ON THE SYNONYMY OF THE BRITISH BEE HAWK-MOTHS. 89 



spots, closely approached the Lapland specimens, but yet, on the 

 other hand, exhibited a much darker black in the marginal band, 

 and especially often a broad black costa, such as is present 

 neither in these, nor in German specimens. 



I have already shortly given my explanation of this variability 

 of the hereditary predisposition in southern and northern colonies 

 of phloeas, and I have stated it more exhaustively in my book, 

 ' Das Keimplasma, eine Vererbungstheorie."* 



(To be continued.) 



ON THE SYNONYMY OF THE BRITISH BEE HAWK-MOTHS. 



By W. F. Kirby, F.L.S., F.E.S. 



Assistant in Zool. Dept., British Museum (Nat. Hist.), S. Kensington. 



The synonymy of these species has always been somewhat 

 uncertain ; and I therefore, at Mr. South's request, give a short 

 exposition of that adopted in my * Catalogue of Lepidoptera- 

 Heterocera,' vol. i. 



In Linne's ' Systema Naturae,' ed. x. (1758), four species are 

 enumerated, which we have to consider : — 



(1) Sphinx porcellus, p. 492, n. 16. There has never been 

 any dispute about this insect. 



(2) S. tityus, p. 493, n. 24. *' S. abdomine barbato, cingulo 

 nigro. M. L. V. Habitat in calidis regionibus. Alarum margo 

 niger est." The letters " M. L. V." indicate that there were 

 specimens in the collection of Queen Louisa Ulrica ; but the 

 species is not mentioned in Linne's subsequent work on this 

 collection. 



(3) S. homhyliformis, p. 493, n. 27. *' S. abdomine barbato 

 coccineo, alis hyalinis luteo variis; posticis margine albis. 

 Habitat in Europa." 



(4) S. fuciformis, p. 493, n. 28. " S. abdomine barbato 

 nigro ; fascia flavescente, alis hyalinis margine nigro. Bradl. 

 Nat. 26, f. 1, B. Roes. ins. app. 231, t. 38. Habitat in Europa." 



Respecting S. homhyliformis it is only necessary to say that in 

 the 12th edition of Linne's ' System.a Naturae ' (1767) it is sunk as 

 ^* S. porcellus /?.," and it appears to have been only a rubbed 

 specimen of that insect. 



The difficult point relates to S. fuciformis^ but the figures 

 quoted all indubitably represent the hroad-hordered bee hawk, as 

 is proved by the dark mark at the end of the cell of the fore 

 wings. 



In the * Fauna Suecica,' ed. 2, p. 289, Linne cites only 

 Rcesel, but adds to his former diagnosis : '* Habitat in Lonicera'' 



- Jena, 1892, p. 523. 



