in 



CONCEENING DE. CHAPMAN'S DIVISIONS OF THE 



GENUS ACRONYCTA (auct.). 



By A. G. BuTLEK. F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. 



In the 'Entomologist's Kecord' for May, 1890, vol. i. n. 2, 

 Dr. Chapman proposed three names — Viminia, Cuspidia, and 

 Bisulcia — to be used in a subgeneric sense for groups of Acro- 

 nycta. The types of these subgenera are respectively — 



A. rumicis for Viminia. 



A. psi „ Cuspidia. 



A. ligustri ,, Bisulcia. 

 In the Index to some of the plates these names appear as 

 genera, and consequently they have been adopted as genera by 

 several writers in the ' Entomologist's Eecord,' as follows : — 



Viminia auricoma, Chapman, Ent. Rec. 1890, p. 29. 



„ myriccB, „ „ „ 84. 



,, menyanthidis, „ ,, ,, 84. 



,, venosa, „ ,, ,, 84. 



„ rumicis, ,, ,, „ 29. 



Cuspidia psi, Tutt, ,, „ 89. 



„ tridens. Chapman, ,, ,, 29. 



,, alni, B. Smith, ,, ,, 136. 



„ megacephala, H. L. Turner, ,, ,, 349. 



„ leporina, Hewett, ,, „ 132. 



,, acms, Lewcock & Hanes, „ ,, 167. 



Bisulcia ligustri, Chapman, „ , ,, 29. 



For the above facts I am indebted to my friend Mr. T. D. A. 

 Cockerell, who wishes me to call attention to the fact that, as the 

 genus Acronycta was subdivided many years previous to Dr. 

 Chapman's revision, his subgeneric or generic names for the 

 species cannot be admitted as valid. 



As long ago as about 1820, Hiibner broke up the genus in 

 his ' Verzeichniss bekannter Schmetterlinge,' pp. 201, 202, as 

 follows : — 



Hyhoma strigosa and unicornis. 

 Triana psi. cuspis, tridens; tritona, and teligera. 

 Jochecera alni. 



Acronicta leporina and hradyporina. 

 Pharetra auricoma and menyanthidis. 



Arctomyscis aceris, euphorbia, esulce, euphrasice, cyparissics. 

 and megacephala. 

 In my paper on the natural affinities of Acronycta (Trans. 

 Ent. Soc. 1879, pp. 318 — 17) I called attention to Hiibner's sub- 

 division of the group, and proposed to adopt his names as genera, 

 based principally upon larval characters. 



In Augustus R. Grote's ' New Check-List of North American 



