He writes : 

 " Nonagria neurica of Hiibner, N. dissoluta of Treitschke, arundineta of 

 Schmidt. In Ochsenheimer's collection there is a true neurica 

 (Hiibner, fig. 381) named as such, with a label in his own handwriting. 



