156 



LYTHRIA. By L. B. Prout. 



yellow, the bands nearly obsolete. Perhaps our figure, which is not very extreme, should rather be referred 

 to ab. mevesi. The extreme forms belong chiefly, though not entirely, to S. Russia and Asia Minor. De Villers 

 named this form in 1789; Staudinger in 1901 overlooked this, but fortunately chose the same very suitable 

 name. Fuchs included this form in his abstinentaria, but that belongs properly to the spring generation. — 



rugmaria. ruginaria Costa is apparently a more reddish fulvous modification of lutearia, with no trace of bands. Described 

 from Naples on several examples. Curo incUnes to unite it with sordidaria, but its large size and bright 



deceptoria. colour preclude this. — deceptoria Vill. (= abstinentaria Fuchs) with the forewing almost unicolorous fuscous 

 (really "blackish olive-green", as Fuchs gives) belongs entirely or almost entirely to the spring brood and is 



sordidaria. usually much smaller than the summer form. — sordidaria Zett. (5g, as rotaria) represents the less extreme 

 specimens of the first brood, the bands being present, though indistinct, dark and dull. In Lapland, where 

 the species does not appear till late in June, it is the only known form. — The egg is laid singly and is 

 rather elongate oval, almost twice as long as its greatest thickness, the polygonal reticulation irregular, enclosing 

 sUght concavities which are covered with a uniform minute pitting; micropylar rosette 7 — 9 —rayed, often 

 partly or entirely covered by dark shading. Larva reddish, with double dark dorsal line, light subdorsal 

 (continued on the head) and light lateral line. It feeds chiefly on Rumex and Polygonum. The first brood 

 of the moth appears in April, but is much scarcer than the second, which is very common in many places 

 in July and August, flying in open fields and similar localities. Sintenis (S. B. Ges. Dorpat vol 3, p. 298) has 

 recorded a halved gynandromorph, taken 27 June 1873, to which his attention was directed by its helplessness 

 on the wing, purpuraria has certainly a wide range in Europe and probably Asia Minor, but some records 

 may very likely belong to the following species. It is wanting in the Iberian Peninsula, in Britain and the 

 Arctic Region. 



purpurata. 



demaisoni. 

 rotaria. 



aucta. 



sangumaria. 



confluent. 

 vernaUs. 



porphy- 

 raria. 



L. purpurata L. (= craentaria Guen. nee Bkh.) (5g, as cruentaria) has been much confused with 

 purpuraria but is most certainly distinct, cf genitalia with valves small, quadrangular, with papillae at apex 

 as long as the valve itself. The two species were correctly separated by Laspeyres, recognized as probably 

 distinct species by Duponchel and recently (1905 and 1907) worked out very clearly by Demaison, though under 

 GuEpflEE's erroneous nomenclature, purpurata is smaller, somewhat shorter-winged, generally much more 

 brightly coloured, the first band (or half-band) nearer to the base, the 2"'' and 3"^ both present but very 

 closely approximated, generally entirely confluent or forking only close to the costal margin, thus forming 

 one conspicuous broad band. The purple-red on the underside of the hindwing is generally much extended. 

 Groimd-colour of forewing in general somewhat more greenish, of purpuraria more yellowish, but both vary 

 in this respect. — demaisoni form. nov. (gen. vern.) is parallel to the spring brood of purpuraria but rather 

 smaller and the markings, when still present, show the same characteristics as the summer brood. Much 

 scarcer. — rotaria F. is almost certainly an aberration of purpurata with the proximal band of the forewing 

 apparently wanting, the yellow underside unmarked. Germany. How the name comes to have been applied to 

 the spring brood of purpuraria I cannot understand. — aucta Krausse, from Sardinia, is evidently also an 

 aberration of purpurata. The subbasal purple band is broader ant nearly reaches the hindmargin, the distal 

 band very broad, hindwing with broad purple margin. Taken at light in Jmie. I have a similar example 

 before me, without exact locality. — The early stages have not been separately worked out. Demaison a 

 Rheims and Oberthur in the Pyrenees (f. sangiiinaria) have noticed that the summer brood appears some 

 weeks earlier than that of purpuraria and both agree with Duponchel that it is not found (like its relative) 

 frequenting cultivated fields. First brood in April (scarce), second in June and early July. Distribution not 

 fully ascertained; certainly France, Germany, Holland, Norway, S. Italy. — sanguinaria Dup. (= numantiaria 

 H.-tich.) (6b) represents purpurata in the Iberian Peninsula and a part Southern France; it agrees closely in 

 the genitalia and in the habits, etc., and Demaison notes an intermediate form at Rheims. Larger, the 2°'' 

 and 3'''' bands well separated, the S'" much narrowed, generally broken up into dots or nearly obsolete, very 

 variable, — In ab. confluens Oh. the forewing is strongly suffused with rosy almost throughout, the first two 

 bands broadly joined along the median vein. — vernalis Stgr. is the spring generation of sanguinaria, much 

 smaller and darker, never sharply marked. — The larva of sanguinaria is very slender, recalling that of 

 Acidalia ruhigiiiata ; blue-grey, with the dorsal surface red-brown; dorsal line line, sharply white; subdorsal 

 brown; a broad white lateral stripe, slightly undulate; spiracles very small, black-ringed. Polyphagous on 

 low plants, but partial to Rubia peregrina. The first brood of the moth appears in April-May and seems 

 scarce; the second and principal emergence is in June and early July. — porphyraria Il.-Sch. seems to me 

 to be certainly either a local form or an occidental aberration of purpurata, though its author maintained 

 that it was certainly a distinct species. Forewing above uniformly rosy purple with only the hindmarginal 

 area mixed with yellow in the proximal part; beneath yellow, with purple apex. Hindwing above normal, 

 beneath almost uniformly purple. S. Russia. I have before me only one example, but have observed a quite 

 similar underside in a specimen of ab. aucta. 



