NYSSIA. By L. B. Prout. • 355 



? also nearest zonaria, but blacker. — • hybr. hiinii Oh. (ponionaria (J X L. hiitaria $). ,^ simiJar to the reci- imnvi. 

 procal hybrid pilzii (p. 356) but paler, more clearly marked, subterminal line more dentate. $ with narrow, 

 acutely pointed wings, unfitted for flight. 



P. lapponaria Bsd. (19 d). For the differentiation from pomonaria, see above. Body rather robust, lapponaria. 

 blackish, in both sexes with crown of head reddish ochreous and reddish ochreous dorsal spots, almost con- 

 fluent (in pomonaria this admixture is much slighter and less defined). Wings more black-marked. Egg 

 greenish yellow. — Larva variable, yellow-grey to purple-broMai, with yellow lines or stripes. On Calluna, Myrica, 

 etc.; also on birch. The pupa commonly hibernates twice. Emerges April — May. N. Europe, Silesia, the Alps. 

 — - hybr. smallmani Harrison (lapponaria (^ x N. zonaria $). ,^ very like the reciprocal hybrid merana, but smalhnani. 

 more weakly scaled, the black markings hence looking greyer, more washed-out. $ like that of merana but 

 with longer hairs. 



P. (?) liquidaria Ev. is said to be very near pomonaria but smaller, wings broader at the base, delicate liquidaria. 

 and very transparent, especially the hindwing; whitish grey, forewing with a broad brown band, bordered 

 by two darker lines, the first oblique, the second parallel to the distal margin. Hindwing almost unmarked. 

 Kirghis Steppes. 



107. Gemis: Bfyssia Dup. 



Less strongly hairy than Poecilopsis, ? antenna normal. Tibial spurs normally developed. Forewing 

 with 1st — 2nd subcostal short-stalked. Larva smooth, almost cylindrical, feeding on Ioaa' plants. All the 

 species are Palearctic. 



N. zonaria Schiff. (19 d). <^: variable, but always easy to recognize. Characteristic are the dark veins zonaria. 

 and broad dark distal area, bounded proximally and traversed by sharply white lines. $: distinguished by 

 its yellowish abdominal belts. The rudimentary white wings are common to the genus. Hakeison regards 

 as name-typical the ^ form with sharply blackish markings, which is prevalent on the Continent. — britan- hritamiica. 

 nica Harrison. Markings greyer, less sharply defined. Britain. — (5*-ab. obscura Harrison. Forewing almost obscura. 

 wholly suffused with black. — rossica Harrison. ,^ very small with strong dark markings and line-like sub- rossica. 

 terminal band. Ural. — • Larva with dorsal area greenish or grey Avith dark irroration and marbling, an irre- 

 gular blackish line separating this area from a yellow spiracular stripe. The moth usually hibernates in the 

 pupal shell and emerges in March — -April, but a few examples sometimes emerge in the autumn. Central 

 Europe, the Taurus and Caucasus. — • hybr. langei Harrison (zonaria-^J X P. pomonaria- 9)- cj: extremely Imigei. 

 like that of zonaria but with the markings deeper black; ground-colour not yellowish as in the reciprocal 

 hybrid. $ also blacker. — ■ hybr. merana Bwroivs (zonaria (^ X P. lapponaria $). (J marked nearly as in lap- merana. 

 poraosrm but with the denser scaling and white ground-colour of zonaria. — hybr. harrisoni fi'a.j'rwom (zonaria-j^ Iwrrisoni. 

 X L. hirtaria-$). The (J differs from dark-suffused hirtaria in its smaller size, whitish ground-colour, broad 

 white subterminal line and much more sharply marked hindwing, the darkened distal half with white post- 

 median band (though narrow) and white subterminal line recalling Ithysia. $ wings very narrow^ and pointed, 

 generally blacker than those of hybrids hiinii and pilzii. 



N. incisarius Led. Only known from one $. Near zonaria, a little smaller. Thorax and abdomen incisarius. 

 black, the posterior margins of the segments sharply edged with white ; head, antenna, body and the rudiments 

 of wings white-haired; legs black, ringed with white. Achalzik. 



N. alpina Sulz. (= bombycaria Bsd.) (19 d). The cj is distinguished by its more shortly pectinate alpina. 

 antenna, with simple apex. Postmedian line of forewing straight from middle of hindmargin to 3rd radial, 

 then forming a regular curve. Cell-marks mostly large, pale-centred. $ easily known by the white face and 

 collar. — (J-ab. extincta Harrison lacks the terminal dark suffusion of the forewing, which is therefore whitish extincta. 

 from the subterminal line to the margin. — (J-ab. tenebraria Rhl. has both wings almiost uniformly black- tenehraria. 

 grey. — ■ Egg flattened oval, blue-green. Larva green, densely dotted and strigulated with black and with a 

 bright yellow, sinuous lateral stripe. Polyphagous on low plants. Pupa compact, blackish brown, strongly 

 punctured, usually passing two winters. Moth in June at high elevations in the Alps and Tyrol. 



N. florentina has been shown by Hareison to be a distinct species. ^ genitalia with the valves and floretitinu. 

 gnathos quite differently shaped from those of alpina and graecarius. In wing-markings it is always easily 

 distinguishable by the very oblique course of all the lines on both wings from the inner margin to the 2nd sub- 

 median vein. Antennal pectinations long. $ robust, legs strong, wings white, beneath jet black. — florentina 

 Stefan., the name-type of the species, is a strongly brown-tinged form with brown thorax and strong markings 

 and suffusions. Florence and Modena. — • italica Harrison (= alpinaria Scriba in err.) (19 d) is grey, only very italica. 

 faintly mixed with light brown. Thorax grey. N. Italy. — carniolica Harrison is also grey, but heavily suf- camiolica. 

 fused with blackish scales, markings stronger than in italica. Thorax dark grey. Carniola. 



