ANOTHER PUZZLING GROUP OF EUPITHECIIDS. 261 



Another puzzling group of Eupitheciids. 



By E. M. DADD, F.E.S. 



There is another group of Eupitheciids which wants clearing up. 

 I refer to the " succenturiata — siibfidvata — Oivydata" section. Staud- 

 inger treats these as forms of one species. He, however, adds a "?" to 

 siibfulvata. His synonymy reads : 



Succenturiata, L., S.N., ed. x., 528, etc. (forma al. albidis). 



v.? suhfulvata, Hw., " Lep. Brit.," p. 357, etc. (forma fusca al. ant. disco 

 toto fulvo ; sp. div. Stgr. esse videtur). 



ab. et V. oxydata, Tr., vi., 2, 114 (1828), etc. (al. fuscis, ant. ubique strigatis). 



Herr Herz writes me as follows : "I have bred this company on 

 one occasion in numbers with great success. The larvffi were beaten 

 in large numbers from yarrow, Achillea millefolium, and fed up entirely 

 on this plant. The imagines emerged in the following year from the 

 end of May to the beginning of July, the larger proportion being 

 typical succenturiata, L., one specimen approached Staudinger's ab. 

 exalbidata ; further, there was one typical suhfulvata, two typical 

 oxydata, and three forms intermediate between succenturiata and 

 siibf all' ata- oxydata. The larvfe showed no appreciable differences." 

 He also informs me that Herr K. Dietze, one of the best known 

 specialists in this group, and who has, perhaps, had the greatest 

 experience with this interesting genus of any lepidopterist in Germany, 

 has already stated it as his opinion, that the above three forms are ail 

 only forms of one and the same species. 



I have myself seen the bred series of Herr Herz referred to above, 

 as well as many other series bred by other collectors here. If one were 

 inclined before to doubt the connection of the above three forms, the 

 numbers and variety of the intermediate forms immediately upset this 

 conclusion. There would be no difficulty in forming a complete chain 

 of forms showing the gradual mixing of white scales in the fulvous 

 patch of suhfulvata until the complete succentu lata is obtained, and, in 

 the same way, intermediates between oxydata, and the other two forms, 

 are also not uncommon. As far as this district is concerned, therefore, 

 I do not think there can be any doubt that the above three forms are 

 rightly brought together, and no doubt this state of affairs exists all 

 over the continent. It will be noticed that Herr Herz bred all forms 

 from larvfe found feeding on yarrow, which, according to English 

 lepidopterists, is the foodplant of E. suhfulvata, and that, moreover, the 

 larger proportion of the insects bred were typical E. succenturiata. The 

 latter is, however, also found feeding on Artemisia here, but I have not 

 been able to ascertain whether E. suhfulvata has also been bred from 

 this plant. 



When in England last year, I had a discussion about this matter 

 with Mr. Prout, who scouted the idea of these two insects (B. suhfulvata 

 and E. succenturiata) being forms of the same species, and, as this gentle- 

 man has had large experience in breeding both species in England, 

 it seems possible that over in England they have become differentiated. 

 This is also a problem to which English entomologists should turn 

 their attention. 



Another puzzling group of Eupitheciids. 



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

 It may be news to some lepidopterists to hear that Staudinger 

 believed succenturiata and suhfulvata to be distinct species, but so it 



I 



