34 



BRITISH AND EUROPEAX BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS. 



Genus Sesia, Fabr. 

 Antenn;e slightly thickened towards the 

 extremity, with a slender tuft at the end, more 

 or less strongly bipectinated and ciliated in 

 the males. Palpi depressed, scaly, with the 

 terminal joint half the length of the second. 

 Proboscis long and horny. Abdomen narrowed 

 at the extremity, with an anal tuft. Fore 

 wings with twelve nervures, with the margins 

 of the wings and a transverse band beyond 

 the middle densely scaled. There are three 

 transparent areas between the opaque parts 

 of the wings, one in the discoidal cell, a second 

 above the inner margin, and a third opposite 

 the hind margin; the two latter, however, are 

 more or less obliterated by scales. 



I. Species in which the tniiisparent space on 

 the inner margin of the fore vings reaches at least 

 to the central hand. 



S. scoliaeformis, Borkh. The Welsh 

 Clearwing. It is so called because it was first 

 taken in Britain near Llangollen in North 

 Wales; a few specimens have also been found 

 in Scotland. It is generally distributed in 

 Central Europe, though local and rare. The 

 wings are transparent; the fore wings with a 

 black costa and broad hind margins of the 

 same colour. The central band is broad and 

 almost triangular, with the apex projecting 

 into the inner transparent space; the outer 

 transparent space is composed of six cells. 

 On the under side the costa and hind margins 

 are yellow. The head is blue-black, with a 

 small white spot in front of the eyes, and a 

 reddish collar; the antennae blue-black, with 

 yellow tips in the female. The tegulae are yellow 

 near the base of the wings. The thorax is blue- 

 black above, with a few white hairs behind. 

 Abdomen blue-black, with two narrow yellow 

 rings and an orange anal tuft. Tibiae black 

 and yellow, with yellow spines. It is on the 

 wing in June and July. The caterpillar is 

 found in the bark of old birch trees, and less 

 frequently in the wood. 



S. spheciformis, Schiff. The White-barred 

 Clearwing. Fore wings with the opaque por- 

 tions blue-black above. Central band with 

 the inner edge almost straight, dusted with 

 yellow, as is also the outer edge. The outer 

 transparent space is composed of five or six 

 cells. Head blue-black; collar black on the 



upper side. The thorax has a narrow yellow 

 stripe on each side and a small yellow spot 

 on the middle of the scutellum. Abdomen 

 blue-black, with triangular yellow spots on the 

 first and second segments. Anal tuft black 

 in the male, varied with yellow beneath. Tibiae 

 blue-black, the front pair yellowish at the end. 

 Tibial spines yellow. The moth, which appears 

 in June and July, is widely distributed in Central 

 Europe, though not common. In the British 

 Isles it is very rare. The caterpillar feeds in 

 the stems of birch, alder, and ash. 



S. andrenaeformis, Lasp. The Orange- 

 tailed Clearwing is blue-black, with no yellow 

 on the thorax, but with two narrow abdominal 

 bands and an orange anal tuft. It has been 

 occasionally taken in England, Austria, and 

 Hungary, but is rare everywhere. 



S. cephiformis, Ochs. Fore wings with 

 blue-black margins and central band; costa 

 yellowish beneath. Hind wings with black 

 borders and nervures. Head black, with a 

 white spot in front of the eyes, and bounded 

 by a yellow line bcliind. Antennaj black. Te- 

 gulae bordered with yellow on the inside. There 

 is a yellow tuft at the end of the scutellum. 

 Abdomen blue-black, with four yellow rings in 

 the male and three in the female. Anal tuft 

 black in the male, yellow in the female. 

 Femora blue- black, the first pair yellow at the 

 extremity. Tibiae yellow in the middle and at 

 the end. The moth is on the wing in June, and 

 is scarce in Germanj- and South-Eastern Europe. 

 The caterpillar lives in the branches of the 

 juniper, and, it is said, also in those of the 

 pine. Its presence is shown by excrescences 

 on the twigs. 



S. tipuliformis, Linn. The Currant Clear- 

 wing. PI. X\T. fig. 7 is common in gardens, 

 among currant and gooseberry bushes, upon 

 which it is fond of sitting and sunning itself. 

 It is widely distributed on the Continent of 

 Europe, and is common in most parts ot the 

 United Kingdom, though scarce in Scotland. 

 It appears in June. The caterpillar lives in 

 the pith of currant bushes (Ribes rubnini and 

 nigrum), and ft'cds in a downward direction. 



S. conopiformis, Esp. Fore wings with 

 the opaque parts black, dusted with bright 

 coppery red, the hind margin broadest, and 

 the central band concave externally. The 



