ACALLA RETICULATA, ITS HISTORY AND ITS VARIATION. 95 
latter, in which these parts are white. Single specimens resemble 
either the one or the other form; all are united by the closest 
gradations. What is to be said about the rosana of Schiffermuller’s 
collection, also a contaminana form, has already been done by us under 
T. ameriana, and also by Charpentier. 
«The usual and little variable size is that of 7. plumbana. Palpi, 
head, thorax and antenne agree with the darker portions of the fore- 
wines, the lees and abdomen are brownish gray, clear grey, or whitish, 
the anal tuft of the male is yellow. 
«The forewings, as we said, vary extremely, have, in the well- 
marked examples, an appearance of reticulation with darker colour. 
Next the base stands an elbowed line, dividing the first area, in the 
middle of the wing an imperfect or even quite perfect transverse band, 
in its middle a raised tuft of hairs. Further towards the apex, on the 
costa, a sharply defined or obsolescent spot. The apex of the forewing 
extends falcate. The fringes, beyond a dark line, are first whitish and 
then dark grey. 
“The hindwings are white or white-grey, the fringes always 
white. 
«On the underside of the forewings one sees traces of the reticula- 
tion, the middle band and the line before the fringe on the upperside ; 
the hindwings are glossy, silky white, the fringes are wholly white, 
dark bordered at the base.” 
Stephens in his J/dus. [1884] considered there were three closely 
allied species and dealt in considerable detail with their variation. A 
summary of his remarks are appended. As he was unable to deal with 
the results of previous continental study his work was to a large extent 
independent and original. He established the genus Dictyoptery« tor 
his species contaminana, ciliana, rhombana, plunbana, loeflinyiana and 
_ forskaleana, dividing it into two sections. The first, characterised by 
the ‘anterior wings with hinder margin subfalcate, acute,” and which 
he said was Hiibner’s (?) genus Anvelia (“ Verz.”), contained the first 
three of his species. As has been noted above, Amelia, Hub. (Verz.) 
was applied to rhombana only. It should have been Acalia which was 
the first generic name including a member of this group of forms, 
viz., ciliana. 
Summary of the variation given by Stephens. 
Dictyopteryx contaminana. Steph. Jllus., vol. iv., p. 169. (Amelia, 
Hub.) <Alis anticis stramineis rufo-pulcherrime reticulatis, costa 
basi fasciaque media sinuosa bifida ustulatis, ciliis albis.” 7-84 lin. 
Ground: Forewing, pale straw; yellowish; reticulated reddish- 
brown. 
Markings: Streak at base; broad fascia behind middle darker 
brown, bifid at costa. 
Margin: extreme hind margin reddish-brown ; cilia white. Hind- 
wings whitish. ; 
Vatiation: broadly brownish at base; ground ferruginous or 
reddish. 
Dictyopteryx ciliana. Steph. [llus., vol. iv., p. 169. (Amelia, Hutb.) 
‘‘Alis anticis ferrugineis fusco rufove reticulatis, fascia media 
obliqua costali saturatiore.”” 7-9 lin. 
Ground : forewing ferruginous ; faintly reticulate fuscous or red. 
