INSECTS 



HESPERIID^ 



Syrichthus malvae, L. Has been recorded 



from Si her dale 

 Nisoniades tages, L. Not uncommon 



HESPERIIDJE (continued} 



Hesperia sylvanus, Espr. Chat 



Simonswood, Grange, etc. 

 thaumas, Huf. Silverdalc only 



Moss, 



HETEROCERA 



Of the 2,014 species of Heterocera or moths recorded in South's 

 list, rather more than 1,300 have been recorded from -Lancashire. 



SPHINGID.E 



Acherontia atropos, L. Generally dis- 

 tributed and sometimes common in 

 potato districts 



Sphinx convolvuli, L. Generally distributed 

 but very irregular in appearance ; 

 one specimen of S. ligustri, L., has 

 been recorded from near Charley 



Deilephila galii, Schiff. Has appeared in 

 some numbers on the sandhills 

 during certain years. The last of 

 these was 1888. Previous years 

 were 1870, 1859 and 1834. Afew 

 larvae were taken by Rev. A. M. 

 Moss also in 1897. For these ap- 

 parently irregular manifestations an 

 explanation has been sought in a 

 theory of continental immigration, 

 which however seems hardly ade- 

 quate to support the facts of the 

 case. More probably this moth 

 persists in small numbers from year 

 to year in suitable localities, and its 

 years of abundance are caused by 

 a concatenation of particularly 

 favourable phenological conditions 

 extending probably over more than 

 one year. (The subject is discussed 

 more in detail in a paper by the 

 present author contributed to the 

 Liverpool Biological Society. See 

 Trans, vol. vii. ' Occasional Abund- 

 ance of Insects ') 



livornica, Espr. Some half-dozen 



stray captures are reported since 

 1846 



Chsrocampa. All our three British 

 species are recorded 



porcellus, L. Most commonly from 



the mosses and the sandhill zone 



nerii. Two records from near Man- 



chester (1885 and 1847) 

 Smerinthus populi, L. Abundant 



ocellatus, L. 

 Macroglossa stellatorum, L. Frequent and 



generally distributed 



bombyliformis, Och. Not uncommon 



on the moors of the northern part 

 of the county 



SESIID.S: 



Trochilium crabroniformis, Lewin. Gener- 



ally distributed 

 Sesia sphegiformis, F. Chat Moss formerly 



culiciformis, L. 



myopoeformis, Bord. Doubtfully re- 



corded from near Grange 



tipuliformis, Clerck. Generally dis- 



tributed 



ZYG/ENID.ffi 



Ino statices, L. Chat Moss, Crosby, War- 

 rington 



geryon, Hb. Occasional on the mosses 



and at Witherdack 

 Zygaena filipendulae, L. Is the only mem- 



ber of the genus at all common 

 NYCTEOUD^: 



Sarothripus undulanus, Hb. Grange 

 Hylophila prasinana, L. Local on the 



moors ; Silverdale and near Bolton 



Nola cucullatella, L. Generally common 



confusalis, H.S. Recorded from Grange 



by Hodgkinson 



LlTHOSIID.ffi 



Nudaria mundana, L. Generally dis- 

 tributed but not common 



Lithosia mesomella, "\ Found on most of 

 L. I the mosses of 



sericea, Greg. J the south-west 



lurideola, Zinc. Generally distributed 



EUCHELIIDJE 



Gnophria quadra, L. Recorded from 



Birkdale and Maghull 

 Euchelia jacobaeae, L. Always frequent, 



and sometimes in profusion on the 



sandhills and mosses 

 CHELONIIDJE 



Nemophila russula, L.\Occuronthe mosses 



plantaginis, L. J and moors 

 Arctia caia, L. Generally common 

 Spilosoma lubricipeda, Esp. Abundant 



menthastri, Esp. 



mendica, Clerck. Occasional 



fuliginosa, L. Common on the sand- 



hills and mosses 

 HEPIALIDJE 



All our British species of Hepialus 

 occur more or less commonly 



129 



