BRITISH AND EUROPEAX BUrTERFLlI-:S AXD MOIJ/S. 



141 



Genus Mesogona, Boisd. 



Closel}^ allied to the last genus. The head 

 is not retracted. The thorax, palpi and ab- 

 domen are covered with fine smooth hair, the 

 last being elongated. The antennae are seti- 

 form, and ciliated in the males. The fore 

 wings are long with sharp rectangular apices 

 and convex hind margins, and the hind wings 

 are rounded. The larvae are smooth, rounded, 

 and tolerably short and thick. They remain 

 hidden during the day, feed at night on 

 trees, and pass into the pupa state in the 

 ground. The moths are on the wing about 

 the end of the Summer. 



M. oxalina, Hiibn. Fore wings greyish 

 red with a yellow half line and complete 

 straight transverse lines, which nearly touch 

 on the inner margin. The dark-centred stig- 

 mata are encircled with yellow, and the sub- 

 marginal line is yellow, spotted with darker on 

 the inner side. The central area is almost 

 triangular and greyish brown; the marginal 

 line is pale and the fringes are dark brown. 

 The hind wings are 5'ellowish grey, darker in 

 the basal half, on the marginal band and on 

 the fringes. The antennse are rusty yellow 

 with the base whitish. The abdomen is reddish 

 or yellowish grey. It is found in the South 

 of Germany, Switzerland and Hungary in 

 August. The larva is light brown with a 

 purple tinge, with a lighter dorsal and blackisli 

 lateral stripe, beneath which the ground colour 

 is whitish yellow. Between the stripes tliere 

 are yellowish dots and black spiracles. It 

 feeds at night in Spring till June on willow, 

 poplar and low plants. 



M. acetosellae, W. \'. Fore wings grey- 

 ish red, dusted with brown, with vellow 

 slightly curved transverse lines edged with 

 brown on the inner side, and distinctly approxi- 

 mating at the inner margin. The stigmata 

 are large, edged with yellow and darkl}' centred ; 

 the reniforni being somewhat compressed on the 

 inner side, with a dark centre. The submar- 

 ginal line is indicated b}' dark and light spots, 

 the marginal line is curved and darker with 

 small dark spots between the nervures, and 

 the fringes are light, banded with darker. 

 The hind wings are reddish grey with a darker 

 curved line and yellowish fringes. The ab- 

 domen is grevish vellow. It is found chieflv in 



South-Central and Southern Europe, appear- 

 ing in August and September. The larva 

 is dirty flesh-coloured, heavily blotched with 

 blackish above, and with an indistinct blackish 

 dorsal line. It feeds on oak and other plants 

 in May and June. 



Genus Dicycla, Guen. 



Middle-sized moths with a straight dark 

 marginal line, dark nervures and fringes 

 sharply intersected with white at their ends. 

 All the Noctua-m&i'kmgs are well developed. 

 The palpi are raised. The antennae are bi- 

 pectinated in the male. The thorax is densely 

 woolly. The abdomen is cylindrical and 

 pointed, with a horny ovipositor in the female. 

 The only species is: — 



D. 00, Linn. The Heart Moth. Fore 

 wings pale ochreous grey with double trans- 

 verse lines, nervures, and half lines. The 

 two transverse lines in the middle, of which 

 the anterior is double and the posterior com- 

 posed of lunules, the edges of the three stig- 

 mata, the central shade, tlie submarginal line 

 and the sharply-defined marginal line are 

 all rusty-red. The hind wings are white 

 with a thin rusty reddish marginal line. The 

 body is ochreous grey. It is common in 

 Central and Southern Europe in June and 

 August. The larva is red with a dorsal row 

 of white spots, a white lateral line and another 

 which is sinuated, above the legs. The head 

 and legs are black. It feeds between the leaves 

 of oaks in Ma}' and June, and the pupa also 

 rests between the leaves. 



Genus Calymnia, Hubn. 



The antennae of the males are setiform, 

 and the front, the palpi and legs are clothed 

 with smooth hair. The abdomen is short, and 

 does not project beyond the anal angle; in 

 the females it is very pointed, but without a 

 projecting ovipositor. The fore wings are 

 broad, and pointed and rounded above the 

 hinder angle. The hind wings are tolerably 

 large. The larvae are smooth, with small 

 punotiform warts, and live on trees, between 

 leaves, which they spin together. 



C. pyralina, ^^'. X. The Lunar-spotted 

 Pinion. Fore wings coppery red, more or less 

 suffused with grey, with grey transverse lines 



