ACIDALIA. By L. B. Prout. 79 



A. concinnaria Dup. (41). Rather larger than most of the group, slightly less pure white than or- concinnaria. 

 nata. Easily recognized by the entire absence of markings on both wings excepting the very small blackish 

 discal dot and the distal bordering; the latter consists of the fine blackish lunulate-dentate postmedian 

 .line, which is placed rather nearer to the distal margin than in the allied species and is less strongly sinuous, 

 and the blue-grey shading beyond, which is traversed by the white subterminal line and is largely mixed 

 with brown in its proximal half. Beneath the wings are very weakly marked, the forewing a little infuscated. 

 Distal margin of hindwing crenulate and excised between the radials, but not so deeply as in ornata. ^ antenna 

 with slender fascicles of cilia of moderate length; hindtibia thickened and flattened, tarsus a little shorter 

 than tibia. Only known from Spain (Granada, Castile and Aragon); June and July. — hesperidata Rbr. is hesperidaia. 

 possibly an aberration, though treated by Staudinger as a sjrnonym. Von Gumppenberg regards it as a va- 

 riety or perhaps a distinct species, but probably only knows it from the figure, which seems to me to depict 

 merely an exceptionally strongly marked specimen; both wings with a fine, tortuous brown median line, fore- 

 wing also with three black vein-dots indicating the inner line. Our figured example shows the latter and faint 

 traces of the former. Andalusia. 



A. ornata Scop. (= paludata L. = instilata Hufn. = nivearia F. = interrupta Goeze = intersecta ornata. 

 Geoff.) (41) was the first known species of the group and may be regarded as its most typical representative. 

 It formed the type of the generic names Craspedia Hbn. and Dosithea Dup. and should also rightly have been 

 made the tj^e of Scopula Schr. Pure shining white. Forewing with first line very weak and slender, but not 

 infrequently marked with distinct dark dots on the veins; median shade of both wings pale brownish, undu- 

 late, often obsolete, on the forewing usually marked by a distinct brown costal spot, though seldom so 

 conspicuous as that of decorata; postmedian line blackish, strongly bent outwards near the costa and between 

 the third radial and second median; distal area mostly bluish grey, with a white spot at apex and wavy 

 white subterminal line, and containing two brown patches which fill up the inward curves of the postmedian 

 line. Cell-spot of forewing often absent, that of hindwing always present, though variable in size. Underside 

 of forewing usually infuscated in basal half, cell-spot distinct; both wings with median and postmedian lines 

 present, the distal shading browner and more uniform than above; specimens with paler, weakly marked 

 underside also occur. The distal marginal line, both above and especially beneath, is generally almost con- 

 tinuous, or only narrowly interrupted at the vein-ends ; in its anterior part, particularly on the forewing, it is 

 usually more or less enlarged into, or accompanied by, interneural black spots. The fringes are dark- 

 marked, that of the hindwing usually with distinct blackish dots oppos te the vein-ends. The distal margin of 

 the hindwing is markedly crenulate, with a slightly stronger tooth at the third radial and a well-marked 

 excision between this and the first radial. (^ antenna with rather long fascicles of cilia; hindtibia thickened, 

 tarsus a little abbreviated. The egg is somewhat sugar-loaf shaped, laid upright on its narrower end, the 

 upper (micropylar) end truncate; ribbed longitudinally and more slenderly transversely. The larva is slender, 

 though less extremely than most of the genus, the skin rugose; dorsal line fine and interrupted, white, dark 

 edged, dorsal area otherwise reddish brown or ochreous brown, with dark subdorsal line; first to fifth abdo- 

 minal segments with pairs of V-shaped dark dorsal markings, their points directed to each extremity of the 

 segment, or sometimes merely each with 5 dark dots on each side. Feeds on thyme, but will — at least in 

 captivity — accept also other Labiatae. The pupa is brown with green wing-cases. There are two broods 

 of the moth, one in May and June, the second about August. It frequents dry, chalky hill-sides, usually settling 

 on the ground, and does not fly far when disturbed. In some districts, however (e. g. Bucovina) it is recorded 

 from damp places with Juncus, etc. Widely distributed, though not extending very far north; Europe, N. Africa, 

 Asia Minor, Central Asia and Amurland. — subornata subsp. nov. differs in having the mner and median lines subornaia. 

 better developed, the latter rather thick, and in the more uniform distal area of both wings, which is almost 

 equally tinged with brownish smoky throughout, excepting the white subterminal line, and lacks the charac- 

 teristic brown blotches. The postmedian line also is more uniforrn in colour; in ornata it is alternately black 

 and brown. Japan: Oiwake, Yokohama. 



A. kashmirensis Moore. Similar to ornata, but the distal margin of the hindwing is scarcely excised kashmiren- 

 between the radials. The inner and median lines are well developed, as in subornata, the postmedian is rather ^^• 

 strongly dentate, with a well-marked bidentate distal projection near the costal margin, but scarcely pro- 

 jecting distally between the third radial and second median. The distal shading, as in subornata, is rather 

 uniform in tone, the subterminal line broad, sometimes only very weakly lunulate. Fringes weakly marked. 

 Distributed in N. W. India. 



A. congruata Z. (3 m) is still more nearly like ornata in the weakness of the inner and median lines, congrualn. 

 and has quite the pure shining white ground-colour of that species. The shape of the hindwing, however, 

 is that of kashmirensis, while the scheme of markings is rather that of decorata. The (J antennal ciliation, 



