45. 



CUCULLIA ASTERIS. 

 The Starwort Shark Moth. 



Okdeb, Lepidoptera. Fam. Noctuadse Leach, Lot. 



Type of the Genus Noctua umbratica Linn. 



CucuLLiA Schrank, Ocli. Noctua Linn., Fab., Haw. Tribonophora 

 Hiib. 



AntenncB long, setaceous, composed of numerous short joints, 

 covered with scales above, first joint the largest, with a tuft of 

 hair beneath (1. and 1. a. the basal and a few following joints). 

 Labrum and Mandibles attached to the clypeus. 

 MaxillcB nearly twice the length of the antennae. (8.) 

 Labial Palpi curved upward, not so long as the head, thickly 

 covered with loose scales, terminal joint appearing naked, having 

 only short close scales, (4.) first joint long, curved, second long, 

 slightly attenuated, third sraaU, spherical. (4. a. the scales being- 

 removed.) 



Head rather small, obtuse (7. «.) Thorax with an elevated crest. 

 Abdomen long, somewhat dejtexed, frequently with tufts t(pon the 

 back, and sometimes with a long pointed or divided apex. Wings 

 dejiexed, superior lanceolate, inferior rather small. Legs clothed 

 with hair. Tarsi ^-jointed, with a rotv of spines on each side beneath. 

 Claws all bifid. Pulvilli terminated by a horny process. 



Caterpillars with 6 pectoral, 8 abdominal, and 3 anal membranaceous 

 feet of eqxial size. 



AsTEBis Fab. Ent, Syst. t. B.pars 2. p. 121. n. 364. ITaw. Lep. Brit. 

 j9. 168. n. 32. 



Cinereous tinged Avith lilac, head and thorax somewhat rufous. 

 Abdomen fuscous, with tufts down the back, deep brown. Supe- 

 rior wings entire deep chesnut along the costa, with streaks of 

 pale rufous ; two irregular broken spots near the centre : Interior 

 margin deep chesnut with lines of cinereous and black, and a 

 lunulated transverse spot cinereous and chesnut, cilia fuscous. 

 Inferior wings fuscous, cinereous at the base, cilia pale testaceous. 



Iti the Cabinets of Mr. Blunt and Mr. Tliompson. 



This very natural group was first established as a Genus by 

 Schrank under its present name Cuctdlia, from the strong resem- 

 blance which the crest has to a hood ; it also forms the division 

 " Lanceolata" in Haworth's Lepidoptera Britannica. The Genus 

 contahis 11 British species, 1. C. tmibratica L. ; 2. Lactuca F. ; 



