STAUROPIDES; XYLOMYGES. By Dr. M. Draudt. 
257 
are lighter, but not encircled and darker centred; subapically a quadrangular black spot; excepting the blackish 
undulate line, all the transverse lines are absent; hindwing of a pure white. Mexico (Tehuacan). In contrast 
with this apparently rather invariable species, 1 discovered among the lepidoptera collected by Pur-pus in 
Mexico in the Berlin Museum numerous very variable specimens in which the median area was sometimes uni¬ 
coloured ferruginous-yellow: fulvimedia form. nov. (37 f), and sometimes of a pure white: albimedia form. nov.. futvhnedw. 
from the district of S. Luis Potosi (Rascon). 1 do not dare to decide whether they belong to another species. ,lll,u "" 1 • 
72. Genus: Staiiropicles Hmps. 
This genus contains 2 large very closely allied beautiful Noctuids distinguished by short straightly 
porrect palpi, a stunted conical projection with a raised edge on the frons and a horny plate below it; the male 
antennae are bipectinate, the scaled thorax exhibits a twice keeled tuft, the abdomen is tufted on the first 
rings. 
S. superba Drc. (37 g). Y\ ith its light bluish-green colour and the red-brown median part as far as superba. 
the distal margin it is only mistakable with the following species from which it differs in the absence of the black 
hindmarginal streak at the base, in the grey reniform macula being on both sides surrounded with black with 
a produced lower end and extinct upper end, the somewhat more distinctly marked postmedian and undulate 
lines, the former with a black connecting streak to the fragment of the anterior transverse line; besides the 
antennae of the $ are likewise combed, the hindwing shows a darker undulate marginal line. Ecuador, Perm 
S. persimilis Hmps. (-- superba Drc. part.) (37 g). The differences of tins species being extremely persimilis. 
sim ilar to the preceding have been pointed out above; the reniform macula is here reddish-brown, only proximalh 
marked black, distally not at all, above the hind-margin near the base there is an oblique fine black streak; 
the female antennae are plain, not pectinate, the hindwing is diaphanous white, at the margin slightly strewn 
with reddish-brown. Costa Rica and Trinidad, 
73. Genus: Xylomyges Gn. 
Extraordinarily near to the genus Prodenia from which it only differs in a small horny plate below 
the frons and a somewhat differently shaped, more double keel-shaped dorsal tuft extending to the prothorax. 
X. eridania Cr. part. (= externa Wkr., nigrofascia Hulst ) (37 f) has caused some confusion, for eridania. 
Guenee has denominated the aberrative form with a black band as eridania, whilst for the normal form he 
has chosen the name phytolaccae. An extremely common, well-known and wide-spread insect of a yellowish- 
grey ground-colour with black-striped veins and only traces of transverse lines, the posterior of which is double, 
filled up and distally bordered with whitish; the reniform macula is a minute grey spot with 3 black dots in 
it. Hindwing diaphanous white; in the rare nomenclatural form a broad black stripe extends from the reniform 
macula to the distal margin, whilst it is absent in the normal form: linea F. (= eridania Cr.. phytolaccae linea. 
Abb. <£• 8m. , derupta Morr., putrida Gn., amygia Gn.. inquieta Wkr., bipunctata Wkr., strigifera Wkr., 
ignobilis Btlr.. recondita Mschlr., orbicularis Drc.) (37 f). From Florida and Texas to Paraguay and Argentina. 
— The larva is dark grey, strewn with yellowish, marked very similarly to the larvae of Prodenia owing to 
the dark lateral spot on the 5th ring and the row of black spots above the broad reddish subdorsal lines. It 
lives on various low plants. 
X. peruviana Wkr. (= communicata Wkr.) (37 f) is of a much more monotonous and more ochre- peruviana. 
yellow colour, feebly irrorated with reddish-brown, the black dots being absent in the reniform macula which 
is only on the inner side somewhat marked with black; the posterior transverse line is quite extinct and only 
indicated by a few vein-dots. Hindwing white. Peru. 
X. ochrea Hmps. (37 g) is coloured very similarly to the preceding, at the base of the hind-margin, ochrea. 
in the cell-end and above it more whitish; the transverse lines are almost entirely absent, only the posterior 
line is indicated by some vein-dots, the undulate line is very feebly marked by whitish. Peru. 
X. sunia Gn. (= albula Wkr., caudata Wkr.) (37 g) has the ground-colour similar to eridania. but sunia. 
narrower wings and a very distinct, in the lower parts dentate undulate line. The colour is a paler more bluish 
grey, only in the disc slightly tinted yellowish-white, with a very distinct fine black basal ray. orbicularis orbicularis. 
Wkr. (37 g) has instead of the reniform macula a round black spot. From Mexico to Argentina, and in the 
West Indies. 
