20 
ACRONICTA. By Dr. M. Drattdt. 
decora. 
felina. 
flavescens. 
gracil is. 
red act a. 
albidiscaia. 
albidior. 
flavescens. 
gulo. 
illudens. 
rufitincta. 
primulina. 
spissa. 
marmori- 
fera. 
atrifrons. 
moestoides. 
rnoesta. 
lines, the posterior one being more or less band-shaped, somewhat shaded with grey; a small black ring in the 
centre of the cell together with a similar one below it forms the figure of an 8; the hindwing is dusted with blackish- 
brown with indistinct darker transverse bands in the centre and towards the margin. — The other forms have 
white hindwings: decora Morr. (2 e, f) if the fringes are speckled black and white, — felina Drc. (2 f) if they 
remain uni-coloured white. — The white ground-colour may in all the forms run through all tints to sulphur- 
yellow; such extreme specimens may be denominated flavescens form. nov. (2f); the specimen figured here 
shows at the same time that, when the fringes remain white, there may appear black streaks on the ends of 
the veins, but such specimens need not be specially denominated. — Transitions from typical cavillator to 
decora with somewhat lighter hindwings are to be named gracilis Swh. Especially light specimens of felina 
with less marking also on the forewing and no grey shading may be introduced as reducta form. nov. (= ab. 
1 Hrnps.). Decora occurs yet to the north in California, the other forms only occur more to the south beginning 
from Mexico and extend to Guatemala and Costa Rica; the species (though doubtful) is also mentioned from 
Cuba and Colombia. As to the early stages nothing is known. 
L. albidiscata Dogn. (2 g) resembles the dark forms of the following species, but it has a much more 
uniformly brown discal area and before the undulate line only above and below the middle blackish-brown 
sagittiform spots, whereas gulo always exhibits an uninterrupted dentate line. Hindwing in the $ coppery 
brown, in the $ lighter, more yellowish-white with dark nebulous antemedian and postmedian bands. A lighter 
form with less dark forewings and whitish transverse bands in the centre and before the margin of the hindwing 
we denominate albidior form. nov. (— ab. 1 Hmps.) and specimens which are, like the similar species, of a yellow 
ground-colour: flavescens form. nov. (= ab. 2 Hmps.). Colombia. 
L. gulo H.-Schdff. (2 h) is another variable species, large and strong, the ground-colour not purely 
white, but intermixed with coarse blackish-brown scales, especially in the discal area and before the subterminal 
line suffused with grey or reddish-brown. The marking is similar as in cavillator , but the transverse lines more 
distinctly expressed as dentate lines, the circular spot beloAV the ring-macula is absent. In the nomenclatural 
type the ground-colour is sulphur-yellow, in illudens Wkr. (= pythion Drc.) white. In case the brown dusting 
is very predominant and also passes over to the hindwings, this is rufitincta Hmps. (= cavillator Drc. p. p.). The 
species is very widely distributed and known from Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, and (doubt¬ 
fully) from Colombia. 
L. primulina Dogn. (3 a) is on the light sulphur-yellow forewing so densely strewn with blackish 
brown scales that only the veins and light dentate lines exhibit the pure ground-colour. Hindwings very thinly 
scaled. From Colombia. 
L. spissa H. Edw. (3 a) is a little like gulo, but smaller with entirely blackened hindwings and abdomen, 
and with a very distinct black, dentate median line forming in the cell the proximal border of the clover-shaped 
reniform macula. In the $ the hindwings are white. Found in Mexico and Peru. 
L. marmorifera Wkr. (3 b), like all the following, has a dark-pupilled reniform macula and the whole 
wing densely dusted with blackish-brown so that only the costal part remains light yellowish. Hindwing dia¬ 
phanous white with a small, blackish anal-angular spot. Colombia. 
L. atrifrons Dogn. (3 b) with the two following very similar species forms a separate group with entirely 
blackish-brown hindwings. It especially differs by its frons being spotted blackish-brown, and by a strongly 
and uniformly dentate undulate line. Colombia. 
L. moestoides Dogn. (3 b as investa) has an entirely white frons and the undulate line is not so strongly 
dentate and above and below the middle indented. The pupil of the reniform macula is a small black spot, 
behind it the wing is almost entirely white, the proximal margin of the hindwing is in both sexes extensively 
yellow. Peru. 
L. moesta H.-Schaff. (3 b as moestoides) differs from moestoides by the reniform macula being pupilled 
in the shape of a ring, the postmeclian area of the forewing being more or less suffused with red-brown, and 
the proximal margin of the <$ hindwing being but narrowly haired yellow. Venezuela. 
Subordinate Group: Acronictinae. 
Characterized by the feeble middle radial of the hindwing rising, if it is present at all, from the centre of the transverse 
vein, and by the bare eyes. 
1. Genus: Aeronicta 0 . 
Medium-strong or small Noctuids with a developed proboscis and plain antennae; palpi rather short, 
turned upwards, the 2nd joint long-haired, the 3rd very short; frons smooth without projections. The thoracal 
covering chiefly consists of hair intermixed with hair-like scales, in some species also with broader scales 
without tufts. Abdomen basally coarsely haired, on the 1st ring a small, loose dorsal tuft. Veins 
