CUSPIDATES. 



207 



380. The Scarce Hook -tip (Platypteryx sicula). 



380. THE SCARCE HOOK-TIP. The palpi 

 are very short, entirely concealed when the 

 insect is viewed from above ; the antennse 

 are strongly pectinated in the male, simple 

 in the female ; the fore wings are falcate 

 and sharply pointed, and the hind margin 

 is deeply concave below the tip. The colour 

 is isabelline, or testaceous fawn-colour, with 

 darker clouds of the same colour ; these are 

 in the centre of the wing ; and near the 

 hind margin, and parallel with the hind 

 margin, are certain pure black markings 

 which assume a somewhat crescentic 

 form. 



The CATERPILLAR rests with the anal ex- 

 tremity elevated, the feet and ventral clas- 

 pers touching the food-plant. The head is 

 slightly broader than the second segment ; 

 the body is somewhat shuttle-shaped ; the 

 anal extremity tapering to a sharp point, 

 and the anal claspers being entirely absent ; 

 there are two pyramidal papillae placed 

 transversely on the back of the third, fourth, 

 fifth, and sixth segments, making eight in 

 all ; the colour of the head is reddish, with 

 two transverse whitish bars ; the dorsal 

 area of the body, including the papillae, is 

 ochreous ; the papillae are tipped with 

 white ; the ventral area is glaucous ; the 

 two areas are separated by a white stripe, 

 which is intersected throughout by a deli- 

 cate pink line ; there is a medio-dorsal series 

 of linear black streaks, and there are two 

 oblique linear black streaks on each side of 

 each segment ; the legs are greenish ; the 

 claspers are glaucous, concolorous with the 

 ventral area ; each segment has also two 

 white dots on each side of each segment ; 

 the CHRYSALIS is rather stout, with a bifid 

 head and a very sharp-pointed tail. 



The MOTH appears on the wing at the end 

 of May and beginning of June. It occurs 

 In Leigh Woods, near Bristol, where a few 



specimens only have been taken. (The 

 scientific name is Platypteryx sicula.) 



381. The Pebble Hook-tip ( Platypteryx falcula). 



381. THE PEBBLE HOOK-TIP. The an- 

 tennae are pectinated in the male, almost 

 simple in the female ; the wings are broad 

 and ample, the fore wings pointed and fal- 

 cate, the hind margin without teeth or 

 angles ; their colour is wainscot -brown, 

 frequently suffused with a richer, redder 

 brown; there is an oblique bar of this 

 richer tint from the top of the wing to the 

 inner margin, and there are four transverse 

 zigzag dark brown lines, which are equi- 

 distant at the costal margin, but diverge 

 more or less on the disk of the wing ; be- 

 tween the second and third of these are two 

 small discoidal spots placed longitudinally ; 

 just within the third line, and nearly in the 

 centre of the wing, is a large roundish 

 blotch ; the fourth or outer zigzag line 

 crosses the oblique bar near the tip of the 

 wing, and running parallel with the hind 

 margin is broken up into dots : the hind 

 wings are paler, and have five transverse 

 zigzag lines, four of which are perceptible 

 only on the inner margin, the fifth or outer 

 one is very distinct. 



The CATERPILLAR is pointed at the tail, 

 the anal claspers are absent. There are 

 two prominent and distant papillae or nipple- 

 shaped warts on the back of the third, 

 fourth, fifth, and sixth segments ; those on 



