Puhl. 5. IV. 1913. PTYOHOl'ODA. By L. B. Prout. 105 



whitish, tubercles black, setae more conspicuous than usual. Polyphagous on flowers. Pupa amber yellow, 

 not described. The moth is only partially double-brooded. S. France, Spain, N. Africa and .Syria. 



Pt. fatimata Stgr. (4 o). Shape and structure of the preceding, generally somewhat smaller and jjaler, jallnuda. 

 but very variable, the distal band on the forewing straighter, on the hindwing more sharply defined, at least 

 proximally, the post median line being well expressed and separated from the band by a fine pale line. Some- 

 times the band is extended so as to occupy almost the whole distal area, but commonly it is narrow. In ge- 

 neral the colouring somewhat recalls Emmiltis and Cleta. (^ antennal ciliation moderately long. Larva moderate- 

 ly long, attenuated anteriorly, rugose, folded dorsally, shiny greenish or yellowish grey, tubercles small, 

 black, setae longer than usual, no very distinct markings. S. Spain and Algeria in April and (at least in cap- 

 tivity) a second brood in July. 



Pt. eburnata Wocke (= contiguaria Hb. nee Bkh.) (4 c). We here commence a new group, in which ebuniuiu. 

 the species bear a more or less close superficial resemblance to the marginepunctata-gromp of Acidalia and 

 the genus Glossotrophia; this resemblance is certainly in part brought about by the similarity of resting- 

 habits, rocks, stones or walls being chosen in preference to the shelter of bushes. The usually whitish ground- 

 colour, often with dense dark dusting, subterminal line twice broadening, accompanied proximally by pairs 

 of dark spots or an interrupted band are characteristic. The very irregular course of the median shade is ge- 

 nerally distinctive of eburnata. The under surface is more weakly marked, the first line of the forewing ab- 

 sent, the hindwing whiter than the forewing. ^ antennal joints swollen, with rather long ciliation; hind- 

 tibia not very strongly thickened, with a slender hair-pencil, the tarsus not much shorter than the tibia. Varies 

 considerably; some aberrations, tending to develop into local races in particular localities, have been named. 

 — • ab. obscura Fuchs differs from the type form in having almost the entire surface of both wings (except obscuru. 

 the subterminal line) strongly dusted with dark scales, giving to the insect an appreciably darkened appea- 

 rance. In the type form the dusting is rather sparse. This dark form is prevalent in the Rheingau and is also 

 well known in North Wales. It seems to be topographical rather than geographical, being dependent on the 

 colour of the rocks on which it rests. — ab. fuscalata Fuchs is the extreme melanotic development of ob- fusadata. 

 scura, uniformly infuscated, the markings sometimes almost entirely obliterated. — ab. dirutaria Fuchs is dindaria. 

 a weakly-marked yellowish form, the dark dusting very slight, the lines obsolescent, chiefly indicated by the 

 dark costal spots from which they start, some dark dusting proximally to the subterminal. This aberration 

 and the preceding were obtained chiefly by breeding and — like ab. obscura — Fuchs records them from his 

 own district, the Rheingau. Staudinger writes of ab. fuscalata "forma domestica", but Fuchs points out 

 (Stett. Ent. Zeit., vol. 62, p. 133) that this is not entirely correct, as he has occasionally, although rarely, 

 taken it wild. The matter has been further discussed by F. Fuchs (Soc. Ent., vol. 19, p. 17). Also in Britain 

 these extreme forms have occurred. — ab. pallidaria Fuchs is rather small and narrow-winged, paler, weakly pallidaria. 

 dusted, the lines sharply expressed. Described from Spain, possibly a local race. — The egg is a flattened 

 oval, the surface covered rather regularly with minute pitting; pale when first laid, it gradually assumes an 

 orange colouring. The larva is rugose, moderately stout, gradually tapering anteriorly, the head small, the ven- 

 tral surface somewhat flattened, the lateral swollen; dorsal area yellowish brown, the abdominal segments 

 with a weak, double dorsal line, swelling out and blackening in the middle of the 1. — 5. abdominals; sub- 

 dorsal line blackest on the thoracic segments; tubercles black. Various foodplants are mentioned by different 

 writers, and in confinement it will, like most of the genus, accept various common weeds; a friend of my 

 own has found the larvae in the wild state on Cotyledon, but it is oftenest obtained by rearing from the egg. 

 In captivity a succession of broods may be obtained, but the natural period of flight is from about mid- 

 summer and through July. Local in Central and Southern Europe, but not extending far eastward. The 

 Chinese and Korean specimens recorded by Leech do not belong here; a 3* from Chow-pin-sa belongs to the 

 genus, but has rather shorter antennal ciliation, rather shorter tarsus and very strong black spots on the fringe, 

 but as the wings are a little rubbed I refrain from describing it. The two $$ (Chang Yang and Gensan) 

 belong structurally to Acidalia, but are not in perfect condition and must await the discovery of their ^.. 

 contiguaria is a sluggish insect and is found resting on rocks, chiefly in mountainous country. 



Pt. sabulosa sp. nov. (7d). Size of the senata-group (wing-expanse 19 — 21 mm, English system of mea- sahuhsa. 

 surement), distal margin of forewing smooth, of hindwing almost fully rounded, only a little flattened between 

 the radials and from the first median to anal angle. Face blackish, vertex dirty white, collar brown. (J anten- 

 nal joints not projecting, the ciliation even, scarcely longer than the diameter of the shaft. ^J hindtibia consi- 

 derably thickened, with strongly expansile hair-pencil, tarsus extremely short. Dirty whitish, densely dusted 

 with coarse, dark greyish-sandy scales. Markings formed by an accumulation of these scales, perhaps accom- 

 panied by a slight suffusion of the ground-colour. Forewing with extreme costal edge dark fuscous ; the lines 



IV 14 



