MANDUCA ATROPOS. 403 



rule that, in colder climates, slower development leaves more room 

 for growth. The contrary is asserted by other authors. I can 

 only mention in this connection that the examples, forming a series 

 from Natal, which I saw a short time since, were considerably smaller 

 and also more weakly marked than Central European specimens. " 

 There is much variation in the amount of pale marbling of the 

 forewings, some examples having a distinctly variegated appearance, 

 others being uniformly blackish-brown, with the ordinary paler mark- 

 ings obsolete. These forms may be grouped as : 



1. Forewings uniform blackish-brown, transverse markings indistinct, pale 

 markings obsolete-— atropos, Linn. 



2. Forewings marked with distinct transverse markings; pale markings well- 

 developedmab. intermedia, n. ab. 



3. Forewings with the basal, median and outer areas very dark ; the basal 

 and angulated lines pale, giving the general idea of the wing being divided into three 

 dark transverse bands — basal, median and outer— the apical area more normal, 

 pale blotch on outer margin just below apex ; discoidal spot conspicuous in median 

 area=ab. virgata, n. ab. 



4. Forewings with all the light markings double the usual size ; the normally 

 dark parts considerably lighter, the whole insect dusted plentifully with white scales 

 r=ab. variegata, n. ab. 



As to the variation of the hindwings, Miss Miller records 

 (Ent. Rec, xiv., p. 183) a specimen, bred in the autumn 

 of 1901, which has the "outer band of the left hindwing 

 very wide, and almost touching the inner band. The outer edge 

 of the wing itself has two curves instead of one. Otherwise the 

 moth is quite perfect and in no way crippled." Thorpe states 

 (Ent., v., p. 143) that he reared " a very large $ having only one black 

 band instead of two on the hindwings, the inner band being entirely 

 absent " (=ab. imperfecta). There is also some variation in the hue of 

 the hindwings. Their normal tint is of a deep orange colour, some- 

 times, however, much suffused with black scales ; rarely the colour is 

 quite pale yellow (ab. flavescens, n. ab.), and intermediate tints 

 occur, apparently with no trace of fading. There appear to be 

 no really well-differentiated races of this species (if ?nedusa and 

 styx be considered distinct species), and Rothschild and Jordan 

 state that, having examined the type of Kirby's scu/da, they 

 find it to be an individual of M. atropos, and that the habitat 

 "Borneo" is erroneous. Kirby says (in lift.) that the locality 

 labels of many of the Sphingids (received from the same source as 

 this type) in the Dublin Museum, are very unreliable, and he assents 

 to the probability of Rothschild and Jordan's conclusion being accurate. 

 He states, however, that the specimen is quite aberrational, so we 

 append the original description. This reads as follows : 



Sculda, Kirby, "Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.," 1877, p. 242 (1877); "Cat.," 

 p. 700(1892); Waterh., "Aid Ident. Ins.," ii., pi. 141, fig. 2 (1884).— Exp. al. 

 4fin. Forewings as in medusa, Butl., but less strongly dusted with grey ; a reddish 

 space along the middle of the inner margin. Hindwings straw-colour, hind-margin 

 black, with yellow spots between the nervures on the outside but much smaller than 

 in any other species ; a narrow black line within, curving towards the anal angle. 

 Head and thorax as in medusa, a large black spot on each cheek of the skull. 

 Abdomen with a very broad central bluish-black stripe, covering nearly the whole 

 abdomen towards the extremity ; a broad black band on each segment, broadest 

 below, where it occupies as much space as the yellow, except just towards the tip. 

 Underside of forewings yellow, with a black border and two obsolete transverse 

 black lines, wider apart than in medusa ; hindwings nearly as in atrupos. Borneo. 

 One specimen. Intermediate between atropos and medusa but apparently distinct 

 from both (Kirby). 



