248. 



POLIA OCCULTA. 



The great Brocade. 



Order Lepidoptera. Fam. Noctuidse Lat., Leach. 

 Type of the Genus Noctua nebulosa Och. 

 PoLiA Hub., Och. — Noctua Linn., Fab., Haw., Don., Goda. 



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

 setaceous, rather stouter in the males, composed of numerous 

 transverse joints, covered with scales above, pubescent beneath, 

 each joint producing a bristle ( 1 ) . 



Maxillce spiral, setaceous not longer than the antennae, furnished 

 with tentacula at the apex (3). 



Labial palpi porrected obliquely, thickly clothed with scales, 



which are longest beneath and very short on the terminal joint 



(4) ; triarticulate, basal joint short, slightly curved, 2nd twice 



as long, slightly attenuated, and acuminated at the superior 



angle of the apex, 3rd rigid compressed, ovate and acuminated, 



having a longitudinal groove on the side (4a). 



Head thickly clothed with shortish scales. Eyes globose. Ocelli 2 (7*). 



Thorax subquadrate, slightly crested and trilobed. Abdomen long, 



robust, sometimes tufted doion the back, obtuse, dilated at the apex 



in the males, somewhat tapering in the females. Wings deflexed 



when at rest, anterior long, sublanceolate. Legs strong, anterior 



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



with scales, concealing the internal spine, the others spurred, and 



furnished with a brush of scales on the outside near the middle, the 



posterior with 2 pair of unequal spurs. Tarsi with the basal joint 



very long, having series of bristles beneath. Claws bifd. (8t> « 



hind leg). 



havvce smooth cylindrical, with 6 pectoral, 8 abdominal and 2 anal feet. 



Occulta Linn. Faun. Suec. n. 1203. 



Grey, clouded and freckled with brown. Superior wings with a 

 black longitudinal line and two transverse undulated pale lines 

 near the base ; in the disc are a pale heart shaped spot, an oval 

 one below, and a large ear-shaped mark beyond ; then follows 

 another crenated and waved pale striga, and still nearer the pos- 

 terior margin (which is spotted with triangular black spots) is 

 an angulated and irregular pale striga producing several brown 

 rays on the internal side. Abdomen and inferior wings yellow- 

 ish-brown with an obscure darker crescent near the centre ; the 

 cilia white. 



In the Cabinets of the British Museum, Mr. Haworth and the Author. 



The genus Folia appears to be a -very artificial one, and is 

 nearly related to Miselia. The following is an account of our 

 native species. 



