236 ■ ^^6 Fhilippine Journal of Science i9i7 



General distribution. — Throughout Japan, China, and Korea; 

 eastward to the Philippines and southward to the Malay Archi- 

 pelago. (Seitz.) 



Diacrisia nivea Menetries. 



Plate I, fig. 8, larva; fig. 9, food plant. 



Japanese names, shiro-hitari and kyo-joro. 



Dionychopus niveus Menetries, Bull. Phys. Math. Petr. (1859), 17, 

 218; Schrenck's Reisen, Lep. (1859), 2, 52, PI. 4, fig. 6; Pryer, 

 Trans. Asiat. Soc. Japan (1885), 12, 48, No. 138; Leech, Proc. 

 Zool. Soc. London (1888), 620, No. 196; KiRBY, Cat. Lep. Het. (1892), 

 1, 229; Staudinger, Rom. Mem. Lep. (1892), 6, 289; Leech, Trans. 

 Ent. Soc. London (1899), 151, No. 494; Stgr. and Reb., Cat. Lep. 

 Pal. (1901), 1, 365, No. 4165; Butler, Cist. Ent., 2, 32; Hampson, 

 Cat. Lep. Phal. (1901), 267; Matsumura, Cat. Insect. Jap. (1905), 

 1, 173, No. 1453; Miyake, Bull. Coll. Agr., Tokyo Imp. Univ. 

 (1909), 8, 157; Seitz, Macrolep. Faun. Pal. (1910), 2, 88, PI. 

 15 h; Matsumura, Thousand Insects of Japan [Nihon Senchu Dzukai 

 (Jap.)] (1911), suppl. 3, 27, PI. 32, fig. 4, 5- 



The larva figured (Plate I, fig. 8) was taken, in June, 1902, 

 at Hakodate, Oshima Province, Hokkaido (Yezo) on an herb of 

 which I know neither the Latin nor the Japanese name. This 

 larva died, but I bred two female imagoes at Hakodate on August 

 17 and 19, 1902, from larvae compared with my original figure 

 of the June larva. 



Matsumura " describes the larva as follows and states that 

 it feeds on obako (Plantago major Linn, var asiatica Dene.) and 

 tampopo {Taraxacum officinale Wigg. var glaticescens Koch) : 

 "Dark ashy-grey with long ashy-grey yellow hairs; pale lateral 

 markings." 



Graeser says that the larvae, which hibernate in the young 

 stage, are full grown by June and that the imago emerges in 

 July. 



Staudinger " describes the larva as follows : 



Dirty-grey with lighter lateral markings and fascicles of long yellowish- 

 grey hairs, which are not so bushy as in Arctia caja, but are thicker than 

 in Arctia purpurata. 



I describe my larva from the original figure as follows: 

 Larva. — Head ochraceous black with white V mark; body 

 ruddy brown with the segmental divisions well marked by darker 

 color; dorsal and lateral fascicles of hair ruddy gray; spiracles 

 white; legs and prolegs ochraceous. 



'■Thousand Insects of Japan (1911), suppl. 3, 27. 

 ''Rom. Mem. Lep. (1892), 6, 289. 



