VARIATION OF ACRONICTA LEPORINA. THE CRITICS CRITICISED. 147 



Treitschke's German description makes " head and thorax dirty 

 white, mixed with many black-grey (not ' grey-black ') hairs." 

 Mansbridge emphasises the black thorax of his new form. Treitschke 

 says that the markings of bradyporina are subject to manifold 

 variation, only emphasises the dusting behind the second line (thus 

 rather suggesting an alliance with ab. semivirga, Tutt), and above all 

 (though Miss Cochrane overlooks this altogether) cites as figures of 

 hradijporina, the following : Hiibner, fig. 16 (with hardly more dusting 

 than typical leporina) ; Fuessly, Macj., ii., pi. 1 (fig. 3), a worthless 

 figure, dirty brownish, probably discoloured; Engramelle, vi., pi. 

 ccxvi., fig. 296, a similar and equally worthless figure; Sepp, i., pi. 

 xxiii,, fig. 6, 7, good figures of tolerably pale '^bradyporina,'" auctt. — 

 fig. 6 being near ab. semicirya, 7 more normal. Finally, the darkest 

 continental specimens with which literature deals, and Avhich are 

 represented in our national collection, belong to the form which has 

 always been known as bradyporina, from which Mr. Mansbridge 

 expressly differentiates vielanocephala, and there is not a shred of 

 evidence that the melanic (or half-melanic) forms are known abroad. 



Miss Cochrane's new name of " var, yrisea " is, however, required 

 after all, for the name bradyi>orina was first published by Hiibner for 

 the iihite form, i.e., strictly synonymous, as Treitschke recognised, 

 with leporina, Linn., and the later author had no right to apply it to a 

 different form. 



The correct synonymy (abridged) is as follows : — 



1. Leporina, Linn., Hb., 15, ? 16 ; bradyporina, Hb., 570, 571 (alis albis, 

 punctis nigris ramosis). 



la. ab. himaculosa, Maassen (tota alba, punctis duobus nigris)— only slightly 

 more extreme than the type. 



Ih. ab. semivirga, Tutt (alba, margine extern o late griseo). 



2. var. grisea, Cochrane, Ent. Fee, xviii., p. 101; ? *leporina, Hb., 16 (nori 

 15) ; *bradyporina, Tr. (non Hb.) (alis anticis fusco irroratis). 



2a. ab. melanocephala , Mansbr., Ent., xxxviii., p. 289; "bradyporina, 

 Cochrane (non Hb., nee Tr.) (alis anticis dense fusco suffusis ; thorace nigro). 



3. var. leporella, Stgr. ; rineracea, Graes. (alis anticis cinereo-albidis, 

 indistincte signatis). 



E Variation of Acronicta leporina. Tlie critics criticised. 



K By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



For the last fifteen years so little work at the Noctuides has been 

 done by British lepidopterists, and so many other entomological 

 interests have continuously occurred to me, that it is rather exciting 

 to find oneself interested again in the variation of so well- 

 known a species as Acronicta leporina, and I was somewhat astounded 

 to see myself pulled up so gently, yet certainly, by Miss Cochrane (antea, 

 pp. 100-102). Her note has led me to read carefully Mr. Mansbridge's 

 remarks (Kntoni., xxxviii., p. 289), the facts of her own interesting- 

 article (antea, pp. 100-102), Mr. Front's note (published in this number 

 of the Kntom. Record), and lastly, Mr. Mansbridge's note {Ento)n., 

 xxxix., p. 115), 



A careful consideration of Mr. Mansbridge's note [Entow., xxxviii., 

 pp. 289-290) leads one to the undoubted conclusion that Miss 

 Cochrane's criticism is absolutely just, that he had not made a single 



L 



* " Invalid, as not containing the type of the conception " (Wlsghm. and Drnt.). 



