54 



BRITISH MOTHS 



wings brown and unspotted. Tlie caterpillar is greenish or yellowish, with white longitudinal streaks. It feeds 

 on the common broom ; and the moth appears in October, in places where broom abounds. 



1 Synonvme. — Phalcena spartiata, Fabricius ; Puessly, Arch. pi. 11 ; Donovan, 10, pi. 342, fig. 2 ; Haworth ; Stephens ; Wood, fig. 632. 



Species 2.— Chesias obliqdaria ■'. — (Plate LXVII., Fig. 15.)— Measures about l^ inch in expanses- 

 wings greyish-brown ; near the base of the fore wings is a slender rectangular dusky striga, followed by a 

 clouded space and a dark-brown oblique bar across the middle of the wing, darkest on the costa, beyond which 

 the wings are reddish ; the costa darkest ; an oblique dark line arises from the apex of the wincr, and dilates 

 into a dusky submarginal cloud, followed by a crenated whitish striga ; the principal veins of the wing are 

 marked with interrupted black lines, and an interrupted black line along the apical margin ; hind wings pale 

 brown and unspotted. Taken in May, near places in the neighbourhood of woods where broom abounds but 

 not a common species. 



' Synonymes. — Geometra obliquaria, Wien. Verz. ; Treitschke ; 

 Stephens ; Wood, fig. 633. 



» Phalwna bombycata, Hubner (Beitr.); Donovan, 11, pi. 386, 

 fig. 4. 



Phalana rufata^ Haworth ; Stewart, 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE LXVIII. 



Insects. — Fig. 

 Fig. 

 Fig. 



Fig. 



Fig. 



Fig- 

 Fig. 

 Fig. 

 Fig. 



Fix. 



1. Thera simulata (the brick carpet). 



2. Thera variata (the grey carpet). 



3. Thera juniperata (the Juniper carpet). 



4. The Caterpillar. 

 5. Thera coniferata (the Northern carpet). 



6. The Caterpillar. 

 7. Oporabia dilutata (the November moth). 



8. A pale variety. 

 9. Oporabia polata (the polar carpet). 



10. Cheimatobia brumata (the winter moth). 



11. Cheimatobia rupicapraria (the early moth). 



12. Lobophora Polycommata (the spring carpet). 



13. The Caterpillar. 17. L. polycommata, 

 from HUbner's fig. 

 14. Lobopbora lobulata (the early tooth-striped). 

 15. The Caterpillar. 



Insects. — Fig. 16. Lobophora rupestrata (the double-lined). 



,, Fig. 18. Lobopbora hexapterata (the prominent). 



,, Fig. 19. Lobophora sexalisata (the small seraphim). 

 20. The Caterpillar. 



Plants Fig. 21. Juniperus communis (the common juniper). 



All the insects in this plate are from the cabinet of Mr. Bentley, 

 with the exception of L. polycommata (No. 12), from a continental 

 specimen in the British Museum, and the other representation of the 

 same insect (No. 17), from Hiihner's figure . The two species of 

 Lobophora hexapterata and sexalisata, which have the rudiments of 

 two additional wings most strongly developed, have been drawn from 

 specimens in which those singular appendages were not so perfect as 

 in specimens I have since seen. L. viretata has been omitted by acci- 

 dent, and will be given in a supplemental plate at the end of the 

 present volume. The caterpillars are from Hiibner. 



H. N. H. 





THERA, Stephens; Curtis. CIDARIA, p., Boisduval. 

 The palpi in this genus are porrected into an obtuse very scaly beak ; the antennas are simple in both sexes, 

 except in the first species, T. simulata, in which they are slightly bipectinated in the males ; the abdomen is 

 rather long and tufted in the males ; the fore wings are somewhat triangular, and the hind ones ovate, with the 

 edges entire ; the disc marked with a dark broad central fascia ; the hind wings are not lobed at the base. The 

 caterpillars are long, smooth, and cylindrical, and feed upon fir or juniper trees. 



Species 1. — Thera simulata ^ — (Plate LXVIII., Fig. 1.) — Measures 1^ inch in expanse; the fore wings 

 are reddish-gray, with a reddish patch at the base, bordered by a brown angulated striga ; the middle fascia 

 broad reddish-brown, edged on each side by a dark streak ; towards the base it is deeply angulated, and the 

 outer margin curved, beyond which the wing is darker, bearing an indistinct whitish subapical waved striga ; 

 hind wings very pale reddish-brown. Taken in or near fir plantations in Kent, Wiltshire, and at Flisk, in 

 Scotland, in June, and again in September. 



' Synonyme. — Geometra simtUata, Hiibner; Stephens; Wood, fig. 634. 



