134 



BMITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS 



Genus Caradrina, Ochs. 



Rather small moths with broad fore wings, 

 with rounded apices and straight hind margins. 

 The markings are slight, the two transverse 

 lines being least distinct. Of the two stig- 

 mata, the reniform is distinct. The marginal 

 line is slightly waved. The hind wings are 

 unmarked and the body is slender. The front 

 is low and broad. The antennas are shortly 

 ciliated in the males, with two strong bristles 

 on each segment. The larvffi are sluggish 

 and remain hidden during the day. They live 

 on low plants and pass into the pupa state in 

 the ground. 



C. morpheus, Hufn. The Mottled Rustic. 

 Fore wings yellowish brown heavily dusted 

 with black and more or less indistinctly marked. 

 The half and the two transverse lines are 

 darker, the posterior being the most distinct, 

 and formed of dots. The two stigmata, if 

 present, are edged with yellow, and darkly 

 centred, with a distinct central shade between 

 them. The yellow submarginal line is distinct, 

 broadly edged with darker on the inner 

 side; the marginal line is yellow, with a row 

 of black dots within it. The hind wings are 

 yellowish white, with a yellow marginal line 

 and faint lunules. The head and thorax 

 are like the fore wings, and the abdomen is 

 yellowish white, with a stout yellowish anal 

 tuft in the male. It is common in Northern 

 and Central Europe in June and Jul}'. The 

 larva is covered with short hair, brownish 

 red, with a yellowish dorsal and dark brown 

 lateral line above the legs, enclosing the back 

 spiracles. Along the back are yellow scaly 

 markings, edged with dark brown. It feeds 

 in the Autumn on bindweed, nettle and other 

 low plants, and forms a loose cocoon on the 

 ground in October. 



C. quadripunctata, Fabr. The Pale Mot- 

 tled ^Villow !Moth. Fore wings 3'ellowish grey, 

 with four dark dots on the costa, and indis- 

 tinct transverse lines, only indicated by dark 

 dots and spots, and a central shade. The 

 orbicular stigma is a small dark dot ; the reni- 

 form is more distinct with a few small white 

 dots around it. The wings are darkest in 

 front of and behind the zigzag submarginal 

 line. In front of the light marginal line is a 

 row of small black dots. The hind wings are 



white, somewhat brownish on the ncr\"ures, 

 with a darker marginal line. The moth is 

 common throughout Europe in June and July. 

 The larva is vermiform, deeply contracted 

 between the segments, and wrinkled. It is 

 pale brownish grey, sprinkled with darker, 

 with two brownish dorsal and lateral lines. 

 A horny cervical plate and black spiracles 

 edged with whitish. It feeds in April and 

 May on Alsiiie, Stellaria, and other low plants. 



C. selini, Boisd. Closely resembles the last 

 species, but has finer markings and less shading. 

 It varies considerably. The colour is grey, 

 with a sharph' dentated posterior transverse 

 stripe and the submarginal line darkl}' suffused 

 as far as the hind margins. It is local in 

 German)', the Hartz Mountains, Silesia, the 

 Valais, and the Pyrenees. 



C. pulmonaris, Esp. Fore wings oright 

 rusty yellow, the two transverse lines brown 

 and double, the posterior being dotted on 

 the nervures. There is a large central shade. 

 The two stigmata are large, the reniform being 

 filled with blackish. The brown submarginal 

 line is slightly curved; the marginal line is 

 sharp and hardly interrupted, and the fringes 

 are long and rusty brown, somewhat sprinkled 

 with yellow. The costa is brown, spotted with 

 \ellow. The hind wings are bright grey, witli 

 light fringes chequered with darker. It is 

 found in some parts of Central and Southern 

 Plurope, but not in the North-West. The 

 larva is greyish green with white dorsal and 

 lateral lines, and white dots on each segment 

 between them. It feeds on Pitlmonaria till May. 



C. respersa, W. V. Fore wings reddish 

 grey with a metallic lustre, with the half and 

 the two transverse lines darker, and for the 

 most part made up of dots and curves, es- 

 pecially the posterior, which consists of a. 

 double row. The stigmata are indistinct, the 

 orbicular appearing as a long dark spot, the 

 reniform, when distinct, is edged with yellow. 

 Between them is a distinct central shade. The 

 submarginal line is yellow, edged with darker 

 internally, especially in its anterior half; the 

 marginal line is formed of small black dots. 

 The hind wings arc whitish grey, darker 

 in the female, with a yellow marginal line 

 and lighter fringes. It is a scarce and local 

 moth, found in Central and Southern Europe 



