Herman Strecker (1887) text on Plate V. Figures 1 -12:

Editorial Comment - This is the text of part 2 of a commitment by the author to "if I live, in due time give figures of every known North American species." JGK


CATOCALA INSOLABILIS. GUENEE.

Spec. Gen., Vol. VII, p. 94.

(PLATE V, FIG. 1, male.)

Expands 3 inches.

Thorax, above, dark grey; abdomen blackish; beneath white.

Upper surface, primaries greyish white, powdered with minute brown scales; the transverse lines are black; reniform small anal surrounded by a brown annulus; a black apical dash; interior margin shaded with black; fringes dark grey.

Secondaries entirely black, with black fringes.

Under surface has bases of all wings white, rest black, with exception of slight indications of narrow white bands, most noticeable on the secondaries.

Habitat. New York, Pennsylvania, N. Jersey and Maryland.

Easy enough to distinguish from the other species by the dark shading of interior margin of upper surface of primaries, and the black fringes of secondaries; it is a slighter built insect than either Viduata, Lachrymosa or Desperata, to none of which does it bear any particular resemblance when placed side by side. This may rank among our rarer species ,as nowhere has it been found in any plenty.

CATOCALA DESPERATA.

Spec. Gen., Vol. VII, p. 95.

Phalaena Vidua. Abbot & Smith Lepid., Georgia, Vol. II, p. 181, Pl. 91.

(PLATE V, FIG. 2, male)

Expands 3 inches.

Head and thorax above, light grey, with distinct dark lines; abdomen blackish brown, beneath dirty white.

Upper surface, primaries light grey; transverse anterior line double, black, and, as well as the transverse posterior line, very distinct and well defined; reniform moderately large, oval, and surrounded by a double line; a black dash, broken in the middle, runs from base to sub-reniform; the usual black sub-apical dash, from which a dark shade passes to the reniform and from thence inwards and upwards to the costa; sub-terminal line joined inwardly with very pale grey; the space from this latter to the transverse posterior line is brown of no very decided tint.

Secondaries, base covered with greyish hairs, rest of wing black, with broad pure white fringes.

Under surface, primaries white, with black marginal, median and sub-basal bands, which are confluent near interior margin; fringes white, with grey at the terminations of veins. Secondaries white, with broad black marginal and narrower mesial bands; fringes white. The caterpillar which is figured by Abbot feeds on various species of oak.

The commonest of all the black winged Catocalae, and is found in most localities from New York to Florida. There has been the most interminable confusion in regard to the identity of this species; for years it has been confounded with, and represented in American collections the C. Viduata or Vidua of Guenee, a larger and entirely distinct species peculiar to the Southern States; by comparing the figure of the latter on plate III of this work with that of the present species on plate V, the many obvious points of difference will be readily perceived without inflicting on me the misery of pointing them out piecemeal.

CATOCALA SUBNATA. Grote.

Proc. Ent. Soc. Phila. Vol. III, p. 326. (1864.)

Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. Vol. IV, p. 9. (1872.)

(PLATE V, FIG. 3' ? )

Expands 3-3/4 inches.

Head and thorax, above, pale grey with dark brown lines; abdomen bright ochre yellow beneath yellowish white. Upper surface, primaries greyish white with pale blueish and brown shades; transverse lines and other markings dark brown and very distinct; reniform medium size, sub-reniform large and open; fringes brown. Secondaries bright yellow; marginal and mesial bands irregular and not extending to the interior margin; fringes yellow. Under surface yellow, with all the black bands narrow. Habitat. Middle and Southern States, of rare occurrence. This has the appearance of being an improved edition of and is closely allied to Neogama, but can be easily distinguished from that species by its much greater size, the more brilliant yellow of abdomen and secondaries, and by the open sub-reniform, also the ground color of primaries is much lighter-and the markings generally more prominent. The male figure on plate IV, Vol. III, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil., which accompanied Mr. Grote's. original description of, C. Subnata, resembles it in size and shape, but the markings mainly, and the colors precisely are those of Neogama, it has even the closed sub-reniform which is one of Grote's great points of distinction between the two species, as he says in his description@ of Subnata the "Sub-reniform large, open, formed by a deep sinus of the t. p.** line."

