THE ENTOMOLOGIST* 11 



Vol. XL.] JANUARY, 1907. [No. 524. 



ABERRATIONS OF ACID ALIA MARGINEPUNCTATA 

 AND A. SUBSERICEATA. 



By Louis B. Prout, P.E.S. 



A. marginepunetata. — 1, typical ; 2, aberration. A. subsericeata. — 3, typical; 



4, aberration. 



The very interesting aberrations here figured were both 

 captured in North Cornwall, by Mr. G. B. Oliver, of Tettenhall, 

 Wolverhampton, during the past summer, and have been ex- 

 hibited at the meetings of some of our London societies. The 

 specimen of A. marginepunetata, a female taken on July 2nd, 

 deposited a very few eggs, and from these three moths were bred 

 at the beginning of September, appreciably darker than the 

 typical form, but not really striking; five larvae persisted in 

 hybernating. The A. subsericeata was taken on June 26th, and 

 seems an absolutely unique aberration of this species, which, 

 though somewhat variable, is usually so only within very narrow 

 limits. 



A. marginepunetata is well known to be an extremely variable 

 species, and dark local races are by no means unknown ; but a 

 practically black specimen like the one figured, which is darker 

 than the photograph represents it, would be an extreme rarity 



ENTOM. — JANUARY, 1907. B 



