Publ. 20. III. 1913. ACIDALIA. By L. B. Prout. 57 



the West, and extends to Asia Minor, Siberia, etc. It frequents heaths and fields from May to August, in some 

 localities partially double brooded, and is often found in company with the abundant Ematurga atomaria L., 

 amongst which it might easily be overlooked. If not actually a day-flier, as some have asserted, it is at least 

 so easily disturbed by day as to give the impression of being such. The egg has the form and sculpturing which 

 is normal in the genus; shape somewhat irregular, nearly cylindrical or thickening at one end, very distinctly 

 ribbed longitudinally, the ribs numbering about 20, and with about 20 finer transverse ribs. It is of a pale 

 green colour when first laid, soon changing to straw-colour, the crimson blotches appearing in about 2 days. The 

 larva is of the usual form, the elongate abdominal segments divided into about 20 subsegments; setae extremely 

 minute; colour light yellowish brown or greyish brown, with fine, double, dark dorsal line, dark subdorsal 

 line, each abdominal segment with a thickening of the dark marking anteriorly, a slender blackish supra- 

 spiracular line. Feeds on Erica, Calluna and various other low plants. The pupa has the wing-cases and anterior 

 part of dorsal surface much darkened, in this differing from the other species of the genus which I have exa- 

 mined. The moth varies moderately, but seldom produces really striking aberrations. The $ is smaller than 

 the (J and perhaps on an average less tinged with brown and more strongly marked. Both sexes, however, 

 may be either browner or greyer, while the dark lines may be well expressed or almost entirely obsolete. Ac- 

 cording to HoRMUZAKi the variation is in part seasonal, spring specimens being on an average more strongly 

 and broadly white banded than those of the later brood. Occasionally the first two lines of the forewing coalesce 

 into a single very thick line or narrow band and when this is also more darkened than usual a rather striking 

 appearance results. — ab. serenata Trti. is an unimportant aberration with all the pale parts of the wings serenata. 

 broadened, the dark lines therefore narrowed; the third (postmedian) line is the darkest and thickest; subter- 

 minal line and pale parts of fringe rather conspicuously whitish. — ab. albomarginata Habich (3 k) is more albomargi- 

 striMng, the white of the subterminal line being extended on both wings above and beneath to the distal margin, "' 

 only intersected by dark Imes along the veins. — porosa Krulik. is a small, dark second-brood form occurring porosa. 

 in Eastern Russia, the whitish markings largely suppressed. 



A. tessellaria Bdv. (4g) is closely related to the preceding species, and is often erroneously regsirded tessdlaria. 

 as a variety thereof. Speyer very accurately pointed out the distinctions more than 40 years ago, and recently 

 some other writers (as Tura,ti, Schawerda) have protested against the union of the two. The distal margin 

 of the hindwing is in tessellaria appreciably more crenulate, with a more noticeable excision (though still slight) 

 between the radials. The nervures are all strongly dark-marked, the white parts of the wing almost entirely 

 free from dark dusting, the dark lines usually more slender, more strongly dentate, the fringes more sharply 

 chequered. As a rule also the white subterminal line is broader and still more irregularly broken, the spots 

 between the radials in particular forming large, well separated wedges. The black discal spot of the hindwing 

 is nearly always longer. On an average the size of tessellaria somewhat exceeds that of immorata. Local in 

 Central and Southern Europe, Central Asia and Northern Amurland, flying in June and July. I have not seen 

 the specimens from the Ala Tau Mountains which Staudinger gives as transitional. — ab. meissli Schawerda, meissli. 

 from Herzegovina, is a handsome form of a uniform black colour except some small white submarginal spots, 

 representing vestiges of the subterminal line. — tabianaria Trti. (3 k, misprinted tabiascaria) described as a tabianaria. 

 separate species, is the Sicilian form, smaller and of a more yellowish tone than that of Eastern Europe and 

 Asia Minor, with which its author compared it. The dark parts in particular are much less black, being rather 

 of an olivaceous brown, and they are on an average narrower. As, however, a very similar form occurs also 

 .in Erance and Germany, and Boisduval described the species from Northern Italy, it is doubtful whether the 

 iomi' tabianaria can be regarded as constant. Perhaps, even, it should be regarded as synonymous with the 

 name-type and a varietal name be given to the fine, large, black-marked Eastern form, which I have before 

 me from Croatia and Orenburg. At the same time it m.ust be mentioned that Boisd uval called his type "nigro- 

 fusca". Larva probably on Medicago sativa. 



A. anaitaria Herz is unknown to me in nature, and as the essential points of structure are not given, anaitaria. 

 and moreover it was founded on 3 $$ only, it is possible that it does not even belong to this genus. The 

 photographic figure, however, makes it appear that the second subcostal vein of the hindwing arises from the 

 apex of the cell. The wings are said to be shaped nearly as in the genus Anaitis, but still more pointed, 

 the costal margin of forewing strongly arched. White-grey with numerous scattered blackish scales and black 

 central dots. Forewing with 4, hindwing with 3 brown-yellow transverse bands, of which the first two are 

 the most strongly defined and broadest. A fine black marginal line. Under surface altogether similar, only 

 the forewing without the fijst line. The markings somewhat recall those of the two preceding species. Wing- 

 expahse 20 mm. Herr Pungele r (in litt.) has suggested that this is possibly the $ to the broad-winged cajanderi 

 Herz which is described below. Mouth of the Viliui River, Lena district, Siberia, July.. 



IV • .8 



