BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND AIOl'HS. 



i6i 



elevation on the last segment. It feeds on 

 nettle from July to September. 



P. asclepiadis, W. V. Fore wings black- 

 ish or bluish brown, varied with rose-colour, 

 especially in the basal and marginal areas, 

 and whiter at the hinder angle. The nervures 

 between the submarginal line and sinuated 

 marginal line are narrowly black. The hind 

 wings are as in triplasia, but there are con- 

 stantly brown spots on the fringes. The tegulag 

 are pale with a rosy tinge. It is found in 

 some parts of Central Europe in May and 

 June. The larva is finely pubescent, narrower 

 in front, bluish white, with larger or smaller 

 black dots, and a broad longitudinal stripe 

 above the legs. Its markings somewhat re- 

 semble those of the larvae of cucuUia. It lives 

 in woods in July and August on Cynanchum 

 vincetoxicum, and hides itself on the ground 

 during the da}-. 



P. tripartita, Hufn. The Light Spectacle 

 Moth. Fore wings brown, varied with greenish 

 white, especially in the basal and in the mar- 

 ginal areas towards the hinder angle. The 

 submarginal line is darkly bordered on both 

 sides and the marginal line is sinuated. It is 

 common in Central and Southern Europe in 

 May and June. The larva resembles that of 

 triplasia. It is grass-green, yellowish in the 

 incisions with a white lateral line and several 

 similar double lines on the back of the first 

 three segments. On the back there are white 

 angular hooks, oblique ones on the sides, and 

 a few white dots between. It feeds on nettle 

 in Autumn and Spring. 



P. c-aureum, Knoch. Fore wings purplish 

 brown, with the marginal area behind the sub- 

 marginal line, a spot in the central area, and 

 one in the angle formed by the posterior trans- 

 verse line and the inner margin, bright golden. 

 The two transverse lines are distinct, light, 

 edged on both sides with darker, the posterior 

 forming an angle behind towards the tip of 

 the wings. There is a central shade of the 

 same shape passing through the middle of the 

 reniform stigma, which like the orbicular is 

 represented by a dark spot. In the position 

 of the claviform stigma, but midway between 

 the two transverse lines, is a fine golden C. 

 The submarginal line is fairly distinct. The 

 hind wings are yellowish brown with a metallic 



lustre, somewhat darker towards the hind 

 margin, with a slender faint curved line and 

 a dark marginal line. It is found in Central 

 Europe, except the West, in June and July. 

 The larva is green with yellowish-tipped humps 

 with four yellowish white dots, two white spots 

 beneath them and two white stripes on each 

 side of the three front segments. It lives on 

 Thalictrum aquilegifolium in May. The pupa is 

 green, black on the back, and is enclosed in 

 a fine cocoon. 



P. moneta, Fabr. The Monkshood Moth. 

 Fore wings pale golden, silvery towards the 

 hind margins, with brown dots and nervures. 

 The two transverse lines are distinctly double, 

 brown and strongly sinuated especially on the 

 opposed sides. There is a thick kidney-shaped 

 orbicular stigma broadly ringed with silvery 

 and behind it a dark brown central shade 

 with a sharp point towards the hind mar- 

 gin. The marginal line is brown, especially 

 anteriorly, where behind the strongly curved 

 angle a fine brown longitudinal streak passes 

 to the posterior transverse line; below this, 

 and between the hind margin and the indistinct 

 submarginal line the wings are rosy reddish. 

 The fringes are banded with silvery through 

 the middle. The hind wings are brownish grey 

 with a dark central lunule, nervures and mar- 

 ginal line. There is a faint curved line and 

 yellowish white fringes banded with darker. 

 The last joint of the palpi is curved and as 

 long as the middle one. It is common and 

 widely distributed throughout Europe and has 

 been taken several times in England within 

 the last few years. The larva is grass-green, 

 dotted with black, thinly pubescent, with a 

 double dark green interrupted dorsal line and 

 a dark green lateral line as well as a white 

 one above the legs. It lives on species of 

 Aconitum, feeding in the buds when young. The 

 pupa has the wing-cases reaching more or 

 less to the tip. 



P. cheiranthi, Tausch. Fore wings rose- 

 colour with a dark brown central shade and 

 lines and similar spots at the base. The hind 

 wings are yellowish brown with dark hind 

 margins. It is found in Eastern Europe in 

 June. The larva is warty, green with white 

 lateral lines, three white dorsal lines on the 

 front segments and similar oblique streaks on 



