136 PTYCHOPODA. By L. B. Prout. 



large light Irapezoidal spots in the middle. Full-fed from the middle of June onwards. Pupa shaped like 

 that of degeiieraria, bat more strongly built and sometimes more reddish. The moth, according to Fuchs, 

 does not appear till July-August, thus much later than the first generation of degeiieraria, and is only single- 

 brooded in a state of nature, at least in his district and in normal seasons. But in captivity, as with many 

 species of Ptijcliopoda, an additional brood can be obtained about October. It is to be observed further that 

 Rossler's account of the life-history of degeneraria refers not to that species but to rtibraria. It may also be 

 mentioned that Wendlandt has recently disputed the identity of Ulinearia with ruhraria, but gives no grounds 

 for his view; he records a strikingly 'small, absolutely fresh example captured on 28"^ August, which he 

 regards as representing the otherwise unknown second brood in a state of nature. The geographical range 

 of ruhraria embraces a part of Central Germany, Lower-Austria, the Southern Tyrol, Hungary, Capri, Sicily, 

 Dalmatia and Greece. 



inornata. Pt. inornata Haw. ( := suffusata Tr) (4 g). This species and the following present another rather 



puzzling assemblage of very closely similar forms, some of which still need more exact investigation. True 

 inornata, which is appropriately named, may best be recognized by its strongly glossy, quite weakly-marked 

 wings, entirely without dots at base of fringe and often entirely without dark marginal line, which in any 

 case is not very strong. The postmedian line of the forewing, which in most of the allies is angled or 

 strongly bent on the first radial, here shows no appreciable bend, or at the utmost an extremely blunt one. 

 This affords a convenient distinction from weakly-marked aversata ab. remutata and from degeneraria ab. 

 dejjravata, but unfortunately not from the still more closely related deversaria. Underside somewhat paler, 

 somewhat less glossy, occasionally with some minute scattered dark atoms; postmedian line and interrupted 

 marginal line rather better expressed than above; forewing usually with a slight brownish suffusion in the 

 cell and costally. So far as I can see the sexes do not differ materially; according to Guenee the ? has the 

 interrupted terminal dark line on the forewing above belter developed than in the cf, and .1 think this is the 

 general tendency, though neither very pronounced nor constant. Not a variable species on the whole, 

 though there is some variation in the shade of the ground-colour and the position of the lines. Bred 

 specimens show a slight olivaceous gloss, which is to a large extent lost after the species has been on the 



agrostem- ^^ing a short time. — ab agrostemmata Guen. founded on two bred specimens, was erected as a separate 

 species, but is a quite unimportant aberration, its saiall size perhaps due to breeding. Apart from size, 

 however, it dilfers in being still more weakly marked, the lines scarcely traceable. The larvae were found 



amoenata. in Central France, feeding in the capsules of Agrostemma dioica. — ab. amoenata Fuchs ( = suaveolaria 

 Fuchs), described from Sicily, is distinguished by its more reddish tone, especially towards the distal margin 

 and the fringes. I have not seen an extreme form, but some British examples approach it. — The egg of 

 inornata has been described and figured by Peyron, and figured by South; it is oval, with the usual small 

 concavities 5- to 7-sided; whitish yellow at first, becoming blotched with red. Laid, according to South, in 

 strings of from 6 — 20. The larva is very similar to that of degeiieraria ; rather thick, tapering gradually 

 anterioi'ly, carinated laterally, skin strongly rugose, subsegmentation well marked; head small, rough, horn- 

 colour with two whitish posterior spots; body varied with different shades of grey and brown, or somewhat 

 more reddish; P' — 5"' abdominals with dark dorsal V-marks, their apices at the posterior extremity of the 

 segments; sometimes with pale spots on the dorsum of the 4"" and 5'*' abdominals. Polyphagous on low 

 plants and rather easy to rear; a large percentage of the larvae can generally be induced to feed up rapidly 

 and yield a second brood of moths about September. Pupa yellow-brown, darker at anal extremity; cremaster 

 with the usual 6 curved spines. The imago flies in ]\Iay, Jmie and July and into the begimiing of August 

 (in southern localities partly double-brooded) and inhabits heathy or bushy places or woodland, hiding in the 

 herbage or resting with wings outspread on tree-trunks or fences. At night it may sometimes be attracted 

 by "sugar". Widely distributed almost throughout Europe except the extreme north, generally common, though 

 less abundant and more local than aversata; reported scarce in many parts of Eastern Europe and not yet 

 known from Asia. 



deversaria. Pt. deversaria H.-Sch. ( = ? spataceata Scq/j. = subversaria Zo/«. = sufl'usala Guen. nee Tr.) (4g) has 



been regarded by some authors as a form of the preceding, but is now acknowledged to be distinct, or at 

 the least a '"Darwinian species". Slightly less glossy, more yellowish, with no olivaceous tinge, the lines 

 better expressed and sometimes thicker, the median shade usually distinct and thick, the shades on either 

 side of the subterminal line generally better developed; marginal line sometimes better developed, a distinct 

 series of small dots usually present at base of fringes. Under surface with median shade usually well 

 developed, as well as postmedian line. The course of the postmedian line of the forewing is often not or 

 scarcely distinguishable from that of inornata, but its tendency is to be intermediate towards that of dversata; 



maritimata. that is to say, it is often appreciably bent on the first radial, though not sharply angled. — ab. tnaritimata 



Guen., erected as a form of inornata, is distinguished, according to Rebel, by having the median shade more 



strongly developed than in typical deversaria. Guenee does not directly compare it with deversaria (his 



inornata var. suffusata) but emphasizes the strong expression of the median shade. W. coast of France. — 



diffliiata. In ab. diffluata IT.-Sch. (3k, 4g) the entire space between the postmedian and subterminal line on both 



