Puhl. 10. IV. 1913. PTYCHOPODA. By L. B. Prout. 113 



ting the discal dots and those on the fringe. — minuscularia (Stgr. i. I.) Ribbe, from Southern Spain and Al- minnscu- 

 geria, is a still more extreme development, smaller, purer white (at least in the $), the discal dots minute, ^"-^'o,. 

 sometimes scarcely noticeable, although I have not seen a specimen in which they are absolutely wanting. 

 This recently differentiated form was apparently included under canteneraria in Staudinger's Catalog. — The 

 egg is oval, the surface covered with irregular polygonal depvessions, the micropylar rosette with about 

 8 cells ; grey-yellowish, changing in a few days to red. The larva is slender, tapering anteriorly, the head small, 

 the body somewhat flattened dorsally, oarinated laterally, the skin transversely folded; very variable in co- 

 lour, pale or dark grey or almost blackish, or light brown, the lateral ridge whitish ochreous, usually accom- 

 panied beneath by a blackish band ; dorsal line pale ochreous, grey-edged on the last few segments and usually 

 on the thorax, sometimes also at the beginning of each segment; in some forms a distinct diamond-shaped 

 dorsal pattern is present, or at least the posterior half of it on each middle segment (V-shaped markings). 

 Polyphagous, thriving well on withered leaves of dandelion etc. Pupa light brown, coarsely black-spotted 

 dorsally, and more finely on the rest of its surface ; the dorsal spots arranged in four rows. The moth is gene- 

 rally abundant, in a succession of broods, first appearing in May, or earlier in southern localities; it does not 

 appear to show any appreciable seasonal dimorphism, unless it be in size. It is conspicuous by day sitting on 

 the leaves of various plants or on fences or walls; on white walls it has been reputed to seek out grey patches 

 which harmonize with its colour (Piepers, "Mimicry", p. 199). Flies gently at dusk, seldom at a great height 

 from the ground. Europe, excepting a few western and extreme northern localities, and also in N. Africa; not 

 known from Asia. 



Pf. saftharia(S<g^r. (3g) strongly resembles a weakly marked, dirty grey form of sen'ato, but is easily distin- sartharia. 

 guished by the simply and shortly ciliated ^ antenna. According to Staudinger the structure of thecjhindleg 

 "appears to be quite as in virgularia'' (seriata); of the only ^ before me one hindleg is lost and the other is 

 in a position which prevents exact investigation, but it seems to me that the tarsus is more strongly abbre- 

 viated; the tibia is certainly strongly tufted. Some specimens are altogether without markings, excepting the 

 black discal dots; in others there is a very weak postmedian line, chiefly expressed by dark teeth on the 

 veins, sometimes also (at least in the $) traces of inner line and median shade. Under surface similarly without 

 or with only very weak markings, the hindwing paler than the forewing. Ferghana. — ■ ab. ( ?) sarthttlaria sarthularia. 

 Stgr. from Northern Ferghana is much more strongly marked, the groundcolour lighter ; an obsolete median shade 

 passes on the hindwing far proximally to the discal mark, which here forms a large lunule; the forewing 

 lacks this median shade, but shows the weak postmedian line and beyond it a distinct, narrow dark band. 

 The fringe shows thick black dots or dashes at its base ; in ty^jical sartharia these are weak or wanting. Only 

 a single example (^J) is yet known. 



Pt. conioptera Hmpsn. (7 d) may best be compared with sarfAaria, but has the distal margin of the hindwing conioptera. 

 rather more strongly excised, nearly as in incisaria. The coloration is appreciably darker, the wings being 

 more densely dusted with fuscous atoms. Discal dot on both wings rather large and distinct. Postmedian 

 line usually distinct, strongly dentate, in particular with a large acute tooth on the first radial of the hind- 

 wing ; on both wings this line is placed somewhat nearer to the discal dot than in sartharia. Some of theother 

 lines are as a rule faintly traceable; in the only known $ (which, more than in sartharia, is narrower- winged 

 than the (J) two lines proximally to the postmedianjare fairly well expressed on the inner-marginal half 

 of the hindwing. Dark spots on fringe somewhat sharper than in sartharia. Under surface similarly but still 

 more weakly marked; hindwing slightly paler than forewing. ^ antennal ciliation as in sartharia; hindleg 

 short and weak, tibia with hair-pencil, tarsus nearly one-half the length of tibia. Kujiar, Himalayas, at nearly 

 2000 m elevation, 5 (^^, 1 $ in the British Museum collection, all taken in April 1889. 



Pt. descitaria Chr. (= velitschkovskyi Rbl.) (3 h) is very manifestly another relative of seriata. It descitaria. 

 was quite erroneously sunk by Staudinge r to elongaria pecharia, which it resembles in colour. Brownish grey, very 

 densely irrorated with dark scales ; the lines and median shade present, sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker. 

 Forewing with antemedian strongly excurved, slightly dentate on the veins; cell-dot black, often large; median 

 shade rather thick, closely following the cell-dot; postmedian dentate, rather markedly bent outwards at the 

 3. radial and 1. median; subterminal line ill-defined, slender, often appearing somewhat interrupted; fringe 

 with a slender pale line at extreme base, then a slender dark line on which stand rather thick, more or less 

 elongate black dots opposite the veins. Hindwing with distal margin very weakly emarginate between the 

 radials, scarcely more so than in seriata; median shade angled on the median vein, its anterior half sometimes 

 strongly curved round the cell-dot ; cell-dot usually rather large ; postmedian line, except in rare aberrations, 

 closely following the cell-dot, often appearing as a continuation of the median of the forewing, very rarely 

 placed so far distally as the postmedian of the forewing ; fringe as on forewing. Underside of forewing similar, 



IV 15 



