LARV^ OF BRITISH PTEROPHORI. 99 



The following rough description refers to a plume larva I 

 obtained at Brandon, July 3rd, 1882, by sweeping the flower- 

 heads of such plants as Scahiosa, Centaurea, Silene, Echiiim, &c. : — 

 Length 4 lines, tapering slightly posteriorly. Head yellowish, 

 spotted with black ; mandibles black. Ground colour dingy 

 green, with a broad purple-madder dorsal stripe edged with 

 yellowish, rather narrower on 2nd to 4th segments inclusive; 

 2nd segment yellowish, with six black dots. Prolegs and anal 

 claspers black. 



The above portrait was drawn in the field. The larva was 

 placed in a small tin box, with flower-heads of the various plants 

 named above ; but owing to a pressure of work I failed to look 

 into the box again until July 24th, when I found a fine but 

 defunct plagiodactylus. I should state that I was not ostensibly 

 sweeping for larvae when I " fluked " the plume larva referred 

 to ; I was, in fact, stalking a wary specimen of Agrophila 

 trabealis, Scop. (== sulphur alls, L.), at the time. The moth was 

 observed to settle among a patch of Echium ; but when I arrived 

 on the spot I could not see trabealis, so I gently passed the net 

 to and fro over the heads of the surrounding herbage, with the 

 result of capturing the fugitive moth, and the larva of plagio- 

 dactylus also. 



M. zophodactylus, Dup. (= loeivii, Zell.) — Larva, in August 

 and early September; flowers of common centaury {Ei'ythrcea 

 centaurium) . I have a description of the larva, taken from a 

 solitary example in 188L Ground colour yellowish green, with a 

 broadish violet dorsal stripe from the 3rd to 13th segments 

 inclusive. 



Pterophorus monodactylus, L. (== pterodactyla, Hb., Haw.) — 

 Larva, in August ; flowers of convolvulus, both wild and garden. 



Leioptilus osteodaclylus. — Larva, in September and October ; 

 flowers and seeds of golden-rod {Solidago virgaurea), yarrow 

 (Achillea millefolium), and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). Hiber- 

 nates and pupates in the spring. 



Aciptilia tetradactyla. — Larva, said to occur in May and June, 

 on thyme. I have expended many hours in vain searching for 

 the larva of this species. 



12, Abbey Gardens, St, John's Wood, London, N.W. 



