Art. XIII.— Ofli liitliopliane and IVew IVocttiidae. 



By A. R. Oiote. 



Prof. Fernald, on his recent journey to Europe, kindly took with Iiim a 

 series of our Litlioplianes to compare witli Mr. Walker's types in the 

 British Museum. He took with him in particular specimens of the series 

 of forms which cluster around L. cinerea (Eiley), and which we have 

 separated in the collection under different names. These are L. cinerea, 

 laticinerea, imimoda, and cinerosa n. s. This latter is darker than any 

 of the others, with the paler shadings of very light gray contrasting. It 

 is large, very hairy, and with the orbicular very bright and light gray. 

 This form is taken commonly by the Albany collectors, who regard it as 

 distinct. It has been in MSS. in my collection for a long time, but I 

 have hitherto hesitated to separate it from laticinerea. Prof. Fernald 

 writes me the result of his examination, as follows : 



"The only Xylina which I found in the Walkerean collection, under a 

 different name from what they are known by us, was Xylina antennata 

 Walk, (habitat unknown). This is = X cinerea Eiley. There can be 

 no mistake on this, for Mr. Butler and my wife both compared them, and 

 we all agree, without the shadow of a doubt." 



In my own visit to the British Museum in 1867 1 had no il^orth American 

 Xylinas with me to compare, but I noted that antennata was a gray 

 species, which I thought I had seen in our collections ; but on my return 

 home I could not remember \\dth sufficient accuracy which of the gray 

 forms Mr. Walker had. Prof. Fernald writes further respecting Mr. 

 Walker's other species unidentified by us : 



"X infructuosa Walk, is in too poor condition to be certain of; it is 

 near, if not identical with, X. petulca. X spoliata is new to me ; I doubt 

 its generic location ; the eyes are hairy. X. commoda is a very dark 

 species, without markings 5 I doubt if it is a Xylina. X. clanfacta Walk., 

 too poor to determine; no^ a Xylina] hind wings very light or white, 

 save border and costa." 



Prof. Fernald has by these observations made it tolerably safe to 

 describe our species, and has settled the synonymy in important points. 

 L. cinerea is the only one of the gray forms of our Lithophanes which 

 shows any decided ferruginous or brown shades about the reniform spot 

 or s.t. line and basal dash, as described by Walker, whose description, 

 nevertheless, is far from satisfactory. It is the smallest in average 

 expanse of the gray forms. I refer the student to my Check List, 

 Part II, for the synonyjiiy of tliis generic term, which should be iised in 

 IDreference to Xylina. 



Bull. Y, 2 -4 ^^1 



