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1 MOTHS 
144 BRITISH 
CARADRINA, OcusennEIMeEr. 
The species of this group, as restricted by Stephens, may be known by the slenderness of their bate 
glossiness of their entire wings, marked with distinct stigmata, the antenne simple in both sexes ; the palpi pexe 
the terminal joint distinct, but very short; but what more particularly distinguishes the species, is the habit of 
the caterpillars, which are mostly short, depressed above with small heads; each end of the body being 
attenuated and often rugose, with numerous small black tubercles, from each of which is emitted a short stiff 
bristle, often directed backwards. They hide themselves by day, and feed by night upon low herbs. They 
descend beneath the surface of the earth to undergo their transformations. 

SPECIES 1—CARADRINA PLANTAGINIS. Purare XXIX., Fie. 11. 
Synonymes.—Woctua Plantaginis, Hiibner; Duponchel; Bois- Noctua blanda, Ochsenheimer, nec Hiibner. 
duval, Noctua Alsines, (variety.) Wood, Ind, Ent. pl. 11, fig. 198. 
Noctua ambigua ? Fabricius? Treitschke ? Wien. Verz. ? Caradrina implexa*, Stephens (variety); Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. 
Caradrina ambigua, Stephens; Wood, Iad. Ent. pl. 10, fig. 196. | 11, fig. 199. 
Noctua Xanthographa, Haworth. Noctua levis, Haworth? (variety); Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. II, 
Noctua redacta, Haworth (variety); Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. 11, | fig. 200. 
fig. 197. Noctua sordida, Haworth (variety). 
Noctua egens, Haworth (variety). 
Guided by the great practical knowledge of Mr. Bentley, we here reduce all the supposed species indicated in 
the synonymes given above to one extremely variable species, a step which nothing short of the direct observations 
which that gentleman has published, would have induced us to adopt ; inasmuch as Boisduyal acknowledges four 
of these species, and Stephens in his catalogue indicates that there are at least two distinct species, namely, 
ambigua and Alsines. As there isa doubt as to the former of these species, we have followed Boisduval in 
employing the name Plantaginis in its stead. This species is distinguished from the others in the genus by 
haying the body stout and the thorax broad ; the colour of the fore wings (which generally expand about 1; 
inch) is very variable, but generally of a greyish-brown tint, with the two basal strige not very distinct, and 
formed of dark dots; the stigmata distinct, with a striga between them rather darker than the ground colour of 
the wings and rather small and distinct, the basal one round, and the other kidney-shaped, with a slender pale 
margin ; beyond this stigma is a curved pale striga, marked internally with black dots; and beyond this a 
pale angulated striga running outside a dusky stripe ; the margin itself with black dots; the hind wings whitish, 
with a dusky margin. Such is a description of the typical individuals. We extract the following characters 
of the chief varieties of this species from Mr. Bentley’s article on the genus, recently published in the Entomologist. 
The variety redacta is smaller than the last, with the stigmata and markings more indistinct. 
Alsines has the anterior wings fuscous, with two transverse strige ; posterior stigma large, and distinctly 
margined with white. 
Implexa has the anterior wings rusty, or yellowish, with four fuscous, transverse strige ; the posterior striga . 
rather more undulated. 
Levis + resembles Alsines, but the stigma is scarcely visible. 
Sordida is rusty, or reddish, with two transverse fuscous strige approximating towards the inner margin ; 
posterior margin clothed with black. These and various other varieties described by Mr. Bentley, which have 
* Mr. Curtis states that the Noctua implexa of Hiibner is an Apamea. 
tT Mr. Curtis states that he possesses Plasted’s specimen of Noctua levis, Hiibn., described by Haworth ; and that it is certainly not a variety 
of Alsines, being closely allied to Segetia neglecta ; neither is it Wood’s figure 200. It was taken in July, near Darenth Wood. 

