a 



177. 



MISELIA BIMACULOSA. 



The twin-spotted Underwing. 



OjiDER Lepidoptera. Fam. Noctuadse Lat.^ Leach. 



Ttjpe of the Genus Noctua compta Fab. 



MiSELiA Huh., Och. — Noctua Linn., Fab,, Haw. 



Antennce inserted close to the eyes, on the crown of the head, 

 long, setaceous, robust in the males, sometimes produced on the 

 inside (fig. 1) j covered with scales above, pubescent beneath, 

 basal joint cup-shaped, the scales extending far beyond the edge, 

 MaxillcB spiral, setaceous, not longer than the antennae, furnish- 

 ed with tentacula at the apex (3). 



Labial palpi short, porrected somewhat obliquely, thickly clothed 

 with scales excepting the terminal joint which is almost naked 

 (4) ; 3-jointed, basal joint rather robust, 2nd long and not so 

 thick, 3rd elongate obovate (4 a). 

 Head tufted on the crown. Eyes rather small and oval (7*). Thorax 

 quadrate, thickly clothed with scales. Abdomen large, robust, an- 

 gulated, tufted on the back near the base, ovate conic in the females. 

 Wings slightly deflexed when at rest ; superior large, the posterior 

 margin and cilia crenate ,- inferior rather small. Legs strong, an- 

 terior the shortest. Thighs thickly ciliated. Tibiae, anterior thickly 

 clothed with scales, concealing the internal spine, middle and posterior 

 spurred, the latter having a pair above the apex, one being very short. 

 Tarsi 5-jointed, basal joint the longest, as long as the tibia in the 

 anterior pair. Claws distinct, bifid. Pulvilli small (8, afore leg). 

 Larvae with 6 pectoral, 8 abdominal, and 2 anal feet, head, and pectoral 



segments depressed, penultimate gibbous or tuberculated. 

 Obs. The dissections and descriptions were vaade from N. Oxyacanthae 

 Linn. 



BiMACULOSA Linn. Syst. Nat. 2. 856. 184. — Fab. But. Syst. 3. pars 2. 

 70. 197. 



Yellowish cinereous, partially inclining to castaneous and mi- 

 nutely speckled. Antennae and abdomen ochraceous. Eyes 

 cinereous : thorax with the internal edges of the lateral scales 

 black : superior wings with a brown spot at the base and 10 

 marks of the same colour branching from the costa ; nervures 

 dotted brown ; a dentated brown striga towards the base ; and 

 a crenated brown and pale one, parallel to the posterior margin, 

 next which is a castaneous indented line, suffused near the pos- 

 terior angle ; 3 large pale spots near the centre margined with 

 brown and ferruginous, and a shuttle-shaped spot of the latter 

 colour at the base ; the posterior margin crenated and spotted 

 with brown : inferior wings partially speckled, limb pale, the 

 margin dentated and brown, a large lunular spot near the centre, 

 and a quadrate one near the posterior angle extending in a line 

 across the wing, of the same colour. Beneath whitish, nervures 

 and a large spot in the centre of each wing fuscous. 



In the Cabinet of the British Museum. 



