172 



BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



Genus Pseudophia, Guen. 



Large moths with the fore wings nearly 

 rectangular at the tips, slightly sinuated on 

 the hind margins and contracted at the hinder 

 angle. The appendicular cell is large; ner- 

 vures 7, 8 and lo rise from it, and 9 from 8. 

 Hind wings without markings, nervure 5 as 

 stout as the others, 3 and 4, and 6 and 7 rising 

 side by side. The third segment of the palpi 

 is somewhat curved forwards. The antennae 

 are setiform and uniformly ciliated. Thorax 

 slightly keeled, not tufted; abdomen not tufted, 

 but with a thick anal tuft in the male. The 

 larvae are smooth and slender with the first 

 pair of prolegs undeveloped. The pupae have 

 a slight cocoon between leaves. 



P. lunaris, W. V. The Lunar Double 

 Stripe Moth. Fore wings brownish grey, 

 darkest behind the posterior transverse line 

 and on the fringes. The two transverse lines 

 are yellow sharply and finely edged with 

 darker on the outer side, the posterior forming 

 a small curve in front and behind on the hind 

 margin. The reniform stigma is dark, edged 

 with blackish towards the base, and the orbi- 

 cular is only a small black dot. The sub- 

 marginal line is deeply and irregularly dentated, 

 and is suff"used with darker towards the hind 

 margin. The marginal line is light and sinu- 

 ated with a row of fine dots in front of it. The 

 hind wings are somewhat darker in their mar- 

 ginal half with a yellowish marginal line. It 

 is common in woods in Central and Southern 

 Europe in May and June, but is very rare in 

 Britain. The larva is reddish brown with a 

 pale reddish lateral line above the legs, two 

 reddish yellow warts on the fifth segment and 

 two yellow points on the twelfth. It feeds on 

 oak in July and August. 



Genus Catephia, Ochs. 



Antennae setiform, ciliated in the males. 

 Thorax densely clothed with fine smooth hair, 

 with a blunt raised crest in front and behind. 

 Abdomen with distinct tufts on the back of 

 the first four segments and an anal tuft 

 in the males. Chest and legs woolly, thickest 

 on the tibiK. Fore wings long, somewhat ex- 

 panded behind, rather longer on the costa 

 than on the inner margin, and slightly rounded 



at the tips and hinder angle. The larvae, which 

 have the front prolegs very rudimentary, have 

 warts and fleshy prominences on the fifth and 

 twelfth segments. The pupa; have a bright 

 blue bloom and are contained in a slight cocoon. 

 The only species is: — 



C. alchymista, W. V. The Alchymist. 

 PI. XXVni. fig. I. This is local in oak woods 

 in Central and Southern Europe, appearing in 

 May and June. The only recorded capture 

 in England was by Doctor Wallace in the 

 Isle of Wight. The caterpillar varies from 

 light to dark grey, dusted with black, with a 

 yellow collar and scattered yellow warts, ringed 

 with black. On segments 5 and 12 are fleshy 

 prominences and on the sides of these segments, 

 and also on 8 and 9 white or reddish spots. 

 There is a light dorsal line edged with darker 

 and a flesh-coloured line on the sides above 

 the legs. It feeds on oak in July and August 

 and passes into the pupa-state between cre- 

 vices in the bark. 



Genus Catocala, Schrank. 



^liddle-size and large moths with j-ellow, 

 red or blue hind wings banded with black. 

 At the base of cell 2 of the fore wings is a 

 very prominent spot beneath the reniform 

 stigma. There are two transverse lines, a 

 distinct reniform stigma and a less distinct sub- 

 marginal line and orbicular stigma. All the 

 wings are banded with white or j-ellow beneath, 

 and the hind margins are sinuated. The palpi 

 are raised, with a thread-like terminal joint. 

 The proboscis is strong. The antennas are 

 setiform and uniformly and finely ciliated. 

 The thorax has a transverse crest in front of 

 the scutellum. Abdomen with some light 

 tufts, at least in the males. The legs are 

 strong, the tibia; long, with long thick spurs. 

 The moths sit in the day-time on trunks of 

 trees, fences, etc., which they resemble in 

 colour. The larvae are slender, somewhat flat, 

 ciliated on the sides with the front pair of 

 l)rolegs undeveloped and an elevation on the 

 back of the ninth segment. The belly is whit- 

 ish with dark median spots. They feed on 

 trees and shrubs and rest on the branches 

 during the day. If disturbed they move away 

 quickly. The early morning and the evening 

 are the best times to beat the branches for 



