152 LARENTIINAE. By L. B. Prout. 



to p. 146, C. porata: 

 venata. ab. venata ah. nov. Both wings, above and beneath, with long dark rays to beyond the middle. 



Described but not named by Gaul, who took an example on the Sabine Mountains, Italy. I have not seen it, 

 but it is certainly parallel to punctaria ab. venata Prout. 



to p. 151 : 

 perpulverea. Pt. perpulverea Hmpsn. for 7 b read 5e. 



5. Subfamily: Larentiinae. 



An extensive subfamily and distributed throughout tlie world, but generally less prevalent in tropical 

 than in more temperate regions. Here belongs, indeed, a large proportion of the Alpine, Arctic and Antarctic 

 species. It is also dominant in New Zealand. 



Small or moderate-sized moths, in the majority of genera very easy to recognize superficially by 

 the character of the wing-markings, which consist of a very large number of wavy transverse lineS; those at 

 the base often united by some dark shading (the "basal patch"), those in the median area often similarly uni- 

 ted into a "median band" or at the least into two bars bounding the median area proximally and distally. 



Face sometimes smooth, but much more usually roughened, commonly with a projecting cone of stales. 

 Palpus moderate or long, rarely short. Metathorax usually somewhat prominent, often strongly tufted; ab- 

 domen often with small dorsal crests. Legs seldom aborted, with rare exceptions fully spurred. Frenulum 

 generally well developed. Forewing almost always with single or double areole, in the former case formed 

 by SC" arising from SC ' and anastomosing with SC ■*, in the latter case SC" almost always arising from 

 the cell, usually quite well removed from its apex. Hindwing with C anastomosing strongly with SC, usually to 

 near the end of the cell; in the cfcf of one specialized group {Lobophora, etc.) remarkable secondary 

 sexual modifications result in the wide severance of C from SC, a cross-vein near the end of the cell, 

 however, always remaining to indicate the lost connection, so that even in these cases the subfamily cannot 

 be confused with those in which vein C of the hindwing is free, or connected near the base only. From the 

 few, exceptional genera in those subfamilies in which the strong anastomosis occurs, the Larentiinae may at 

 once be distinguished by the forewing neuration. 



The eggs are always laid flat, and are generally of very simple form, ovate with a more or less strongly 

 marked depression on the upper side, and with the surface throughout quite shallowly pitted; at times one 

 end is strongly truncate. The larvae also are, as a rule, of fairly simple form, more or less cylindrical, nearly 

 smooth, without prominent humps or excrescences. They vary greatly in thickness, from extremely slender to 

 very stout. Some feed on trees but the majority on low plants. The hibernating stage is variable, sometimes 

 differing in the very closest allies, or even (as with Xanthorhoc fluduata) in a single species. Unlike the pre- 

 vious subfamily, the great majority of species undergo their metamorphosis on or just beneath the surface of 

 the ground, forming a more less compact earthen cocoon; only a few, in which the duration of the pupal 

 stage is always short (such as Plemyria bicolorata) change among leaves, spinning a few threads. The habits 

 of the tropical forms, however, are almost entirely unknown. The pupae are generally brown or red-brown, 

 of moderate proportions or somewhat thick, in a few species (such as Cidaria siterata) with a beautiful purple 

 bloom; the non-subterranean pupae lighter brown to whitish or occasionally green, not rarely with dark dorsal 

 line and dark wing-veins, sometimes more elaborately spotted. 



Very few of. the moths fly by day and these are generally brightly coloured (as Lythria) or black and 

 white (as Eulype). Possibly one or two of the latter, like Callahraxasf, in which there is some yellow 

 admixture (at least on the body) enter into mimetic relations with the Abraxas group of the Geometrinae, 

 which are exceedingly abundant in the Eastern Palearctie Region and certainly nauseous. The vast majority 

 of the Palearctie species, however, hide by day among bushes or sit with wings outspread on tree-trunks or 

 fences. In the latter situations they are generally very shy and wary and fly off immediately on the approach 

 of the collector. This is especially the case with those in which the cryptic adaptation is not very perfect, 

 as already mentioned in our introduction, and affords a marked contrast to the general sluggishness of the 

 better-protected Noctuids, the Biston and Boannia groups, etc. under similar conditions. 



The general arrangement of the subfamily in Staudinger's Catalog, though containing much which 

 can be unfavourably criticized, is sufficiently satisfactory on the whole to allow of our having followed it in 

 the present work, except in the case of the large genus (or rather, assemblage of genera) there called Larentia, 