* The type is in the Museum of the American Ent. Society.

@ Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. Vol. IV, p. 10.

** Transverse posterior line.

CATOCALA NEOGAMA. Abbot & Smith.

Lepid. Georgia, Vol. II, p. 175, Pl. 88.

Guenee, Spec. Gen., Vol. VII, p. 96.

Duncan's Naturalists' Library, Vol. VII, p. 202, Pl. 26, fig. 1.

(PLATE V, FIG. 4 male, 5 female)

Expands 3 inches.

Thorax above, grey; abdomen brownish yellow; beneath pale yellow.

Upper surface, primaries grey, with brown shades, markings dark brown, varying in distinctness in different examples; reniform, which is rather small and inconspicuous, is surrounded by a brown double line; sub-reniform small and not connected with the transverse posterior line.

Secondaries dark yellow, with irregular marginal and median bands which do not extend to the abdominal margin; apical spot and fringes yellow.

Under surface yellow, the black bands narrow and irregular.

The larva is figured by Abbot, who states that it feeds on the black American Walnut (Juglans Nigra); it is brown in color, with dark spots on the sides and two dark lines near the back, and "resembles the color of the bark so much as not to be discernable from it."

One of our commonest species found throughout the Atlantic States.

CATOCALA CLINTONII.

Proc. Am. Ent. Soc. Phil. Vol. III, p. 89, PI. III, Fig. 4, female (1864.)

(PLATE V. FIG. 6. female )

Expands 2 inches.

Thorax whitish grey; abdomen yellow.

Upper surface, primaries very pale grey, tinged a trifle in the centre and on the exterior anti interior margins with blueish; basal and other transverse lines fine but tolerably distinct, a black longitudinal line runs from the base to the transverse anterior line; reniform and sub-reniform pale and indistinct, the former surrounded with white.

Secondaries yellow; median band which does not extend to the abdominal. margin is narrow in the middle and broadest near the costa; marginal band of moderate width and broken between the first .and second median veinlets, forming an oval spot near the anal angle; apical spot yellow, fringes white.

Habitat. New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island.

The species is evidently rare, the only examples I have yet seen are the types in museum of Am. Ent. Soc. and the example above described which was taken near Providence, Rhode Island.

It will seen by referring to Mr. Grote's original description that there are a few points of difference between his type and my example, the principal of which is in the marginal band on upper surface of secondaries, which in the type is "continued" to within a short distance of secondaries, whilst in mine it is broken as above described, Grote's specimen also is a little larger, expanding 2 2-10 inches.

CATOCALA ANTINYMPHA. HUBNER.

Ephesia Antinympha, Samml. Ex. Schmett.

Catocala Affinis, West, Drury, Vol. I, PI. 23, fig. 6.

Catocala Melanympha, Guenee, Spec. Gen., Vol. VII, p. 98.

(PLATE V, FIG. 7 female.)

Expands 2-1/8 inches.

Head and thorax above black; abdomen brown; beneath smoky grey.

Upper surface, primaries black, with the markings of a deeper and more lustrous shade.

Secondaries yellow, with black basal hairs, and rather regular marginal and mesial bands; apical spot yellow; fringes black, except at apex, where they are white.

Under surface yellow, with usual black bands, and otherwise much obscured with black.

Habitat. New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, &c.

A rare species, and easily distinguished from all others by the black primaries. In some examples the sub- reniform is white, which color is continued from thence upwards on inner side of reniform towards the costa,. thus forming a diagonal white bar or patch across the middle of the wing.

CATOCALA FRATERCULA. Grote & Robinson.

Proc. Ent. Soc., Phila., Vol. VI, p. 24. (1866.)

Trans. Am. Ent. Sot., Phila. Vol. IV, p. 17. (1872.)

(PLATE V, FIG. 8 male.)

