loo 



PTYCHOPODA. By L. B. ProUT. 



dorsal; lateral ridge whitish, spiracles black; ventral area suffused with blackish. Polyphagous and fond of 

 withered or mouldy leaves. Pupa shining yellowish, anal extremity darker. The moth appears in June and 

 July, a partial second brood later. Bred specimens of the second brood are more tinged with reddish. It hides 

 among hedges, bushes or other herbage by day and is very easily disturbed, but is sluggish, refusing to fly far 

 and sometimes prefers to drop or flutter to the ground. In the evening it is more active, and will occasionally 

 visit the sugar which is spread for Noctuids. Distributed through the greater part or Europe, Asia Minor and 

 Syria and eastward to Transcaspia. 



maderae. Pt. maderae Baker (5 b). Described from the $, the (J not quite certainly known. From the shape 



of the hindwing, however, and the slightly projecting joints of the $ antenna, I very strongly suspect that the 

 (J (J described below belong to it. In that case it is evidently a very near relative of dimidiata; but whether 

 or not, it cannot be referred to rufaria, as has been done by Staudinger and Warren. In the $ the fore- 

 wing is shaped and coloured about as m rufaria, the first line obsolete, the median not very strong, placed 

 further beyond the black discal dot; postmedian fine, placed nearer the distal margin than in rw/ana, strongly 

 bisinuate, the proximad curves occupying the normal positions, some dark dots or dashes punctuating the line 

 where it crosses the veins; fringe rather pale, with more or less distinct blackish dots opposite the veins. Hind- 

 wing rather longer than in dimidiata, subcrenulate and with the same two concavities as in that species, though 

 sometimes rather slight; all the markings as on the forewing, the median shade preceding the discal dot (in 

 rufaria this line, not being oblique, is about equidistant beyond the dot on both wings). Under surface 

 less ochreous, forewing more suffused as far as the median shade, paler beyond, hindwing paler; both wings 

 with the postmedian line developed, the cell-dots larger than above. The ^^ which I incline to associate 

 with these $$ are smaller and rather shorter-winged and lack the ochreous tone, in all these respects more 

 nearly approaching dimidiata; I think they must be the insect referred to by Baker as Madeiran dimidiata, 

 but if so this author must have overlooked the fact that the antennal joints are further extended into true 

 (though quite short) pectinations, an extremely exceptional occurrence in this genus ; there are also several 

 other differences. Hindleg similar, the tarsus perhaps slightly shorter. Postmedian line more strongly dark- 

 spotted on the veins than in the $, a series of dark .spots proximally to the pale subtermiiial. Madeira. — 

 unoslrigata. ab. unostrigata Baker (5 e) is, so far as at present known, a unique form, and it is not surprising that its 

 author did not recognize its specific identity with maderae. The types of both, and of the other interesting 

 Acidaliids in his collection, have been very kindly lent by then- author for figuring. The ab. unostrigata — a 

 $, not a (5^ as accidentally stated in the published description — • has the ground-colour clearer ochreous 

 than the types, not mixed with reddish; the postmedian and subterminal lines are obsolete, the cell-spots on 

 the contrary somewhat enlarged and the median shade much stronger and thicker, dark fuscous, placed some- 

 what nearer to the base on both wings than in the type, thus passing proximally to the cell-spot on the hind- 

 wing. The clots on the fringe are strongly expressed, though not enlarged. Beneath similar, the forewing only 

 slightly suffused, the hindwing whiter, both wings in addition with very faint indications of the postmedian 

 line. 



zargi. Pt. zargi Baker (5 e). Only known in a single $ example, the exact position in the genus somewhat 



uncertain. Except iia its larger size, more weakly crenulate distal margin of the hindwing and apparently 

 less projecting joints of the antenna it might be said to bear nearly the same relation to maderae as the 

 ab. diffluata bears to deversaria H.-Sch. or hiselata ab. fimhriolata to ab. extincta. The underside and the 

 position of the markings above are quite similar to maderae, but the basal area of the forewing above, with 

 the entire distal area of both wings (excepting the subterminal line) is filled up with dark smoke-colour. The 

 fringes are defective, but I camiot find any indication of the dark dots of maderae. The extremities of both 

 antennae (which would have shown the subserration more distinctly) are broken off, and I am not absolutely 

 certain that the part which remams differs essentially from the corresponding part in maderae. The possibility 

 is therefore not at present altogether precluded tliat zargi may be another form of the very variable maderae. 

 Madeira. 



suhsaturata. Pt. subsaturata Guen. (= miserata Stgr. = subherbariata Rossi.) (4 c). Similar in shape and structure 



to dimidiata, but with both wings projecting somewhat more in the middle. Considerably smaller, more och- 

 reous-brownish, median shade better developed, postmedian of hindwing more strongly excurved in the middle; 

 the shading distally to the postmedian line quite different, nowhere very intense, but more uniform throughout, 

 consisting of three pairs of spots, sometimes united into a band, bounded by a broad pale subterminal line 

 which encroaches strongly between the radials ; the space between the subterminal line and the distal margin 

 is often as pale as the liiie itself, resulting in the formation of a marginal pale band. Under surface similar, 

 forewing more suffused basally, without first line. Egg ovoid, truncate at the ends, the surface regularly mark- 

 ed with small longitudinal depressions ; yellowish at first, becoming redder. Larva elongate, tapering anteriorly 

 from about the fifth abdominal, rugose and granulated, segmental incisions well marked, lateral ridge well deve- 



