BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



189 



of the males have thick joints, each bearing 

 a fine thread-like and ciliated tooth; those of 

 tlie females are setiform. The palpi are short 

 and raised; the proboscis is spiral. The hind 

 tibiae have two terminal spurs; and in the 

 males one, in the females two middle spurs. 

 They are double brooded, appearing in May 

 and in July and August. 



P. vibicaria, Clerck. is greenish yellow 

 with three (on the hind wings two) purplish 

 red, almost parallel transverse lines, the central 

 of which is the thickest and is broadly shaded 

 with purple towards the base, dark central 

 dots, usually absent on the hind wings, and 

 a red marginal line. It is widely distributed 

 through Europe, but is not common and is 

 not found in England. The larva is slender, 

 j-ellowish white with a lighter dorsal line, 

 white towards the extremitv, and with a few- 

 dots. The head, belly and legs are white. It 

 feeds in Summer on broom, hair grass {Aira) 

 etc. The pupa is slender and brown and forms 

 a slight cocoon on the food plant. 



P. calabraria, Zell. is like the last species 

 but with the two outer transverse lines closer 

 together and with the space between red. It 

 is found in Southern Europe. 



Genus Rhyparia, Hiibn. 



Large moths with wings of the same shape 

 as in the next genus. They are distinguished 

 by the following characters, common to both 

 sexes: — A large, bare, impressed spot between 

 nervures i and 2 at the base of the fore wings 

 beneath, no transverse branch between ner- 

 vures 10 and II, 3 and 4 rising from a point. 

 Nervures 3 and 4, and 6 and 7 rise closer to- 

 gether than in Abraxas and 5 is very slender. 

 Palpi short and small; proboscis stout, antennas 

 slender, with long slender pectinations in the 

 male. Hind tibiae with two pairs of spurs 

 in both sexes, and with a tuft on the inner 

 sides, as in Boarmia. The only species is: — 



R. melanaria, Linn. PI. XXIX. fig. 5. 

 This is found in woods and swampy places 

 in Central and North-Eastern Europe. It is 

 local and not very common. The larva feeds 

 in the Summer on Vacciniiim nliginosiim. 



Genus Abraxas, Leach. 

 Large and middle-sized moths, with broad 

 rounded, white wings, with large spots and 



delicate nervures. The fore wings have eleven 

 nervures, of w^hich nervure 2 rises behind the 

 middle of the inner margin, 3 in front of and 

 4 from the lower angle, and 6 from the upper 

 angle of the closed discoidal cell which is 

 formed by a concave transverse nervure; ner- 

 vures 7 and 8 have a long stem beside 6, 9 

 rises from 8, and 10 close to 7; 11, which is 

 the subcostal nervure, does not touch 10 but 

 is connected with it by an oblique branch. 

 Nervure la of the hind wings is near the 

 middle of the inner margin, ib near the anal 

 angle, 2 rises from the inner border of the 

 discoidal cell, 3 in front of and 4 from the 

 lower angle, 6 and 7 almost from a point on 

 its upper angle ; 8 is free. Palpi short ; antennae 

 setiform, ciliated in the males. Hind tibiae 

 with two pairs of spurs in both sexes. They 

 fly in June and July. The wings are some- 

 what extended when the insects are at rest. 



A. grossulariata, Linn. The Currant 

 Moth. PI. XXIX. fig. 6. is very common in 

 gardens throughout Europe in June. The 

 larva is white on the back with a row of black 

 spots, partially square. On the sides it is 

 golden-yellow, with a row of unequal black 

 dots. It feeds gregariously on gooseberry, 

 currant and Rhamnus in May and occurs often 

 in very large numbers. The pupa is fusiform, 

 shining black, with raised yellow abdominal 

 segments. It is placed between a few threads 

 on the twigs or on the ground. 



A. sylvata, Scop. The Clouded Magpie 

 has the wings white with a few irregular, 

 violet-grey spots through the middle, a row 

 of fused black spots on the hind margins and 

 fringes, and a double row between, which 

 terminate at the hinder angle in a clouded 

 spot, and there is a similar spot at the base 

 of the fore wings. The head, thorax and 

 abdomen are yellow, the latter with five longi- 

 tudinal rows of black spots and dots. It is 

 common in woods in Central Europe. The 

 larva has a }-ellow dorsal line, followed by 

 two white and one yellow lateral line of uni- 

 form width, separated near the legs by black 

 lines, and a yellow transverse line in front of 

 the anus. It feeds on elm in May. The pupa 

 is stout, brown with a fine terminal point, and 

 is enclosed in a slight cocoon between leaves 

 or on the ground. 



