J5^ BRITISH iMUTHS 



the hind wings darker livid brown, with the margin brown. Mr. H. Doubleday (Entomol. p. 262) considers 

 this and the preceding species identical. As, however, the two species are given distinct by all the Continental 

 .iiitliors, I have retained it, considering it, however, probable that as Tetra is described as a more southern 

 species, it is doubtful whether the insects so called in England may not be dark varieties of Tragopoginis. The 

 moth appears in July and August. 



LEMURIS, HuBNEK. N.ENIA, Stephens. MANIA, p. Treitschke, Boisd.. Guenee. 



The type of this curious group is distinguished at once by the structure of the palpi from all its congeners, 

 they being very large and advanced in front of the head and bent upwards ; the basal joints very thickly clothed 

 witli long scales, whilst the terminal joint is long, slender and exposed, so as to cause the palpi to appear 

 cleft. The thorax and abdominal segments are strongly tufted, and the abdomen is bearded at the extremity. 

 The wings have the apical margins notched. The caterpillars are naked, with the anal segment slightly elevated ; 

 they feed on various low herbs, as well as on willow, &c., and the pupa is enclosed in a very slight cocoon of 

 eartli, found at a considerable depth under ground ; the pupa itself is very glossy. Most recent Continental authors . 

 have united Noctua maura, Linn., in the same genus as N. typica, which Mr. Stephens considers very unnatural. 

 The observations of M. Guenee upon the subject, however, (Ann. Soc. Ent. de France, 1838, p. 112,) are 

 calculated to shake the correctness of such a decision. It is in respect to the structure of the palpi and the 

 differences in the pupa state that I have not followed the Continental authors in uniting the two species in the 

 same genus. 



SPECIES 1.— LEMURIS TYPICA. Plate XXX., Fig. 17, !». 



Synonymes. — Phal. N'oct. typica^ Linn. ; Fab. ; H.iwortli, Albin, I Noctua venosa, Hiibner. 

 pi. 15, fig. 21 a — d ; Harris, Aurelian, pi. 22, fig. d — g. j Noctua excusa, Esper. 



This common species varies from 1^ to If inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a shining dark 



brown colour, reticulated with huffish white ; the costa marked with numerous dark and light alternating patches ; 



the longitudinal veins also pale buff-white, as well as the striga, of which one preceding the stigmata is nearly 



transverse, and edged with black ; the extreme margin is marked with a row of triangular black dots ; the hind 



wings are dark brown, with paler cilia. The caterpillar is excellently figured by Moses Harris, and is of a grey 



brown colour, the under parts of the body paler, and with lateral oblique pale lines, the twelfth segment angulated 



above ; they are found in the beginning of April at tlie roots of nettles, or the bottom of the stalks of winter 



celery which grows on banks. They are full-fed in May, when they make a cocoon un tlie surface of the ground, 



according to Harris, and the moth appears in June and July It is very common, flying over banks of nettles. 



DYPTERIGIA, Stephen.s. LUPERINA ttttt p. Bdv. CLOANTHA, p. Guenee. 



Mr. Stephens, the founder of this genus (which lias not, however, been adopted abroad), separates the typical 

 species from Xylina, Calocampa and Xylophasia, by its highly-crested thorax, slender, nearly vertical palpi, with 

 the terminal joint considerably exposed, and when denuded, elongate-linear, subacute ; abbreviated, sub-triangular 

 ovate, tristigmatiferous fore wings, and other less obvious characters, as well as its dissimilarit)' in the larva and 

 pu])a states. Many of these characters will also separate it from tlie preceding genera. 



