K. R. Coolidge.
Western Lepidoptera.-III. - Notes on Leptarctia californiae.
Psyche 17(4):166-169, 1910.

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Psyche
[August
WESTERN LEPIDOPTERA. 111.
BY KARL R. COOLIDGE,
Palo Alto, California.
Some time ago while looking over the lepidopterological collection of Mr. J. G. Grundel, of Alma, Cal., I was struck by the great range of variation exhibited by Leptarctia california, a rather com- mon Arctian in the vicinity of San Francisco Bay. In one series of thirty-eight specimens, all from the same lot of eggs, hardly any two were at all alike, and no two exactly so, although california is quite a plainly fashioned insect.
The history of Leptarctia cali-
forma well illustrates the numerous troubles caused by a species much given to variation. The genus Leptarctia was established by Stretch, in his Zygeenidse and Bombycidas of North America (p. 119), with lena Boisd. (=adnata Boisd.) and decia Boisd., both of which had been described in the genus Lithosia? and a new species, which he called dimidiata.
These forms he tabulated as follows:
Lower wings red. ..................................... .A. decia Lower wings yellow.. ................................... .L. lena Lower wings black.. .............................. .L. dimidiata These three species we find depicted on plate 5, nine figures of lena, three of decia, and four of dimidiata being given. Stretch
was evidently aware of the great amount of variation displayed in Leptarctia, as he remarks on page 121, under L. ha, "The wonder- ful variations of this species, show how necessary it is to have a long series of many insects before it is possible to determine the limits of the species. It is possible to select three or four types of the insect under consideration, so unlike each other, that in the absence of intermediate intergradations they might readily be considered specifically distinct; it was indeed a long time before I could satisfy myself of their identity, especially as the shape of the primaries is by no means constant, but the past summer has supplied so many intermediate links that there can be no longer any reasonable doubt." In 1855, however, Walker had described in the British Museum -
Five species of Ctthene were also placed in the same genus by Boisduval. Subsequently he remarks that the three former (ha, adnata and decia) "should perhaps be placed in a new genus near Nemeophila."



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19101 Coolidge - Notes on Leptarctia california 167 Catalogue Lepidoptera Heterochroa, Nemophila californice, which, as Stretch showed in his addenda and corrigenda (p. 240), is the same as lena Boisd., of which adnata Boisd. was a synonym, and as it has priority, lena must itself drop into synomical rank. Pack-
ard, Synopsis of the Bombycidse of the United States, 1864, does not record any of the forms of Leptarctia.
Stretch, under L. lena,
wrote, "I strongly suspect that Pltaarctia modesta, Packard, is one of the many varieties of this species, although a specimen forwarded to Doctor Packard was returned with this query, 'What is it?' That it is congeneric is, I think, beyond doubt, as the peculiar thoracic markings are minutely given in the diagnosis of P. modesta." Pltaarctia modesta has, however, turned out to be only a form of Parasemia plantaginis Linn., another very confusing and variable species. In 1882 Grote (New Check List of North American Moths) gives decia, lena and dimidiata specific rank, with califor- nice as a synonym of lena.
This arrangement concurs with that of
the list of the Brooklyn Entomological Society (1 881), except that there is no mention of californice in the Brooklyn list. In 1881 Butler (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Vol. VIII.) describes four more varieties, namely: Stretchii, Boisduvalii, latifasciata and fulvofas- ciata, his descriptions being based on the specimens figured by Stretch. He also retains as valid, the four names already proposed. In 1889 Prof. G. H. French published in the Canadian Entomologist, Vol. XXI., a paper on the "Preparatory Stages of Leptarctia cali- fornia? Walker, with Notes on the Genus.'' In this paper all of these eight names are retained and in addition three new varieties are described.
His arrangement may be summarized as follows: Leptarctia calif orniae Walker.
Var. 1, stretchii Butler.
Var. 2, boisduvalii Butler.
Var. 3, dimidiata Stretch.
Var. 4, albifascia French.
Var. 5, occidentalis French.
Var. 6, latifascia Butler.
Var. 7, fulvofascia Butler.
Var. 8, califomice Walker (Typical).
Var. 9, wrightii French.
Var. 10, decia Boisd.
Var, 11, Una Boisd.




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168 Psyche [August
Wood engravings are given of all these, together with a brief description of each form. Later writers have considerably cut down this list. Dyar (Cat. N. Amer. Lepid., 1902) lists but three forms as valid, these being californice Walker, decia Boisd. and dimidiata Stretch, the last two being placed as varieties. Holland, in his Moth Book (p. 121, 1903) places lena, decia and dimidiata as forms of californice. Thus, according to Dyar's list, we find again the three forms originally listed by Stretch, viz.: californice Walker (lena Boisd.), decia Boisd. and dimidiata Stretch. The principal variation in the coloration of Leptarctia californice is in the secondaries, and the amount of black on the same wings is also very variable, from a few black points to uniformity. The variation even extends to the shape of the wings, the primaries being by no means constant. But it is the color variations that have brought L. californice to grief. The numerous varieties described were but individual variations of a single species as I can find all of the forms now recognized, with all intergradations, and in addition some which would certainly be worthy of being described as new if we were to go by some former standards, in this series of thirty- eight specimens, all from the same female. There is no doubt that we have but a single species of the genus Leptarctia, and the synonomy must stand as follows:
Leptarctia californiae Walker.
lena Boisd. 1868-'69.
adnata Boisd. 1868-'69.
dimidiata Stretch. 1872.
stretchii Butler. 1881.
boisduvalii Butler. 1881.
latifascia Butler. 1881.
fulvofascia Butler. 1881.
albifascia French. 1889.
occidentalis French. 1889.
wrightii French. 1889.
Stretch's remarks as to how necessary it is to have a long series of specimens before it is possible to determine the limits of a species, are particularly applicable to the protean members of the family Arctiidce, of which the present species is a member, and the test of breeding will also be found to be an essential in such forms. Lep-
tarctia californice is a rather common and wide-spread, though



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