BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



sandy districts in Northern and Eastern 

 Europe. It appears in August and September, 

 and sits on the upper sides of the broad leaves 

 of plants, especially burdock. The larva is 

 light yellowish gre}' with transparent dorsal 

 vessels, and the large head, cervical and 

 anal plates shining reddish brown. It feeds 

 at the root of Aira cespiiosa and other grasses 

 in July and August. 



Genus Helotropha, Led. 



Palpi, thorax, and abdomen as in Hadcna, 

 ■ but the hair is finer and more silky, and the 

 abdomen tapers to a point in the female. The 

 antennae are setiform, very short in the male 

 and ciliated. The anal fold is nearlj- straight, 

 slightl}' indented below, and consequentl}- 

 narrowed. The only species is: — 



H. leucostigma, Hubn. The Crescent 

 Moth. Fore wings uniform black with yellow 

 or white spots, or brown with an outer yel- 

 lowish grey band (var. fibrosa, Hiibn.) It 

 is found in Central Europe, but is not common. 

 The larva i^ white, brownish above, with 

 black warts and a brown head. It feeds in 

 May and June in the lower parts of the stems 

 of Iris pseudacorns. 



Genus Hydroecia, Guen. 



■Medium-sized moths with pointed fore wings, 

 uninterrupted dark transverse lines, dark 

 sharply defined stigmata, and a dark marginal 

 line. The antennae are thick and ciliated 

 in the males, smooth and setiform in nictitans 

 but serrated in the other species. The front 

 and the short palpi are clothed with short 

 woolly hair. The terminal joint is obtuse 

 and quite hidden by the hair. The thorax is 

 convex, with a ridged crest behind the collar 

 and an obtuse tuft at the end. The larva; 

 are thick and rounded, yellowish, with dark 

 warts and a horny cervical plate. They live 

 in bulbous roots, and pass into the pupa in 

 the ground. 



H. nictitans, Borkh. The Ear Moth. 

 PL XXVI. fig. 5. is common in Central and 

 Northern Europe in July and August. The 

 caterpillar is dirty brown with a dark shining 

 collar, and a row of brown dots on the sides. 

 It feeds on the roots of grass in May. 



H. micacea, Esp. The Rosy Rustic. 

 Fore wings coppery red with yellowish red 

 base and marginal area, and brown transverse 

 lines, of which the outer is nearly straight 

 from the inner margin to nervure 8 and is 

 situated at some distance from the reniform 

 stigma. There is a slight central shade, and 

 the two stigmata are edged with brown. The 

 submarginal line is faint towards the base, 

 and bordered with darker as far as the half 

 red and half yellowish brown marginal line. 

 The hind wings are yellowish with a distinct 

 lunule, a grey curved line near the hind 

 margin and brown-streaked fringes. The head 

 and thorax are coppery red and the abdomen 

 is yellowish grey. The moth is common and 

 widely distributed in Central and Northern 

 Europe in y\ugust and September. The cater- 

 pillar is flesh-coloured with a shining dark 

 brown dorsal plate and rows of brown dots 

 on the front segments, as well as six small 

 dots on each of the others, each with a small 

 tuft of hair. It lives in the roots of Glycerin 

 spcdabilis, Iris, etc. 



H. petasitis, Doubl. The Butter Bur 

 Moth. Fore wings greyish brown, darker in 

 the central area, with two dark transverse 

 lines, of which the outer is somewhat curved, 

 especially on nervure i. The nervures in the 

 marginal area are finely dotted with white, 

 otherwise they are like those of the last spe- 

 cies. It is a very local insect which is found 

 in Lancashire, near Edinburgh, in Perthshire 

 and at Howth, as well as in Bavaria. The 

 larva is cylindrical, smooth, very bright flesh- 

 coloured, with a violet shade in the incisions, 

 a pale greyish dorsal line and brown wart-like 

 spots covered with short hair around the 

 spiracles. The heart-shaped head is reddish 

 brown, the collar black, and the anal plate 

 bright yellow. It lives in the stem and root 

 of the Butter Bur (Petasites vulgaris). 



H. leucographa, Borkh. Fore wings deep 

 yellow varied with rusty-red, with a light sub- 

 marginal line and white stigmata, the reniform 

 stigma being large. The hind wings are yel- 

 lowish with white fringes. This pretty moth 

 is scarce and local in South-Central Europe. 

 The larva is pale rose-coloured with a dark 

 dorsal line, and lives in the root of Peucedanum 

 longi folium. 



