THE IDENTITY OF HA DEN A HAUSTA GROTE 
(NOCTUIDAE, LEPIDOPTERA)* 
By Dale F. Schweitzer 
Department of Entomology, 
Museum of Comparative Zoology, 
Harvard University, 
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 
Hadena hausta Grote 1882 was described from a single male from 
Kittery Point, Maine. Since that time this taxon has been largely 
ignored. Hampson (1908) sank H. hausta as a synonym of Miana 
semicana Walker, 1865. McDunnough (1938) and Forbes (1954) 
followed this placement. Franclemont and Todd (1983) listed both 
of these taxa as separate species, but their checklist format does not 
indicate the basis for this decision. Hampson and all of these subse- 
quent authors placed both taxa in Oligia. Since Hampson based his 
interpretation of H. semicana on the type, I accept it as correct. 
Also, he illustrates this taxon (Plate CXVIII, fig. 3) and his figure 
seems to match the description of Oligia semicana given by Forbes 
(1954). 
While I was curating the Noctuidae in the collection of the 
Museum of Comparative Zoology, I located a specimen labelled as 
the type of Hadena hausta, (M.C.Z. type 1838) along with an 
accompanying genitalia slide (#M.C.Z. 477). This specimen (Fig. 1) 
agrees with the original description and the collection data given in 
the description match those on the specimen. Thus this appears to 
be an authentic Holotype. It is not conspecific with the specimen 
figured by Hampson. 
O. hausta is somewhat browner than O. semicana and differs in 
having a prominent black dash or wedge in the fold of the forewing 
much like that present on O. exhausta (J. B. Smith), but thicker and 
less sharply defined. Hampson’s figure also seems to indicate a dis- 
tinctly whitish antemedian line on O. semicana. This line has at 
most some white in its posterior half on O. hausta and it is much 
more evenly curved on the latter species. From O. exhausta, O. 
hausta can be separated by its browner color and whiter reniform, 
* Manuscript received by the editor March 26, 1984. 
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