cineraria. 
candicans. 
hiteo fascia- 
la. 
lactca. 
donovani. 
andresi. 
resplenda- 
ria. 
purissima. 
anastomo- 
sctria. 
cliaracleri- 
stica. 
decolor. 
34 SCOPULA. By L. B. Prout. 
volume. As the name Scopula was the earliest used in the Geometridae after Phalaena (Geometra), there is 
fortunately no possibility of a need for any further change. 
According to the investigations of Dr. Sterneck (see p. 23 above) a well-grounded genetic sequence 
of the Palaearctic Scopula, so far as hitherto investigated, appears to be obtainable by taking account of the 
following structural divergences, in the indicated order of importance: (1) Fibula with tips at most dark-brown 
= Scopula sens, str., comprising hanna, umbelaria , moorei, nivearia, caricaria, nemoraria, bifalsaria, modicaria, 
proximaria, immorata, confusa, apicipunctata , nigropunctata, rivularia, virgulata, ornata, submutata, corrivalaria, 
rubiginata, manifest a , impersonate!, and their offshoots; fibula with tips dark deep-black = U stocidalia part., 
comprising the rest. (2) Aedoeagus relatively short (length to breadth at most 4.5: 1), applying to Scopula 
sens. str. as far as to virgulata', aedoeagus long (at least 6:1), applying to all the rest. (3) Socii shorter than 
their distance from one another, applying to all Scopula sens. str. except impersonata and accurataria, also 
taking out lactea and donovani (= Lycauges Btlr.) from Ustocidalia ; at least as long as their distance (mostly 
lower) in all the rest. (4) Fibula abbreviated, ear- or mussel-shaped, found only in the impersonata and rubi¬ 
ginata groups, including manifesta ; fibula in all the rest produced into a hollow pointed cone. Characters common 
to the entire genus are not here quoted, nor are those of whose genetic value Sterneck is still doubtful. Some 
perhaps significant deviations from the normal in the form of the valve and of the uncus are also left unnoticed, 
from lack of space. It is greatly to be hoped that Dr. Sterneck will be able to publish a full tabulation of 
his results. 
A. Section Pylarge. Hindtibia of the £ with terminal spurs. 
S. cineraria Leech (Vol. 4, p. 52, pi. 3 k) is known to occur also in the Riu-kiu Islands. 
S. gastonaria Oberth. candicans Prout (Vol. 4, p. 53). Although this is by far the more general form, 
with gastonaria as the rare mutation, I suppose on nomenclatural grounds it must be called ab. candicans. 
A synonym is hollaria (Oberth., MS.) Culot. —- luteofasciata Rothsch. (4 g). In Vol. 4, p. 417 this was tentatively 
referred to Cleta. A series, however, including both sexes, shows that it is merely a dwarfed race of gastonaria 
(candicans) , representing it in Southern Algeria. 
S. emissaria Walk. (= defamataria Walk.) lactea Btlr. It is now recognized that the type of emissaria 
(from Burma) was merely a dwarf specimen of the same species which Walker on the following page of his 
catalogue described (from Ceylon) as defamataria and that the lactea of Japan and China is at most a race, 
scarcely more than a synonym, with slightly less narrow wings. The collective species is widely distributed 
in the Indo-Australian Region. 
S. donovani Dist. (Vol. 4, p. 54). Unless the palpus and tongue are a trifle shorter than in emissaria, 
I know of no structural difference and am still inclined to regard this as a larger race of that, with the post¬ 
median of the forewing generally more oblique and the cell-dot of the hindwing large. The known African range 
is recorded in Vol. 16, p. 63; I have no further Palaearctic records. 
S. andresi Draudt (4 g). The originals are now ixr the Senckenberg Museum *) and we are able to give 
figures of the and $. So far as I am aware, the species has not subsequently been met with. 
S. ternata ab. resplendaria Dannehl. A large, clear, glossy form with blackish postmedian, the other 
lines obsolete. South Carpathians and Upper Bavaria. — ab. purissima Djakonov is evidently almost syno¬ 
nymous with the foregoing; clear yellowish white, the usual dark scales almost entirely wanting, even the lines, 
excepting the postmedian, quite weak; this line on the forewing straighter than usual. Lake Tiberkul, Yenisei, 
3 collected with the type form. —- ab. anastomosaria Preissecker. Antemedian and median lines of the fore¬ 
wing anastomosed. Karlstift, Lower Austria. 
S. ansulata f. cliaracteristica Alph. (4 g). We figure a good representative <$ from Samarkand. 
S. decolor Stgr. There are still some uncertainties surrounding this species (or race of flaccata), although 
my suggestions in Vol. 4 (p. 56) regarding its affinities have proved to be accurate. Having learned that the 
hindtibial armature varied in flaccata, I had with confidence sunk my languidata ; but Star dinger’s type, 
which differs in some respects from the rest of the material known to me, leaves me again in some doubt. It 
has the palpus scarcely, if at all, longer than the diameter of the eye, the tongue well developed, the antennal 
joints slightly projecting, the ciliation not greatly longer than the diameter of the shaft; venation normal for 
Scopula, except that the 1st subcostal arises just beyond the apex of the areole (probably an individual ab¬ 
erration; in any case it is from apex of areole or just before in all the languidata which I have examined). More 
weakly-marked than any good-conditioned languidata that I have seen, the cell-dots obsolete. 
*) Unfortunately they are not, as they had been lent only for figuring. (A. Seitz.) 
