INSECTA. 399 



1 1 Antennae mostly setaceous, in males of some species only pectinate 

 or ciliate. Ocelli, with a few exceptions, two. Wings apt for flight, 

 the anterior mostly triangular, deflected or incumbent. Thorax 

 large, very often crested. Abdomen elongate-conical. Larva3 

 solitary, mostly naked or seldom pilose, never without anal feet, 

 most with sixteen, some with only twelve feet. Pupa inclosed 

 in a follicle often lax. 



a) Last joint of palps shorter than second, scaly. 



* Caterpillars with twelve feet. 



Euclidia OCHSENH. Palps short. Head small. Body slender, 

 with thorax not crested. (Anterior wings variegated with irregular 

 brown markings.) 



Sp. Noctua Mi L., SEPP, Nederl. Ins. n. 50 Stuk, Tab. i., LYONET, Ouvr. 

 posthume, PI. 32, figs. 10 17 ; the caterpillar lives on different species of 

 grass, on clover, &c., and spins itself up between the leaves or in moss 

 when about to change into a pupa. 



Plusia OCHSENH. Palps long. Thorax crested. (The fore- 

 brings often with spots or marks that shine with metallic splendour.) 



Noctua gamma L., E(ESEL, Ins. i., Pap. noclurn. Cl. in. Tab. v. SEPP, 

 Nederl. Ins. i. 5e Stuk, Tab. I. f. i 6 ; the gamma-moth ; body grey, fore- 

 wings reddish-grey with many stripes, in the middle and at the base dark- 

 brown, with a yellowish shining spot resembling the Greek letter y, the 

 hind-wings yellowish-grey, with a blackish broad border ; length of the 

 body 3'" ; breadth of upper wings expanded 15"'. The caterpillar of 

 this species sometimes occasions much damage to flax, hemp, cole-seed, 

 peas, pulse, and all sorts of potherbs ; a visitation which afflicted different 

 districts of France in 1735, and the province of Groningen in East- 

 Prussia in 1823 : see J. JACOBSON de Phal. noctua gamma Diss. Re- 

 giomonti, 1829, 8vo, and H. C. VAN HALL, Oesch. van de verwoestingen 

 door de rupsen in het jaar 1829 aangerigt. Groningen, 1829, 8vo. 



* * Caterpillars with sixteen feet. 



Sub-genera: Brephos OCHSENH., Catocala SCHRANK, OCHSENH., 

 Ophiusa OCHSENH., Anarta OCHSENH., Cucullia SCHRANK, OCHSENH. 



Noctua nob. 



(Xylina, Cerastis, Cosmia HUEBN., Xanthia HUEBN., Gortyna, Non- 

 agria, Leucania, Simyra, Caradrina, Orthosia, Mythimna, Calpe, Thya- 

 tira, Mamestra, Apamea, Trachea, Polia OCHSENH., M'iselia HUEBN., 

 OCHSENH., Hadena SCHRANK, Mania TREITSCHKE, Amphipyra, Tri- 

 phcena, Cfraphiphora, Agrostis OCHSENH.) 



