106 
NOTES ON VARIOUS SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 
Among my examples of Argenieo-maculatus, six in number, is one from Lake Superior which agrees almost exactly with Grote’s 
figure, excepting that the white spot nearest the inner margin is much larger, in fact, larger than in any other example I have ever 
seen, being fully one-tenth of an inch at its greatest diameter; the posterior wings also are darker than Grote’s description would lead 
us to infer those in his type of Qudriguttatus were. Another example, captured in Hunter Co., IN". Y., is entirely devoid of all the silver 
spots ; there is in this example considerable difference in the arrangement of the bands, etc., of primaries from the one from Lake 
Superior. Several others from Hunter County agree in the general markings with the one just alluded to, but have the usual silver 
spots the same size as and some larger than in Grote’s figure ; the posterior wings of the different examples vary in depth of colour from 
pale salmon or fawn to smokv-grey, and the sub-apical and apical marks are either very distinct, half obsolete or entirely wanting, and 
I much fear that, if Grote’s assumed species be distinct from Harris’, I possess at least three more new and undescribed allied species ! 
Arctia Anuta, Grote, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phila., II, p. 335, T. 8 ( 1863), is, without doubt, a melanotic variety of Arctia Persephone, 
1. c., p. 60 ; varieties with black wings are of not uncommon occurrence among the Arctians ; I have seen them of Caja, Figurata, Lena, 
Virginalis and P lantaginis. 
Argtnnis Leto, Behr, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sc. (1862), I hold to be a western form of A. Cybele, Fabr., as also may be A. Nokomis, 
W. H. Edwards, but this latter I have not yet had sufficient opportunity to examine in nature, to speak of with any certainty. An 
analogous case is presented in Argynnis Alexandra, Men., which is an aberrant Asiatic form of A. Aglaia, Linn. 
Catocala Concumbens, Walker. I have previously remarked the close affinity of this species with the Russian C. Pacta, L. 
(on p. 40) ; this latter, except that it is smaller and has the abdomen rosy, resembles very closely our species. My friend, Mr. Paul 
Knetzing, sent me this winter, from Montreal, Canada, an example of Concumbens which, to my unbounded astonishment, has the abdo- 
men rose-red, precisely like the hind wings, thus making its resemblance to Pacta almost perfect. I received also, about the same time, 
from Canada, another example with the abdomen rosy, but mixed with grey ; and my friends, the Messrs. Pearson, write me from 
Montreal that they have likewise an example “with the body red, just like the Pacta which you sent us.” The red-bodied Concumbens 
which I received differ in no other point whatever from the ordinary form, which is seldom subject to any variation. 
Catocala Simulatilis, Grote, is, as its author evidently mistrusted, Obscure i 9 • I here insert his description, published in 
advance sheets of Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. : 
“ This species is intimately related with C. obscura, somewhat as C. residua with C. insolabilis. C. residua has blackish fringes, the 
general color of the primaries is dusky ashen, without the linear deepening in color above internal margin of C. insolabilis, while the 
whitish gray subterminal shade contrasts with the dusky tone of the wing. This species has also a black oblique subapical shade beyond 
the subterminal line, more or less distinctly following the teeth of the line and apparent sometimes within the line, following the two 
prominent teeth of the t. p. line. This black shading is wanting in C. obscura and C. simulatilis, which agree in the general smoky ashen 
primaries and the white fringes to the hind wings, but may be separated by the course of the t. p. line. This, in C. simulatilis, is much 
as in C. residua and the other species, with two very prominent teeth and wide open subreniform, whereas, in C. obscura the line is more 
perpendicular and presents a series of fine teeth. The resemblance is otherwise so great between the two that other comparison or 
description seems unnecessary. Since I only know' males of C. obscura and females of C. simulatilis, I thought that my specimens of the 
latter might belong, as the opposite sex, to C. obscura. Such a sexual difference would be quite new and unusual, and I cannot now be 
blamed for not adopting such a determination.” 
And under the circumstances I wonder the author described his species at all ; he worked on entirely too scant material, and lays 
by far too much stress on the peculiarities of his “t. p. lines.” At present are before me thirty examples of C. Obscura, U 9> including 
the original types ; one of these, a male, has the sub-reniform almost closed, all the others have it open, some widely so, others more 
moderately ; the “ t. p. line ” is, in 14 examples, 5 J 1 9 9, with two very prominent teeth, in 16 examples, $ 9 , with only one promi- 
nent tooth, like in the figure on PI. Ill ; so this ceases, at any rate, to be “ a sexual difference.” As to the perpendicularity of the lines, 
in different examples they appear to be like in a battalion of country militia — each one varying in position ; in some instances the t. p. 
line and t. a. line are almost confluent at the inner margin, and in one instance quite so. As to general colour of primaries, it varies 
much, in some instances being almost black, especially on the area interior to the sub-terminal line. 
C. Residua, Grote, is only a common form of C. Insolabilis, Guenee, which is a species that varies much in the depth of ground 
colour of primaries, and in the dark shading of their inner margin. 
In describing Catocalas, too much weight has been attached by Mr. Grote to whether the sub-reniform be open or closed, also to 
the breadth of the bands of secondaries, and to whether the mesial extends to the abdominal margin or not ; the following will show how 
utterly valueless v'ould be diagnoses founded on these points : 
In twelve examples of C. Subnata I find two males and three females w'ith the sub-reniform open, and four males and three females 
with it completely closed, and in two it is entirely isolated from the transverse posterior line ; yet Grote made the open sub-reniform 
one of the specific characteristics of this species. Out of six examples of C. Piatrix, two have the sub-reniform open and four closed. 
The same also in C. Ceroyama . In four 0. Unijuga, one has the sub-reniform open, a second has it closed but connected with the trans- 
verse posterior line, the other two have it entirely isolated. I have also examples of C. Fraxini, C. Viduatci, C. Desperata and C. 
Agrippina , in some of each of which the sub-reniform is closed, and in others open. Twenty-two examples of C. Polcegama display great 
variation in the width of the black bands, in some instances they being twice as wide as in others. In C. Parta, C. Nupta and C. Elocata 
the same wide difference in width is displayed, and in these species in some examples the mesial band extends to the abdominal margin ; 
in others it does not reach it within almost one-fourth of an inch. 
MEAGRE DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW SPECIES; TO BE FOLLOWED IN A SUBSE- 
QUENT PART BY WHAT IS INFINITELY BETTER— GOOD REPRESENTATIONS. 
Sphinx Plota, Eov. Sp. 
Male. Expands 3 J inches. 
_ Head and thorax rather light brownish-grey. Teguke edged outwardly with white, inwardly by a dark-brown line, also a brown 
line in middle, parallel to that of edge. Abdomen same light brownish-grey as thorax, with a narrow black dorsal line, seven short 
black bands on each side, the spaces between which are dirty white, beneath pale brownish-grey, almost white. 
Primaries same colour as thorax, with a rather short longitudinal line in each cell ; an apical line ; a submarginal black line 
accompanied inwardly by another, broader but not so dark in colour, a black spot at base of wing ; all these lines, etc., are accompanied 
more or less with whitish streaks or patches. Secondaries greyish, with dark-brown submarginal and mesial bands. 
L T nder surface greyish-brown. 
I might have made shorter work with the above by simply saying that this species was between Chersis and Kalmioe-, it is neither 
blue as the one nor reddish as the other, and it has more markings on the primaries than either, giving them an appearance somewhat 
like Ellema Hcirrisii, but on a larger scale. 
