O50 BRITISH MOTHS 



SPECIES 4.— CATOCALA SPONSA. Plate LVL, Fig. 1, 2. 



Synonymes. — Phaltsna Noclita sjionsfi, Linnreus ; Hubuer ; Donovan, 9, pi. 324 ; Stephens ; Haworth ; M'ood, Ind. Ent. pi. 17, li;:. 441. 



Phaliejia nupta, Harris, Auielian, pi. 19, fig. g — 1. 



This beautiful species measures from 2^ to 3 inches in the expanse of the fore wings, which are pale ashy 



brown, with numerous dark, flexuous, and dentated streaks, and brown clouds, with a pale whitish patch in the 



stigmatic region of the wing ; tlie anterior stigma represented by a J-Iike mark, and the outer one by a G, very 



plainly delineated, behind which is a distinct spot, varying in colour, and edged with black ; the subapical striga 



pale, and deeply dentated and margined with black ; hind wings bright crimson, with a slender black fascia 



across the middle, forming two strong angles and a broad black margin, the inner edge of which corresponds with 



the angles of the central striga ; cilia dark ; the abdomen is ashy brown. The caterpillar is light ash, with 



brown markings and a bluish head, and with several of the segments tubercled ; it feeds on the oak, and the 



moth appears in June and July, and occurs in some profusion on the stumps of the oaks in the New Forest ; also 



taken in the woods and parks round London. From Harris's figure of the larva, and the angulated striga of the 



hind wings, it is evident that ho intended his drawing for this, and not the next species. 



SPECIES .5.— CATOCALA PROMISSA. Plate LVL, Fig. 3 & 1,5. 



Synonymes. — Noctua promissa, Wien. Vei-2. ; Fahricius ; Hiibner ; I Phaltsna nupta, Wilkes, pi. 6"8. 

 Haworth; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 17, fig. 442. I Noctua Mnesie, Hiibner. 



This species is ordinarily rather smaller than the preceding, measuring from 2i to 2^ inches in the expansion 

 of the fore wings, which are of a paler colour than in C. sponsa, being ashy, varied with brown, and ornamented 

 with numerous dark, deeply-dentated strigje ; the middle of the wing without the pale patch ; the hind wings 

 coccineous, with a flexuous but scarcely angulated black fascia across them, rather beyond the middle, and a deep 

 border of the same colour, of which the inner margin runs parallel with the fascia ; cilia pale ashy, clouded with 

 brown ; the abdomen ashy. The caterpillar is bluish ash, with numerous irregular black dots and fimbriated 

 above the feet. It feeds on oak, on the trunks of which trees the moth is found about the beginning of July. 

 Taken near Brockenhurst, in the New Forest, and Richmond Park. 



SPECIES C— CATOCALA CONJUNCTA. Plate LVL, Fig. 4. 



Synonymes. — Noctua conjuncta, Espcr ; Treitschke ; Godart ; Stephens ; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 17, fig. 443. 



Noctua coujuga, Hiibner; Haworth. 



This species is very closely allied to the two preceding, measm'ing about 2i- inches, or somewhat less, in the 



expanse of the fore wings, which are ashy brown, varied with darker clouds and dentate striga?, and a rather pale 



patch in the whitish central fascia ; the hind wings coccineous, with a nearly straight, black, central fascia 



abbreviated towards the anal angle, and a broad black margin, of which the inner edge is rather more sinuated 



than the preceding striga, and having a wjiitish patch on the margin, near the tip of the wing ; abdomen ashy 



brown. Mr. Stephens states that a specimen has been taken near Dulwich ; two other specimens were in ancient 



British collections of whicli the localities are unknown. 



BREPHA, HiJBNEK. BREPHOS, Ochsenheimek. 

 The few species of which this genus is composed present a remarkable discrepancy in the structure of the 

 antennse, being strongly bipectinated in the males of B. Parthenias, whilst they are simple in the same sex of 

 B. notha ; and yet the females of these two species are so much alike that it is very difficult to perceive a 



