PTYCHOPODA. By I.. B. Prout. 133 



commonest form and differs in wanting the discal dots and in being entirely without the darli marginal 

 shading. Lilie ab. praeustaria it sometimes becomes a distinct race, as for instance in England. — ab. 

 subfasciata ab. nov. has the median line on both wings approximated to the postmedian and the space between suhfasciatu. 

 them occupied by a dark suffusion, forming a vague dark band. A bred example, in the Porritt collection, 

 is figured by Barrett (Lep. Brit. pi. 333, fig. 1). — The egg, according to Tutt, forms a somewhat flattened 

 disc, scarcely longer than wide, the surface covered with raised points; probably a stronger magnification 

 would show a cell-pattern as in humiliata; pale yellow at first, changing to orange. Tlie larva is short and 

 thick, tapering considerably anteriorly, carinated laterally, the skin exceedingly rugose, folded and granulated; 

 segmental incisions strong; setae short and clubbed; head small and notched; the general coloration is flirty 

 red-brown to blackish, the dorsal line paler, finely edged with black, especially on the posterior segments. 

 It is extremely sluggish and usually grows slowly, feeding on withered or decaying leaves; it has even been 

 observed to bite through the leaf-stalk as if to hasten the death of the leaf before eating it. It is said to be 

 partial to Helianthemum, but is more or less polyphagous, like most of the genus. The moth flies in June and 

 July; in captivity a second emergence can be obtained in September. Frequents grassy slopes and similar 

 situations and is distributed in Southern and Southern Central Europe, Asia Minor and Armenia; Staudinger 

 excepts Spain, but I have examples from Moncayo. 



Pt. fuscovenosa Goeze (=plebeia Geo;/! ^ osseata Haw. nee iJ&w. = interjectaria Bdv. ^= AWvxicivy^Led. fmcovenosa. 

 nee Hbn.) (4f). Forewing slightly broader than in dilutaria, distal margin not quite so oblique. Ground-colour 

 rather paler, at least in parts, not quite so uniform, basal part of costal margin more or less strongly 

 infuscated; lines rather more irregular, especially the subterminal, which projects rather strongly basewards 

 between radials and again near the posterior margin. Further distinguished by the comparatively large and 

 sharply black discal dots and the presence of short black distal-marginal strokes and traces of dark dots on 

 fringe. Egg oval, somewhat flattened at the ends, covered with a network of large regular cells; colour light 

 red, becoming somewhat brighter after 2 days. Larva rather stout, gradually tapering anteriorly, segmental 

 incisions not very deep, the usual lateral ridge present, the skin rugose and shagreened; setae very short, 

 clubbed at the tip; groimd-colour dirty, dull smoky brown, more or less marbled with ochreous or yellowish, 

 especially the posterior segments, markings variable, usually rather strong; dorsal line ochreous, blackish- 

 edged, especially on the posteiior segments; three or four X-shaped dorsal markings on the junctions of the 

 jst — 5th Qj. 2"'i — 5'h abdominals; ventral surface with a series of large ochreous crescentic marks. Feeds on 

 low plants, especially or withered leaves, and grows slowly. Pope found that it would eat a moss, Hylocomium 

 triquetrum, during the winter. Pupa light reddish brown, wing-cases greenish, incisions and cremaster dark. 

 The moth hides by day in hedges or low bushes or grass and is of a quiet gentle flight. Locally abundant 

 in June-July in Central and S. Europe, N. Africa, Asia Minor aind Armenia. Staudinger in error writes 

 "except England"; in the South of this country it is generally extremely common, and the mistake probably 

 arose from the erroneous use of the name osseata for it by Haworth. 



Pt. humiliata Hufn. (= osseata Schiff.) (4f) differs at once from all other known species in having humiliata. 

 the costal margin of the forewing red throughout its entire length. This is not always equally bright, but it 

 never fails; thus all but extremely worn specimens are quite readily distinguishable from dilutaria, which 

 otherwise it rather closely resembles. The lines of the forQwing, both in this species and the preceding, are 

 frequently darker or more distinct at the costal extremity than in the rest of their course, which is not 

 appreciably the case in dilutaria. A black discal dot is always present on the hindwing and nearly always 

 on the forewing, but is often minute, sometimes extremely minute. Some strongly marked specimens show 

 (at least anteriorly) an interrupted brownish or grey terminal line, but never the sharp black marks of 

 fuscovenosa. The structure presents nothing very distinctive. The ? is on an average smaller and narrower- 

 winged than the cf, especially in the small British race; but this sexual distinction often in part characterizes 

 the allies, and indeed a large proportion of the species of Ptychopoda. Except in size and in the brightness 

 of the costal margin I have noticed little important variation; the under surface, especially of the forewing, 

 is sometimes strongly powdered with dark scales, sometimes almost clear. All the lines seem to be always 

 present, though in varying distinctness; the median of the forewing, which usually crosses or is closely 

 approximated to the discal dot, is occasionally removed further basewards, approaching the first line; I have 

 one example from the Val d'Herens in which they even coalesce thoughout tho greater part of their length, 

 forming a single thick line with a small Y-shaped fork costally. Egg similar to that of fuscovenosa but with 

 a slightly more greyish tint and the cells considerably smaller. Larva also similar to that species and with 

 the same habits; Van I^eeuwen, in his excellent life-histories in Serf's "Nederlandsche Insecten", gives the 

 following distinctions: head and legs black (in fuscovenosa brown); warts large (in fuscovenosa smaW), markings 

 weak, pale-brown, not brown-black; 5"" abdominal little lighter than the rest of the dorsal area; the X-shaped 

 markings wanting. Pupa less greenish than that of fuscovenosa and with a dark dorsal line. The imago 

 appears in June, or even, in sheltered localities, at the end of May, thus earlier in the summer than its nearest 



