n 



356. 



ACOSMETIA FUSCULA. 



The marbled White-spot. 



Order Lepidoptera. Fam. Noctuidse. 

 Type of the Genus, Noctua caliginosa Hub. 



AcosMETiA Step., Curt. — Anlhophila and Erastria Och. — Noctua 

 Huh., Haw. 



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

 rather short and setaceous, clothed with scales, pubescent be- 

 neath (1 the basal part). 



MaxillcE scarcely so long as the antennae, spiral, slender and 

 furnished with short glands at the apex (3). 

 Labial Palpi projecting a little beyond the head, rather robust, 

 densely clothed with short scales (4) triarticulate, basal joint 

 short slightly curved, '2nd twice as long thickened towards the 

 apex, 3rd joint short, rather slender and elliptical (4 a). 

 Head small clothed with depressed scales. Eyes globose. Thorax not 

 crested. Abdomen slender tufted down the back at the base. 

 Wings slightly deftexed when at rest and forming a triangle. Tibise 

 rather robust, anterior not very short, with an internal slender lobe, 

 intermediate and posterior pair armed with spurs at their apex, the 

 latter with a long pair at the middle also. Tarsi 5-jointed, basal 

 joint the longest. Claws arid Pulvilli very small (8 1 hind leg). 

 Larvae with 6 pectoral, G abdominal and 2 anal feet. 



Obs. The dissections and descriptions are taken from the Insect 

 figured. 



FuscuLA Hub. Noct.pl. 60. /. 297.—Curtis's Guide, Gen. 880. n. 3. 

 Brown freckled with ochre : superior wings with several trans- 

 verse black waved strigae, one before and another beyond the 

 middle, forming somewhat of a fascia, on which are a whitish 

 auriculate stigma, fuscous in the middle, and a small pale ring 

 nearer the base, connected by 2 black lines and a bar below of 

 the same color ; the costa is spotted with white and there are a 

 pale sinuated striga and a line of long black dots towards the 

 posterior margin ; a large space near the posterior angle is white, 

 more or less suffused with brown ; cilia pale, spotted fuscous : 

 inferior wings pale fuscous. Abdomen fuscous, the edges of the 

 segments pale ochre, with 3 tufts of black scales at the base in 

 the male. 



This species varies considerably in the color and strength of 

 markings in the upper wings. 



In the Author's and other Cabinets. 



