PTYCHOPODA. By L. B. Prout. 125 



Pt. holliata Homherg. I am unacquainted with this species, but it has been carefully described and com- holliata. 

 pared with herbariata. Dirty white, glossy, washed with brownish, paler and less reddish than in herbariata. 

 all the lines composed of blackish brown scales. Forewing slightly narrower and less rounded at apex than in 

 that species; base irrorated with brown, especially costally; antemedian line more angled, more oblique at the 

 costa, where it arises from a better defined brown mark, marked by a blackish brown spot on the median 

 vein and rather sharply angled on the posterior fold; median shade distinct, oblique at the costa, rather 

 sharply angled beyond the discal dot, round which it bends, and forming a small angle inwards on the fold; 

 discal dot larger, more strongly expressed and rounder than in herbariata; postmedian more strongly marked 

 at the costa than in that species, angled outwards on the 1. radial, slightly inbent on the fold and again with 

 a small distad angle near the posterior margin; the space between this line and the distal margin much less 

 broad than in herbariata, the subterminal spots smaller and less confluent; distal marginal line fine, interrup- 

 ted at the veins; fringe with a series of brown dots at base. Hind wing similar; discal dot as strong as on 

 the forewing; postmedian angled, better expressed than in herbariata. Under surface glossy, lighter than in 

 herbariata, the postmedian line sharp on both wings; this character distinguishes it immediately from herbariata. 

 Vertex, head and face brownish white. Antenna in ^ very shortly ciliated. Body brownish white, lighter 

 and more yellowish beneath. Legs yellowish white; hindtarsus of ^ much less aborted than in herbariata, 

 slightly longer, but less broad in the first two joints than in laevigata Scop. Described from several examples 

 of both sexes from Akbes, Syria. In shape, in the large discal dots, the presence of postmedian line beneath, 

 etc., it must resemble affinitata, but the paler colour and absence of the characteristic infuscation should de- 

 note at least a local race. Hombbeg was perhaps not acquainted with affinitata; at any rate he makes no men- 

 tion of it in his description. 



Pt. improbata Stgr. (3 i). Not a very striking species and unfortunately only known to me in the improbata. 

 $. It was described from 3 ^$ and 2 of the same sex lie before from the Pungbler collection. Pale sand- 

 colour, somewhat variable in intensity, the markings not very strong; discal dots present. Forewing with the 

 lines following perhaps nearly the same course as in herbariata but much further apart, the postmedian being 

 placed nearer to the distal margin; median shade obsolete or faintly indicated; beyond the postmedian a narrow 

 band is sometimes, fairly well defined, sometimes more broken into three blotches or pairs of spots more as in 

 trigeminata, sometimes obsolescent; dots at base of fringe small, hardly conspicuous. Hindwing very slightly 

 suffused basally, the distal half marked as on forewing. Under surface with distinct or moderately distinct 

 postmedian line and sometimes sufficient darkening in the distal area to render discernible the pale subter- 

 minal. In some respects this species recalls very slightly a weakly marked form of biselata, though the colour 

 is quite different. Palestine: Jordan Valley. 



Pt. calunetaria Stgr. (= dorycniata Bell. =■ callunata Rbr.) (4e). Rather longer-winged than most calunetaria. 

 of the sen'ato-group, in this respect intermediata towards longaria. Should probably be placed nearer to seriata 

 than in Stattdingbr's Catalog, but the (J antennal ciliation is minute and the hindtarsus extremely short. 

 Whitish with coarse grey dusting, the discal dot black and the lines strongly expressed ; first line of forewing 

 sharply angled near costa, becoming extremely oblique; postmedian with small dark teeth on the veins and 

 with an unusually strong distad bend in the middle, so that in some specimens a letter M is suggested on the 

 3. radial and 1. median; some dark shading follows the postmedian; distal margin with an interrupted dark line. 

 Hindwing with much straighter median and postmedian lines. Pt. calunetaria was discovered in Andalusia, 

 frequenting pinewoods where Calluna vulgaris was plentiful, and flying rapidly. It seems confined to Spain and 

 S. France, local. — valesiaria Piing. (4 e) which represents calunetaria in Valais, and occasionally occurs as valesiaria. 

 an aberration in other localities, is as a rule decidedly larger, the ground-colour a more brownish white, 

 the dusting apparently rather less coarse, the lines less sharply expressed, but otherwise it agrees entirely with 

 the type form. It is found resting on rocks on the warm slopes of the mountains. — The larva of calune- 

 taria was first made known by Bellibr, described from larvae found feeding on Dorycnium; like most of the 

 genus, however, it feeds readily on withered or dry leaves of various low plants. It is rather elongate, though 

 not so slender as that of seriata, tapers anteriorly, is somewhat flattened dorsally and shows the usual lateral 

 ridge; head small, bilobed; dorsal area reddish grey or darker earth-grey (in valesiaria described as wood-brown) 

 usually indistinctly marked, occasionally, at least in the type-form, with a series of blackish sagittate spots; 

 mediodorsal line fine, most distinct anteriorly, more or less dark-shaded posteriorly; subdorsal line wanting; 

 lateral ridge lighter, dark-shaded below; ventral area rather dark grey. Pupa pale yellowish brown, with 4 

 rows of dark spots; head and wings more greenish, the wing-veins distinct, being dark outlined. In Spain the 

 moth flies in May, July — August and sometimes again in October. Also in Valais it seems to be at least double- 

 brooded. The form valesiaria superficially resembles mareotica Draudt, which, however, may be known at 

 once by the irregular margin of the hindwing and the less deep bend in the postmedian line of the forewing, 

 besides the structural differences of the ^. 



