PTYCHOPODA. By L. B. Prout. 107 



only weak; dorsal area usually of a dark, warm wood-brown, lighter spotted along the lateral ridge, the 

 last segments somewhat lighter with dark middles; the 4 middle segments each with two fine white dots; 

 ventral area darker. The pupa is similar to that of seriata but larger, more mixed with greenish, especially 

 the head and wings. The egg is pale lilac or brownish. — vesubiafa is exceedingly local, being apparently 

 confined to the district of the Maritime Alps, both in France and Italy. It is found sitting on rocks and 

 occurs in June — July; in captivity, perhaps very occasionally in a state of nature, there is a partial second 

 brood. 



Pt. asellaria H.-Sch. (= typicata Guen. = reynaldiata Rouast) (4 c). The name which is in common aseUaria. 

 use for this species may possibly be incorrect, as Herrich-Schaffer's figure is scarcely good enough to allow 

 of certain identification and his type specimen was said to come from Corsica, which is not a positively known 

 locality for our species. The name of reynaldiata quite certainly represents it, and according to Staudinger's 

 examination of Guenee's type that of typicata (at one time erroneously supposed to be a form of eburnata, 

 •with which Guenee compares it) is equally certain. Nearly always smaller than the four preceding species; 

 only in breeding, as with some other Ptychojmda, giant specimens may occasionally be obtained. Distinguishable 

 also by its nearly uniform grey dusting, even the pale subterminal line not being so largely free from dusting 

 as in the allies, hence not so conspicuous. From the same cause the dark shading proximally to the subter- 

 minal is not conspicuous. The postmedian line on both wings forms a sharper angle on the first radial than 

 in the allies; only ^^6^/cato sometimes appears rather sharply angled here, but this is when the line is markedly 

 incurved costally, which is not the case with aseUaria. The postmedian line of the hind wing is nearer to the 

 discalspot, appearing as a continuation of the median of the forewing; only consolidata shows even an approach 

 to this arrangement. The cell-spots are always large, especially that of the hindwing. The distal marginal 

 line is broken up into small dashes, but these are not so strongly thickened as in vesubiata. The dots on the 

 fringe are variable, but as a rule not nearly so strong as in consolidata and libycata. Under surface near 

 that of vesubiata, the median line rather less strongly expressed. Before all, the (J hindleg has retained the 

 terminal spurs, and the species should have been placed in the section Sterrha but for its extraordinary affinity 

 with the spurless alyssumata. The (^ antennal ciliation is rather short. — hornigaria Stgr. is a much darker homigaria. 

 form from the Tyrol (Bozen), described as of a dark violaceous grey, sometimes almost unicolorous. The 

 few examples which I have seen are probably not among the most extreme which do occur, and although 

 they are quite distinguishable from the normal form they can scarcely be considered very striking. — ab. 

 ruminata Mill, seems to me (from the figure) still less striking, though its author calls it a "constant variety", ruminata. 

 commoner some years than the type. The ground-colour is a little darkened, the lines strong and thick. — • 

 Larva stumpy, attenuated anteriorly, dorsal surface flattened, lateral carination strong; head small; skin 

 rugose and shagreened, the markings appearing to be formed by lighter and darker granulations; colour 

 variable, lighter or darker grey or clay-colour; dorsal line fine and pale, obsolete on last few segments, on 

 middle segments broadenest; lateral ridge with a row of large black spots; ventral area with weak, angled 

 markings. Polyphagous, preferring withered leaves. Digne to the Southern Tyrol. 



Pt. alyssumata Mill. (3 f ). Scarcely distinguishable from the preceding except by the structure of alyssumata. 

 the (J hindleg, which, though not aborted, always lacks the spurs. Otherwise the resemblance is so exact 

 that it has been placed as a probable variety of asellaria. I think that on an average it is somewhat smaller, 

 paler and more yellowish grey, as Staudinger indicates, but none of these differences is constant. As a rule, 

 also, the course of the postmedian line is more irregular in alyssumata, but it varies appreciably in both spe- 

 cies. The under surface of alyssumata is in general more weakly marked, with only the postmedian line 

 present, and even this often faint; but I have before me a form of alyssumata from the Eastern Pyrenees 

 with the lines extraordinarily strongly expressed above, and in this form the character is reproduced beneath. 

 alyssumata seems much the more variable species ; from Barcelona I have seen a form in which the coloration 

 is strongly suffused with bright reddish. The egg is rounded, dark fulvous, not fully described. The larva 

 is short and thick, similar in form to that of asellaria; in coloration it seems to be much more variegated, 

 the dorsal area vinous reddish, marbled with white, brown and yellowish, each segment with a pale dorsal 

 patch, the 2. — 5. abdominals with distinct yellow (in Milliere's figure white), black-margined spots at the 

 incisions ; ventral area uniform dark slate-colour. Supposed to feed on Centaurea aspera, but will accept various 

 flowers and leaves. Spain and the Pyrenees, single-brooded, occurring in July — ^August. 



Pt. nocturna Stgr. (3f). Of this species I only known the single specimen {^) kindly lent by Herr nocturna. 

 PiJNGELER. It is much darker than any form of asellaria or alyssumata and rather recalls Glossotrophia con- 

 finaria ab. falsaria, from which of course the neuration of the hindwing would distinguish it even if the resem- 



