404. 



DIPHTHERA ORION. 



The scarce Marvel du Jour. 



Order Lepidoptera. Fam. Noctuidae. 



Tijpe of the Genus, Noctua Orion Esper. 



DiPUTViERAHub,,Och.,Curt. — Noctna.Oliv.,Fab.,Hub.,Haw.,Goda,&c. 

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

 rather short iiliform, alike in both sexes, composed of numerous 

 short joints clothed with scales above and hairs beneath (])j 

 the basal joint large and cup-shaped, entirely clothed with scales, 

 2nd joint subglobose. 



MaxillcB spiral, nearly as long as the antennae and ciliated at the 

 apex (3), 



Labial Palpi curved upward, rather long and slender, triarticulate, 

 basal joint long, producing long scales beneath, 2nd considerably 

 longer, densely clothed with scales, 3rd as long as the 1st very 

 slender and covered with close small scales (4 and 4a). 

 Head short, clothed with long erect hairy scales. Eyes subglobose. 

 Thorax broad, thickly clothed with long scales forming somewhat 

 elevated lobes. Abdomen tufted down the back, slightly obtuse and 

 thickened at the apex in the males, conical in the females. Wings ; 

 superior elongate-trigonate obtuse, inferior not very ample. Tibiaa 

 clothed ivith longish scales, anterior with a long lanceolate spine on 

 the inside, intermediate and posterior spurred at the apex, the latter 

 with a pair of spurs below the middle. Tarsi 5-jointed. Claws long 

 (8, afore leg). 

 Larvae somewhat hairy, with 6 pectoral, 8 abdominal and 2 anal feet. 

 Pupa obtuse and producing a few curved hairs at the apex. 



Orion Esper 4. tab. 118./. 4—7. Sepp, tab. 9. /. 1—8. Curtis's 

 Guide, Gen. 859. 1 .— Aprilina Hlib. tab. 5./. 22. 9. Panz. 4.2 1. 

 Don. ]Q.pl.347. 1.— runica Gmel.—Haw. 200. 1 13. 

 Bright light green : antennae black, spotted with white at the 

 base, the underside ochreous : eyes and palpi beneath black : 

 thorax with the base of the collar, 4 spots behind it and 4 larger 

 ones towards the abdomen, black : superior wings with the costa, 

 a wedge-shaped dash reaching the disc, and a stripe towards the 

 interior margin white ; an irregular black fascia near the base, 

 an L-shaped mark on the disc, with a large spot on the costa 

 and a lozenge-shaped open one below it, as well as several 

 smaller ones black; a very irregular and sin uated black fascia 

 towards the posterior margin, with a line of 7 black and white 

 subrhomboidal dots : inferior wings fuscous, blackish towards 

 the margin, with a dark lunule towards the base 3 at the anal 

 angle arise 2 short sinuated whitish lines : cilia alternately black 

 and white. Abdomen griseous, with a line of black tufts down 

 the back : legs black spotted with white. 



In the Author's and other Cabinets. 



