PM. 25. VII. mi. METANASTRIA. By Dr. K. Grunberg. 161 



TuTT with a special name, likewise the combinations of markings repeated in each of these groups, which are, 

 however, as in Las. quercus, only of individual importance. Accordingly we distinguish: — ^-forms: with bright 

 foxy red colouring and tj^pical markings, ab. rufa Tutt, having the following aberrations in markings: trans- rufa. 

 verse bands of the forewing widely divergent (rufa-separata Tutt), close together (rufa-approximata Tiitt), touch- 

 ing in the centre {riifd-conjunctn Tutt), or confluent forming a wide median band (rufd-fasciata Tuft), one 

 transverse band absent {ri(fn-i(nilinea Tutt), or the bands asymmetrically developed in the two wings {rufa-dis- 

 similis Tutt), or the wings with indistinct transverse bands (rufa-obsoleta Tutt), and lastly with the spaces bet- 

 ween the transverse bands filled in with dark (rufa-virgata Tutt). — With dark rust-red ground-colour and 

 typical markings, ab. ferruginea Tutt, with the same aberrations in markings as above (ferruginea-separata, fcrruginca. 

 ferruginea-approximata, ferruginea-conjimcta, ferruginea-jasciata, ferruginea-unilinea, ferruginea-obsoleta, fer- 

 rugiriea-dissimilis and ferrugitiea-virgnta). — Ground-colour light like the lighter submarginal colour, ab. pal- iHillida. 

 lida Tutt, with the same forms as above (pallida-separata, pallida-approximata, paUida-conjuncta, pallida-fas- 

 ciata, palUda-unilinea, pallida-dissimilis, pallid a-obsoleta and pallida-virgatn). — $-forms: Ground-colour greyish 

 brown tinged with reddish, the tj'pical form, in wluch there are the same abeiTations as in the ^ (cervina- separata 

 cervina-approximata, cervina-conjuncta, cervina- fasciatn, cervina-obsoleta, cervina-dissimilis and cervina-virguta) ; 

 ground-colour dull greyish brown without reddish tinge, ab. grisea, with the same forms (grisea-separata, grisea- grisea. 

 approximata, grisea-conjuncta, grisea- fasciata, grisea-unilinea, grisea-dissimilis, grisen-obsohta, andgrisea-virgata, all 

 these names by Tutt). — In Morocco and Spain two well-characterised southern forms occur, digramma d'ninunma. 

 Meade-Waldo, of which only the $ is known, deep dark reddish brown with sharply defined, narrow and wi- 

 dely separate bands on the forewing. Fringes darker. Morocco. Larva on Quercus ilex and Pistacia lentis- 

 cus, from December to March, moth in Api-il. — korbi Griinberg, from Spain (Sierra Espuna), is uniformly korbi. 

 dark reddish brown in both sexes, without any markings. — A rather doubtful form is that occurring in Fin- 

 land and at the most northern border of the distribution-area, pygmaea Reuter, a small dark form with the pygmaea. 

 transverse bands close together and indistinct, but sharply edged with black on the outer side. — Moths in June 

 and July. The (^(^ are on the wing towards evening at dusk, looking for the $$, their flight being irregular 

 and rapid; the $$ occasionally come to the lamp. The eggs are elUptical, flattened, grey with glossy surface, 

 and are deposited in cylindrical clusters on stalks of grass and low-growing plants, sometimes also on stones. 

 The larva is black with dense long hairs of the same colour intermixed with white laterally, while dorsally it 

 bears short, felty, lighter or darker brown hair. Incisions deep blaok. Posterior edges of the segments with 

 a brownish yellow transverse band interrupted in the centre, becoming indistinct in the full-grown larva. The 

 larvae are polyphagous, living until the middle of October on different grasses and low-gi-owing plaiats, also on 

 some deciduous slu-ubs, such as birch and blackberry. At the shghtest touch they roll up and drop to the 

 ground. In the autumn, when they are full-grown, one often sees them wandering about restlessly in large num- 

 bers on meadows and moors. They hibernate, also rolled up in a ring, under roots of plants, moss, etc., until 

 the end of February, and then live in the open again until they pupate in April, but without feeding. They 

 are much decimated by parasitical insects, and a large percentage is also destroyed by a parasitical fungus 

 during the winter, so that they are always much rarer in the spring than in the autumn*). Pupa black, with 

 short stiff bristly hairs and light-brown abdominal incisions, more slender and thick-skimied than in Lasio- 

 campa, in a soft blackish grey and rather dense cocoon. 



8. Genus: Metaiiastria Hbn. (= Amuria ^wnt;.). 



Antennae of ,^ with moderately long pectinatins, of $ with short ones. Palpi long, porrect, with long 

 erect hair, and very long cylindrical end-segment. Eyes naked. Frons smooth. Wing entire, forewing broad 

 with sharp rectangular apex, costal margin strongly curved, outer margin shghtly so, inner margin almost 

 straight: hindwing large and broad with broad rounded apex, costal margin almost straight, distal margin 

 strongly curved. Forewing with 12 veins, 2 to 4 at fairly regular distances from the cell, 5 from the hind angle 

 of the cell distinctly separate from 4, 6 and 7 on a short stalk from the upper angle, 8 from the short stalk 

 of 9 and 10; 2 to 8 into the distal margin, 9 into the apex; in the hindwing vein 2 from the middle of the 

 cell, 3 to 5 at equal cUstances from and near the lower angle of the cell, 8 rather far beyond the origin of 7 unit- 

 ed with it for a very short distance, basal cell moderately large but very elongate, accessory veins absent. 

 Cell of both wings closed. Cross-vein curved in the forewing., acutely angled in the liindwing, the anterior 

 straight portion only half as long as the posterior cui'ved one; a receding vein runs basad from the angle. Tho- 

 rax rough-haired, abdomen more smooth. Legs moderately long, femora and tibiae with very long hair, tarsi 

 smoothly scaled, first segment considerably shorter than the others together. Fore tibiae not armed, 

 middle and hind tibiae with very short end-spurs concealed in the long hair. 



M. subpurpurea Bufl. {= dieckmanni Graes., rubra Hamps.) (26 c). Antennae hght brown; frons, suhpurpu- 

 tegulae and dorsum of thorax yellow, patagia, sides of thorax, and abdomen dark brown. Forewdng chestnut, '■'^"• 

 dusted with grey scales and bearing two narrow yellow, slightly wavy, transverse bands before and beyond 

 the centre, which begin with a larger spot at the costal margin. Black discal spot very indistinct. Inner margin 



*) Numerous observations have already been published about the hibernation of the larvae in captivity. It seems to be 

 very important that in the autumn and early winter enough water is poured on to the moss in which the larvae are embedded. 



II 21 



