30 HAUSTELLATA.— LEIMDOPTEIIA. 



their posterior wings in the last section, beautifully exhibit the 



gradual manner in which nature leaves one conterminous group for 



another. 



A. Palpi very slender, the second joint a little bent at the base, nearly cylin- 



dric, the terminal acute, half as long as the preceding : wings fasciated with 



yellow, or ochraceous beneath. 



Sp. 1. Athalia. Alis supra nigris fulvo tessellalis, posticis mhtusjlavidisfusciis 

 dualnts julvis posteriore lumdis nigris insignatd. (Exp. alar. 1 unc. 7 — 9. lin.) 



Pa Athaha. Esper. — Pa. Dictynna. Lewin. pi. 14., / 5, 6.— Me. Athaha. 

 Steph. Catal. 



Above black, tessellated transversely with fulvous : anterior wings beneath ful- 

 vous, with a few black dashes towards the costa, and some yellow spots at 

 the tip : posterior wings with a fascia at the base composed of four nearly 

 square yellowish spots, each edged with black : a brown band, in which is 

 an oblong yellow spot also edged with black ; succeeded by another band, of 

 a yellow or ochraceous colour, formed of numerous united spots, each edged 

 with black : then a band of brown lunules edged with black ; and finally a 

 third yellowish marginal band of six lunules, also edged with black : cilia 

 yellowish, spotted with black. 



Var. /3. Wings black above, with alternate transverse rows of whitish and 

 pubescent tessellations : the central band on the posterior wings beneath com- 

 posed of one row of yellowish elongate spots. 



Var. ). Wings black above, with the two rows of fulvous tessellations towards 

 the hinder margin of the anterior wings united, 



Var. i. Wings black above with very small fulvous spots, those on the outer 

 margin wedge-shaped, and the bases of all the wings above nearly immaculate. 

 Caterpillar black, shining, with two white dotted lines on each segment, and 

 white tubercles on the side: it feeds on plantain. Chrysalis gray-brown, 

 spotted with black on the wing cases, and with a series of black and reddish 

 spots on the hinder part of the body. 



A very variable species, and rather uncommon in the neighbour- 

 hood of London : it is, however, abundant in some parts of Devon- 

 shire, towards the end of May. According to Petiver, it was 

 frequent in Cain-wood in his time. 



This species is usually known by the name M. Dictynna, but the 

 insect which accords with the Fabrician description has not been 

 observed in Britain. I have therefore reverted to the original name 

 proposed by Esper. I may here remark, that owing to the insuf- 

 ficiency of the original characters, much confusion has arisen in the 

 nomenclature of the Melitsese, as many of the recently discovered 

 species differ so slightly, that the same general description will 

 apply to several. 



