NOCTUIDiE. — CALYPTRA. 4,9 



GenUvS CXXVIII. — Calyptra, Ochsenheimer. 



Palpi elongate, ascending/ clothed with short capitate scales, which are rather 

 longest in front of the two basal joints ; the terminal joint scarcely less robust 

 than the preceding; the basal joint shorter than the apical, rather stouter 

 than the second, which is twice the length of the first, and a little acumi- 

 minated at the apex^ terminal joint nearly as long as the second, linear, its 

 apex a little turned: maxilloe rather short. Antennw rather short, robust, 

 bipectinated to the apex in the males, the pectinations very short at the tip, 

 subserrated and pubescent in the females: head transverse, with a tuft of 

 scales on the forehead : ei/es rather small, globose, naked : thorax stout, with 

 a short acute crest anteriorly; abdomen rather stout, somewhat depressed, 

 obtuse at the apex, the male with a subquadrate tuft : wings deflexed during 

 repose; anterior deeply emarginate, and dentate, on the hinder margin; pos- 

 terior slightly denticulate : legs stout, woolly ; two basal joints of the posterior 

 tarsi with long fascicles of scales, especially in the male. 



Caterpillar slender, naked : pupa folUculate. 



This singular genus is no less unfortunate in being constantly 

 shifted about in arrangements, than for the continual variation in 

 its nomenclature. Ochsenheimer gave the name Calyptra to it, 

 without being aware of Lamarck having applied nearly the same 

 term to a genus of Patellidse (Calyptrsea, Lam.; Calyptrus, De 

 Mont.); an appellation changed by Treitschke to Calpe, and by 



wings entire, deflexed, anterior slightly emarginate on the hinder margin : 

 ■ legs, anterior porrected when at rest, those of the males furnished with long 

 woolly hairs as far as the penultimate joint of the tarsi ; of the females 

 simple. 



-]-Sp. 1. Pteridis. Alis anticis fuscis alho-maculatis fasciisque duahus purpureis. 



(Exp. alar. 1 unc. 5. lin.) 

 No. Pteridis. Fahricius, Samouelle (!) — Er. Pteridis. Steph. Catal part ii, 



p. 94. No. 6298. note. 



Anterior wings fuscous, with the nervures, the margin of the stigmata, and three 

 patches at the apex, whitish; before and behind the middle a broad purple 

 fascia, and a transverse spot of the same colour on the anal angle : posterior 

 wings dusky, with a pale striga beyond the middle. 



Caterpillar feeds on the Pteris aquilina. 



In the Entomologist's Compendium, this remarkable species is erroneously intro- 

 duced as a native of Britain. 

 Haustellata. Vol. IIL 1st August, 1829. e 