Expands 1-7/8 inches.

Thorax, greyish white, abdomen grey.

Upper surface, primaries white, tinged and powdered with brown; sub-costal and transverse anterior lines fine and distinct, transverse posterior line produced outwardly in a single tooth opposite the reniform; a brown median shade starts from-the inside of transverse posterior line at the second median veinlet, from thence passing inwards and upwards to the costa; the reniform, which is embraced within this brown space, is edged exteriorly and on side towards base of wing with a dark heavy line, but the sides towards the costal and interior margins have no defined boundary ; sub-reniform small, white and closed; sub-terminal band or line white, from which to exterior margin the intervening space is brown; sub-apical dash distinct and dark brown; fringes brown.

Secondaries yellow, marginal band unusually broad and abruptly terminated near the second median veinlet., but is replaced near the anal angle by an oval spot; mesial band narrow and curved upwards .where it terminates at the abdominal margin; some grey hairs mixed with the yellow at base of wings; fringes blackish, except at apex, where they arc white.

Under surface pale yellow, darkest near base; very broad uninterrupted marginal and narrow median bands; no indication of sub-basal of primaries.

The description and figure were taken from an example captured at Providence, R. I., and for which I am indebted to Mrs. Bridgham of New York.

The types are in the Museum of the American Ent. Society.

CATOCALA UNIJUGA. Walker.

(PLATE V, Fig. 9 male)

Expands 3 inches.

Thorax above, dark grey, abdomen light brown; beneath white.

Upper surface, primaries pale grey, densely powdered with black atoms; all the transverse lines geminate; reniform large and doubly ringed with black; joining the reniform interiorly is a white space; sub-reniform pale; sub-marginal crescents large and distinct; fringes white.

Secondaries red; marginal and mesial bands taper towards the abdominal margin which the latter does not quite reach; apical spot white; fringes of exterior margin white, of interior grey.

Under surface, primaries white, with broad black marginal and median bands, sub-basal band of paler color, and does not extend to interior margin.

Secondaries have inner two-thirds of same red as on upper surface, the costal third is white; black bands same as above, excepting that the mesial reaches in some examples quite to the margin; a discal lune connects with mesial band on its inner edge.

Habitat. Canada, New England, Middle and Western States.

This fine species, which is rather rare, belongs to the group of which C. Nupta is the type.

CATOCALA PARTA. Guenee.

Spec. Gen. Vol. VII, p. 84.

(PLATE V, FIG. 10 female)

Expands 3 inches.

Thorax, above, grey; abdomen ochraceous; beneath, greyish white.

Upper surface, primaries grey shaded with yellowish brown, the whole surface bas a smooth silky look, quite different from the squamose powdery appearance of C. Unijuga; the transverse lines, which are arranged much as in that species, are geminate, and as well as all the other markings are very distinct and clear. The sub-reniform is large and entirely disconnected from the transverse posterior line; between the sub-median vein and first median veinlet is a dark longitudinal line or shade, extending from the transverse posterior line to exterior margin; interior to the reniform is a pale patch; fringes grey.

Secondaries bright red; median band narrow and terminates in a point, two lines from the abdominal margin.

Under surface same as in C. Unijuga, except that the sub-basal band of primaries is as dark in color as the others.

Habitat. Canada, New England and Middle States.

In many localities quite common; the larva feeds on various species of Salix and the imago appears middle or end of July.

CATOCALA PERPLEXA. NOV. ? VAR.

(PLATE V, FIG. 11 male)

Expands 3-1/4; inches.

Thorax, above, blueish grey, abdomen brownish yellow; beneath, white.

Upper surface, primaries dark blueish grey; transverse lines black and distinct as in C. Parta. Two white bars cross the wing, one formed by the intervening space between the transverse posterior and sub-terminal lines, the other by the large sub-reniform and the space adjoining it. interior to the reniform; sub-apical dash black; fringes concolorous with the ground of wing.

Secondaries red, of a somewhat deeper shade than Parta; median band extends almost to the abdominal margin; fringes white.

