CATOCALA. 139 



THE CLIFDEN NONPAREIL. CATOCALA FRAXINL 

 {Hate CXXXL, Fig. 2.) 

 Nodua fraxini, Linnceus, Syst. Nat. (ed. x.), p. 512, no. 8g 

 (1758) ; id. Faun. Suec. p. 310 (1761) ; id. Mus. Ludov. 

 Ulr. p. 387 (1764); Esper, Schmett. iv. (i), pp. 132, 

 363, Taf. loi, figs. 1-4 (1788?); Taf. 125 c, fig. i 

 (1790?); Hiibner, Eur. Schmett. iv. fig. 327 (1804?). 

 Hemigeometra fraxini, Haworth, Lepid. Brit. p. 267, no. i 



(1809). 

 Catocala fraxini, Treitschke, Schmett. Eur. v. (3) p. 329 

 (1826); Stephens, 111. Brit. Ent. Haust. iii. p. 131 (i«83o); 

 Kirby, Eur. Butterflies and Moths, p. 269, pi. 41, 

 figs. 3-3 b (188 1); Buckler, Larvae of Brit. Lepid. vi. 

 p. 119, pi. 104, figs. 4-4 a (1895). 

 The Clifden Nonpareil, or Blue Underwing, is one of the 

 largest Moths found in this country, the expansion of the 

 wings sometimes reaching four inches. Its range extends 

 through Central and Eastern Europe and Siberia. 



The head and thorax are light grey varied with darker grey 

 and yellowish. The abdomen is dark ashy-grey, ringed with 

 white, with raised tufts on the anterior segments. The body 

 and legs are white beneath. The antennae are brownish-grey. 

 The fore-wings are light grey, more or less dusted with 

 brownish and yellow. There are several whitish transverse 

 lines, bordered with brown. There is a half-line near the base, 

 and then comes the first transverse line, which consists of 

 curves and crescents. In the central area only the reniform 

 stigma can be distinguished as a faint dark mark. Below this 

 is a whitish or pale yellow diamond-shaped spot, and the inner 

 side of it is also edged with paler. The second transverse 

 line is whitish, bordered with brown and yellowish, and is very 

 zig-zag ; and beyond it is a brownish-grey sub-marginal line, 



