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Volume 42, Number 4
297
they are arranged in the same order as in the McDunnough 1938 Check List: Archiearinae, Oenochrominae, Geometrinae, Sterrhinae, Larentiinae, and Ennominae. The Hodges et al. 1983 Check List is the same except that Ennominae are moved to a position between Oenochrominae and Geometrinae.
This book builds on several previous works, and appears to be an excellent identification guide for species. Taxa above species are not described or defined, and there are no keys. Recent expansions of European species to North America were missed (the establishment of Hemithea aestivaria (Hiibner) in Canada was published in 1979); so range information outside Scandinavia and Finland is questionably thorough.
The English composition is awkward in only a few places—forgivable, considering the nationalities of the book's producers. Some typographical errors were found; and a number of words were broken in mid-syllable—irritating to a former English teacher! The print on coated paper is generally sharp, but there are numerous poorly impressed or broken characters which marr an otherwise lavishly produced book.
The expense of this book will unfortunately preclude its addition to the bookshelves of many amateur lepidopterists in North America and other parts of the lepidopterological world outside Europe. This is sad because it is a first-rate work, and is just one of many fine works on European moths that have recently come out. Those who specialize in Geometroidea should certainly find it a valuable investment.
Charles V. Covell Jr., Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292.
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 42(4), 1988, 297
Noctuelles et Geometres d'Europe. Deuxieme partie. Geometres. Volume IV— 1919-1920. Jules Culot. Reprint edition, 1987. Apollo Books, Svendborg, Denmark. Order from: Apollo Books, Lundbyvej 36, DK-5700 Svendborg, Denmark. Vols. III-IV, DKK 1380.00; Vols. I-IV, DKK 2550.00.
This is the fourth and last volume of the set, with 167 pp. and color plates 38-70 (Figs. 772-1403). It covers part of Larentiinae (beginning with Eupithecia) and Ennominae, although neither of these subfamily terms are used, much less defined. Having worked with Eupithecia of North America and Chile, I found the 45 pages and 140 figures devoted to this group particularly frustrating, as there are no descriptions or figures of genitalia; to me, a study of these structures is almost a necessity to correctly name many of the species. The same can be said about the species grouped together in Boarmia; in this case a number of different generic names are in use today.
Having reviewed Vol. Ill (J. Lepid. Soc. 41:239), I need not repeat comments made there, except to add that the text is in French in the entire set. This volume can be useful to determine some of the more obvious and distinct species, but the scientific names date from 1901. Much more up-to-date works are available and, to me, they could very well prove more useful than the volumes of this set.
Frederick H. Rindge, Department of Entomology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York 10024.