Under surface resembles that of Parta in a great measure, the principal difference being that the mesial band extends almost to the interior margin, in which respect it is nearer to some examples of Unijuga.

Two examples from which the above description was taken were captured in the vicinity of Brooklyn, N. Y., by Mr. Julian Hooper of that city, one of which, the original of the figure on plate V, he generously added to my cabinet.

I am not partial or addicted to the divertisement of hunting Lepidopterological mare's nests, but I must confess that this insect has perplexed me considerably; I showed it in company with Parma to a valued entomological friend, asking him if he thought it might be the latter, "I would not like to figure it as the typical form" was the answer, so, without arriving at any definite conclusion, I have offered the figure for the inspection of lepidopterists, and with much doubt provisionally cite it as a variety of Parta; the first and principal differences are the dark blueish color, and two conspicuous white bars of primaries, neither is there that soft smooth appearance so noticeable in Parta, there being more of a tendency to squamoseness as in Unijuga; then again the sub-reniform is connected with the transverse posterior line whilst in Parta it is entirely isolated, there are besides many minor points of difference and altogether,. after frequent examinations, I am completely at a loss what: to think about it, especially as both Parta and Unijuga, the two species to which it is the nearest, ( if it be not identical with one or the other, ) have less tendency to variation than any others I wot of, and it would be perhaps venturing too far to hazard the conjecture that it be the result of a love affair between those two.

July, 1873.

CATOCALA CONCUMBENS. WALKER.

Cat. B. M.

(PLATE V, FIG. 12 male)

Expands 2-7/8 inches.

Head and collar chestnut brown; thorax ashen grey; abdomen light brown; beneath white.

Upper surface, primaries almost unicolorous, pale silvery grey with slight shades of light brown; sub-basal, transverse anterior and posterior lines black, very fine and broken, being in many places obsolete; reniform indistinct and margined with white or light grey; sub-reniform open; fringes same color as wing.

Secondaries rose color with both bands broad and even, neither of them extend to the abdominal margin; fringes yellowish white.

Under surface, primaries white with usual dark bands; inner base of secondaries rosy, outer half white; mesial band contracted at both ends.

In Vol. II, Proc. Ent. Soc. of Phila., Mr. W. Saunders, of Canada, thus describes the larva: "length, two to two and-a-half inches, onisciform. Head fiat,, dark greyish, intermixed with red. Upper surface dirty brown, with a lightish chain-like dorsal stripe and a very small fleshy protuberance on each side of this stripe on each segment. On ninth segment is a small protuberance of a brownish color, and on the eleventh a mark resembling an oblique incision. A thick lateral fringe of short hair close to. the under surface. Under surface pinkish, with a central row of round black spots which are larger about the middle of the body and much smaller towards the extremities. Food-plant, willow."

Habitat. Canada, Eastern and Middle States; rare in Pennsylvania, but more plentiful in Massachusetts and other New England States.

This lovely insect is nearer allied to the European C. Pacta than to any American species; it is a little larger than Pacta and the color of the abdomen is different, (being rosy in that species,) otherwise it resembles it very closely in most respects.


I hope this second plate of Catocalidae will meet with the same hearty approval as did the first, (plate III of this work,) and, as I promised in that number, I will, if I live, in due time give figures of every known North American species.


Anarta Cordigera, Thnbg.--Anarta Luteola, Grote and Robinson.

I have compared examples of Anarta Cordigera with the types of Anarta Luteola, in the Musuem of the Am. Ent. Soc., and can find not the slightest difference between the two, although Grote and Robinson say, in their description* of Luteola, "the differences between the species are perhaps sufficiently great to render a detailed comparison unnecessary," perhaps like the large lettered names on maps and placards, they are so great that no one ever notices them; in the above instance, after the closest examination, I cannot find a single point that would in the slightest degree indicate a specific distinction.

* Proc. Ent. Soc., Phila., Vol. IV, p. 493-4, (1865,)--the fig. of Luteola is on Plate III.