DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF CONSPICUOUS SPECIES 225 



FAMILY XI. FIDONID.E. 

 STERRHA SACRARIA. 



(Plate XL, Fig. 2.) 



This recent addition to our lists has already occurred 

 in a variety of localities in the south of England ; thus 

 in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, the Isle of Wight, Somerset- 

 shire, and Devonshire ; one bold individual has been 

 captured north of the Thames, in the Metropolitan 

 suburb St. John's Wood. Mr. Birchall records the 

 occurrence of this species in Ireland, at Killarney. 



The expansion of the wings is nearly an inch. The 

 fore-wings are of a pale straw-yellow, with a short dull 

 red streak along the costa at the base, and an oblique 

 red streak from the tip of the wing to the middle of the 

 inner margin ; the hind-wings are almost white, without 

 markings. 



The larva is velvety green, sometimes with a bluish 

 tinge ; the posterior segments more yellowish-green ; 

 the paler dorsal line is bordered with rusty or deep red 

 lines, which on each of the fifth to twelfth segments 

 expand into a Y-like mark, and enclose a triangular 

 yellowish-white spot ; spiracular line yellowish-green, 

 more decidedly yellow on the anterior and posterior 

 segments ; the larva has not yet been taken at large, 

 having only hitherto been obtained from the eggs ; 

 those have been fed on Polygonum aviculare, various 

 species of Rumex, Anthemis, and other Composite ; it 

 feeds in autumn or spring. 



The perfect insect appears in August, September, 

 and October, and is extremely partial to light ; many 

 specimens having been captured on gas-lamps, where 



Q 



