398 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



Manduca atropos, Linne. 



Synonymy. — Species : Atropos, Linn., " Syst. Nat.," xth ed., p. 490 (1758) ; 

 xiith ed., p. 799 (1767) ; " Mus. Ludov. Ulricae," p. 348 (1764), &c. Solani, Oken, 

 "Lehr. Zool.," i., p. 762 (1815). [Note.— With the exception of this reference 

 to Oken, all others noted in the generic synonymy (antea pp. 395-396) are 

 referable to the specific name atropos. J 



Original description. — Sphinx atropos, alis integris : posticis 

 luteis fasciis fuscis, abdomine luteo maculato : cingulis nigris. 

 Amoen., Acad., 3, p. 321. Caput mortuum. Alb., Ins., t. 6., Reau., 

 Ins., 2, t. 24, 1. 14, f. 2. Osbeck, //., 89. Wilk., Pap., 9, t. 1, B. 1. 

 Hasselqu., It., 417, n. 104, 105. Roes., Ins., 3, t. 1-2. Habitat in 

 Jasmino. Europae, ^gypti duplo major et Indiae (Linne, Sys. Nat., 

 xth ed., p. 490). [He further adds : " Alas superiores nigricantes 

 puncto albido" (Sys. Nat., xiith ed., p. 800).] 



Imago. — 90 mm. — 120 mm. Thorax black, with characteristic 

 skull and cross-bones ochraceous ; abdomen orange-yellow with black 

 segmental rings and a wide mediodorsal longitudinal blue-black (grey 

 shaded) line. Anterior wings velvety-black, marbled with rich brown 

 and sprinkled with grey scales; an incomplete pale ochreous wavy 

 transverse basal line, a double black transverse line just within ; a 

 double black wavy angulated line beyond the middle, outside which 

 is a pale subterminal edged internally with black; a small round pale 

 discoidal spot edged with black, outside which is a median black 

 transverse shade, a grey oblique apical patch ; a series of marginal 

 ochraceous-brown interneural streaks with a small rounded patch at 

 anal angle. Posterior wings orange-yellow with two black transverse 

 bands united by black neural lines which also extend from outer band 

 to outer margin. 



Sexual dimorphism. — Within the limits of the series examined, 

 although considerable variation is shown in size, and some little 

 in build and colour tone, no sexual difference in any of these respects 

 makes itself evident, but the female seems to be the larger and 

 to carry the full width of the abdomen further to the last segment, 

 but, so far as size is concerned, the individual variation is so great 

 as to make this doubtful. The yellow markings of the abdomen 

 seem more pronounced in the female, perhaps because the abdomen 

 is rather wider, at least in the later segments. The male antennae 

 measure about 15 '5mm. in length (without straightening the 

 final hook), the female about 13.5mm. The slipper arrange- 

 ment of hairs on the male antennae is a little modified from the 

 usual disposition in so far that the distal row of hairs is less 

 complete than the proximal, so that each little pocket has its 

 opening facing more towards the apex of the antenna and less 

 towards its venter than usual. On the female antenna are a set 

 of fine reddish hairs, disposed almost exactly as in the male antenna, 

 i.e., the ordinary short hairs of the female antenna are distinctly 

 longer and more pronounced along the basal margins of the segments 

 (where the male hairs are more developed) and against the scaled 

 portions, so that, though not comparable with the male hairs in length, 

 they much exceed the other sense-hairs of the antenna and contrast with 

 the usual short sense-hairs of the female antenna. The scaling 

 is very irregular, the terminal row of scales to a joint is distinguish- 

 able, and, on the terminal joints of the female antenna, a certain 



