i68 



BRITISH AXD EUROPEAX BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS. 



as a fine white figure of 8, whilst the clavi- 

 form is entirely wanting. There are a few black 

 spots across the middle in front of the white 

 marginal spot. The submarginal line is narrowly 

 white and is bluish at the apices tow-ards the 

 hind margins. The fringes are brown in the 

 front half of the wings, white on the inner 

 half. The hind wings are white with a broad 

 black marginal band, black at the base with 

 streaky spots. The fringes are white, darkly 

 spotted from the apex of the wings to near 

 the middle. The body is white suffused with 

 grey. The variety albicollis, Fabr. has the 

 base of the fore wings and the thorax completely 

 white. The moth is local and rare in Central 

 and Southern Europe. It flies in sunny places 

 in May and August. Albicollis is rare in Eng- 

 land. The larva has twelve legs, a fleshy 

 projection on segments 5, 6 and 7, and a pyra- 

 midal elevation on 12. It is reddish grey 

 merging into brown, darker on the back, with 

 small warts on the sides and several oblique 

 streaks, especially in front. It feeds on Con- 

 volvulus and mallow in June and September. 



A. luctuosa, W. V. The Four-spotted 

 Moth. Fore wings dark brown w'ith a bluish 

 shine, the two transverse lines double, black 

 on the opposed sides. The orbicular and 

 claviform stigmata are remarkable for their 

 fine dark bordering. In the place of the reni- 

 form is a white spot extending to the costa. 

 The submarginal line is deeply dentated, with 

 black irregular sagittate spots on the anterior 

 half towards the base, white towards the hinder 

 angle. The fringes are brown, with the an- 

 terior and posterior thirds white at the tips. 

 The hind wings are black with an irregular 

 white central band, and white spots towards 

 the hind margins and near the anal angle. 

 The fringes are as in the fore wings, but not 

 so dark. It is common and widely distributed 

 in Central and Southern Europe in May and 

 August. The larvee have sixteen legs, are 

 yellowish brown with five light equidistant 

 longitudinal lines and light warts. It feeds on 

 Convolvulus in June and September. 



FAMILY 



NOCTUOPHALxENID^. 



Small slender moths with naked eyes, a 

 rounded generally slightly hairj- or scaly thorax, 



and broad, triangular obtuse-tipped fore wings, 

 generally with a similar scaliness, and rounded 

 hind wings. The antenna; are not serrated. 

 The legs have only occasionally thin hair on 

 the femora. The larvae are smooth or with 

 short, soft hair and twelve or fourteen legs. 



Genus Thalpochares, Led. 



Fore wings triangular, with rectangular 

 apices but without the usual 7Vof^;m-pattern. 

 The fringes are long, not chequered, without 

 an appendicular cell and with nervures 9 and 

 10 rising one behind the other from 8. The 

 hind wings are without or almost without 

 markings, and have rounded hind margins. 

 Nervure 5 is as stout as the others, 3 and 4 

 have a long stem, and 6 and 7 rise from a 

 point. The proboscis is strong, and the an- 

 tennae are setiform and ciliated, the cilia being 

 longer in the male than in the female. The 

 palpi are raised with a thin oval terminal 

 joint. The front is square and flat and the 

 thorax and abdomen are not tufted. They fly 

 in the sunshine in dry places, especially among 

 hillocks. Most of the species are southern. 



T. ostrina, Hiibn. The Purple Marbled 

 Moth. Fore wings nearly white with an irre- 

 gular orange band across the middle, and a 

 rather wide brownish marginal band, edged 

 with white on the outer side. The hind wings 

 are whitish, darker towards the hind margin. 

 It is found in Southern and Western Europe 

 in June and is rare on the South Coast of 

 England. The larva lives in the shoots of 

 thistles. 



T. parva, Iliibn. The Small Alarbled 

 Moth. Fore wings rusty yellow with two fine 

 interrupted transverse stripes, suffused with 

 dark brown towards the base. The lighter 

 submarginal line is indistinct with a few black 

 dots towards the hind margins. The hind 

 wings are reddish ashy grey with white fringes. 

 It is found on heaths in Southern Europe, 

 but has been taken on the South Coast of 

 England also. The larva lives in the capsules 

 of Inula niontana. 



T. paula, Hubn. Fore wings reddish grey, 

 with the basal area and the position of the 

 posterior transverse line, especially the inner 

 marginal half, white. In the place of the 

 anterior transverse line is a dark transverse 



