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515. 

 ABRAXAS ULMATA. 



The Yorkshire or scarce Magpie Moth. 



Order Lepidoptera. P'am. Phalaenidae. 



Type of the Genus, Phalaena Grossulariata Linn. 

 Abraxas Lea., Curt.- — Zerene Och., Gocla. — Geometra Hub. — Pha- 

 Isena Linn., Fab., Haw. 



Antenna inserted on the crown of the head near to the eyes, 

 rather short and filiform, clothed with scales above, very pu- 

 bescent beneath (1 b). 

 Lahrum small triangular and membranous. 

 Mandibles slender, curved and ciliated internally. 

 Maxillee small spiral not more than half the length of the an- 

 tennge (3). Palpi minute forming an ovate fiat lobe {a). 

 Labial palpi small, scarcely projecting beyond the head, clothed 

 with short scales (4) triarticulate, basal joint the longest, stout- 

 est, and curved, 2nd slender and linear, 3rd small and ovate 

 (4«). 

 Head small transverse and obtuse, clothed with short depressed scales: 

 eyes lateral, large prominent and ovate, (7, the head in profile). 

 Thorax rather small. Abdomen shorter than the wings, as stout as 

 the thorax, cylindrical. Wings ample, either extended horizontally 

 or forming a triangle when at rest, superior trigonate, inferior 

 rounded, cilia short. Legs rather short a?id stout : tibiae, anterior 

 short ivith an internal spine, iiitermediate furnished loith a pair of 

 stout short spurs, posterior the longest and thickest, spurred at the 

 apex and a little above : tarsi, anterior the longest, posterior the 

 shortest, the basal joint very long in the 1st pair: claws awe? pulvilli 

 minute (Sf, hind leg). 

 Larvae loopers tvith 6 pectoral, 2 abdominal and 2 caudal feet. Pupae 

 attached by threads to leaves, walls, S;c. 



Ulmata Fab. — Curt. Guide, Gen. 927. 2. 



Silky-white : antennae with a transverse ruflF of hairs on the 

 underside of each joint in the male (fig. 1): thorax and abdo- 

 men yellow, spotted with black, the latter with a dorsal line of 

 black spots, with a double row of smaller ones on each side, 

 and 2 rows of large ones beneath : superior wings with the base 

 brown, having a yellow striga, a large spot of the same colour 

 ornamented with a few silvery ones and yellow on the internal 

 edge close to the posterior angle ; a smaller spot of the same 

 colour on the costa towards the apex ; a large gray spot on the 

 disc, a waved line of spots of the same colour towards the poste- 

 rior margin, which is spotted with gray or brown : inferior wings 

 with the base, a spot on the disc, and a curved line beyond it, 

 and sometimes a few spots on the posterior margin gray, with a 

 large brown spot tinged with yellow and gray, and ornamented 

 with a silvery line, above the caudal angle : cilia more or less 

 fuscous. Obs. The gray spots vary much in number and size. 



In the Author's and other Cabinets. 



The following are the British species I have included in the 

 genus Abraxas : 



