BRITISH AXD EVROrEAN BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS. 



99 



A. lunigera, Stepli. The Crescent Dart. 

 Fore wings grey in the male, with a sepia- 

 brown tinge, dark sepia-brown in the female. 

 The orbicular stigma is pale grey, and con- 

 spicuous, surrounded with black, and with a 

 black dot in the centre. The reniform stigma is 

 partially obscured by a transverse cloud-like 

 band, and the claviform is almost black. There 

 is a broad sepia-brown submarginal band. Hind 

 wings white in the male, smoky brown in the 

 female, with darker nervures. It is found on 

 the coasts of the British Isles in August. The 

 larva is pale brownish, varied with darker on 

 the back, and with blackish green sides. It 

 feeds on low plants. 



A. segetum, W. V. The Turnip Moth. 

 PI. XXIV. fig. g. is common throughout Europe, 

 often appearing in very large numbers. The 

 caterpillar is somewhat narrow behind, greyish 

 brown in colour, with lighter and darker longi- 

 tudinal lines, and four dull spots on each 

 segment, of which the anterior pair are placed 

 nearer together and are smaller than the 

 posterior ones. It hibernates at the roots of 

 grass. It is often very destructive to crops. 



A. corticea, W. V. The Heart and Club 

 IMoth. Fore wings greyish brown, with scat- 

 tered dark transverse streaks. The three 

 transverse lines are distinct, somewhat dentated, 

 nearly parallel, and edged with darker. The 

 three stigmata have a well-defined dark border, 

 the claviform stigma being the smallest and 

 blackest. The submarginal line is indistinct, 

 and the marginal line consists of small lunules. 

 The fore wings are almost uniform brownish 

 gre}-, with a slight central lunule. It is widely 

 distributed in Europe in May. The larva is 

 very like that of exclamationis , and feeds at the 

 roots of grasses. It hibernates iv a cocoon 

 of earth, in which it becomes a pupa. 



A. crassa, Hiibn. Fore wings rusty brown, 

 with a double transverse stripe, and a broad 

 white deeply dentated submarginal line. The 

 three stigmata are sharply bordered with black. 

 It is found in some parts of Central and Southern 

 Europe. The larva is greyish brown, with a 

 double black dorsal line, and feeds on the roots 

 of grass till May. 



A. ypselon, Rott. The Dark Sword-Grass 

 Moth. Fore wings long and narrow, brownish 

 grey, with the suffused band and part of the 



inner margin usually palest. The two trans- 

 verse lines are more or less distinct, with a 

 double dark edge, as are also the stigmata, of 

 which the claviform is the smallest and darkest. 

 Behind the reniform stigma is a black streak. 

 The submarginal line is distinct, indented with 

 a few pale sagittate spots towards the base, 

 which are most distinct in cells four and 

 five. The marginal line is finely spotted with 

 black. The fringes are darkly spotted in the 

 middle. Hind wings broad and white, with 

 brownish nervures. The moth is common 

 throughout Europe in July and August. The 

 larva is clay-coloured and shining, with in- 

 distinct dorsal lines. It is greenish beneath. 

 It lives at the roots of grasses in May. 



A. vestigialis, Hufn. The Archer's Dart. 

 Fore wings reddish grey, varied with brown, 

 lightest in the neighbourhood of the median 

 nervure. Both transverse lines are pale, edged 

 with darker at the sides, the anterior being only 

 visible from the claviform stigma to the inner 

 margin, and indicated on the costa by a small 

 pale spot. All three stigmata are surrounded 

 by black. The orbicular stigma is small and 

 pale with a dark central spot. The reniform 

 is darker, and the claviform is large and 

 darker still, and has a yellowish brown spot 

 on the inner side. The pale submarginal line is 

 deeply indented, generally with a distinct W, 

 and with distinct sagittate spots towards the 

 base. The marginal line is marked with 

 dark lunules, and the fringes are dark. The 

 hind wings are grey, lighter towards the base; 

 in the male they are almost white, with darker 

 nervures. There is a central lunule and 

 marginal line. The moth is, however, very 

 variable. It is common in most parts of Europe 

 in July and August. The caterpillar is gre}', 

 with a light dorsal line, two white slightly 

 interrupted lateral lines, between which are 

 the spiracles, four dark spots on each segment, 

 and a shining brown head and collar. It is 

 found in sandy districts at the roots of Artemisia, 

 Achillea, and other low plants. 



A. fatidica, Hiibn. Fore wings brownish 

 grey, varied with reddish violet, with fine 

 dark nervures and black longitudinal stripes 

 in the central and marginal areas. The three 

 stigmata are broadly surrounded with black, 

 the orbicular and reniform stigmata being placed 



