ANTHROCEEA TKIFOLII. 489 



vii., p. 197 (1875) ; Oberth., "Etudes," i., p. 33 (1876); Hofmn., " Die Gross- 

 Schmett.," p. 35 (1887). Australis, Led., " Verh. z.-b. Ver. Wien," ii., p. 71 

 (1852). Trifolii, Ramb., "Cat. Lep. And.," p. 177, pi. i., figs. 5-8 (1858).— 

 Alis anterioribus obtusiusculis nigro-viridibus, maculis quinque minutis puni- 

 ceis ; posterioribus rubris margine lato chalybeo. b. Macula tertia-punctiforni. 

 c. Macula tertia venam subcostalem viridi-nigram excedenie. d. Maculis 3 

 et 4 coalitis. Laeva : Pale yellow, with a black, yellow-spotted head ; 4 rows of 

 black spots ; above the lateral (? supraspiracular) rows the hind-margin of the 

 segments is lemon-yellow in colour. The two dorsal rows of spots are nearly 

 as broad as the segments ; they are deep black, emarginate above, with a 

 spot of the ground colour in the middle. In the lateral (? supra-spiracular) 

 rows each segment has two spots, one near the front margin, the other at 

 the hind margin ; the former is produced beneath into two points, which are 

 sometimes separated from it as a confluent spot ; the second is smaller, longish 

 and concave above ; in the concavity lies the lemon-yellow spot of the hind- 

 margin, which reaches as far as the dorsal row of black spots. The lateral ( ? sub- 

 spiracular) spots form a black longitudinal band. The anal plate is of a deeper 

 yellow than the ground colour, and has in front of the hind margin a black trans- 

 verse line, and in front of this, right and left, a black dot. The anal prolegs are 

 coloured like the anal plate, and have on the side a blackish dash, emarginate above. 

 There is a grey, median, longitudinal ventral band. Cocoon : Somewhat slender, 

 almost spindle-shaped, a little shorter and thicker at the upper than at the lower 

 end ; straw-coloured, shiny, and with 6 to 8 irregular longitudinal ridges, of which 

 some extend the whole length of the cocoon, others are shorter, and join the longer 

 ones before reaching the end of the cocoon. Common at Syracuse. The larvae 

 were not rare in a meadow where J uncus acutus grew in plenty, on the culms of 

 which they generally make their cocoons. The insect inhabits damp- meadows, the 

 imago sitting on thistle-flowers. The earliest emergence was observed on May 4th, 

 and the imagines lasted until the middle third of the month (Zeller). Sicily : 

 Syracuse (Zeller), Ficuzza, Caronie, Medda (Calberla). Algeria : Geryville, etc. 

 (Oberthur). Spain : Catalonia, etc. (Brit. Mus. Coll., teste Tutt). 



Zeller considered the insect very near A. trifolii, and states that he 

 brings it forward as a distinct" species with but little confidence. He 

 is induced to do this, however, by the small size of the spots on the 

 fore-wing, the very broad black margin of the hind-wing, and the 

 striking basal spot of the same colour, which runs as a broad stripe 

 along the inner margin as far as the hind margin, and is accompanied 

 by some black scales on the adjacent part of the wing. The wings of 

 syracusia, he says, are also somewhat broader posteriorly, and more 

 rounded at apex. The ? has larger spots than the male. The antennae 

 and legs agree with those of A. trifolii. Zeller took the insect for A. 

 trifolii at the time, although struck by its early appearance (the latter 

 insect not occurring till July and August, in Silesia) . The insect is 

 diagnosed (Cat., p. 47) by Staudinger as : " Minor, al. ant. maculis par- 

 vis, disjunctis, post, margine latonigro (Sicily, Ital. mer., Hisp., Mauri- 

 tanica)." Zapater says, common in June, in Spain, its chrysalis is found 

 on rushes. The specimens in the British Museum collection, some of 

 which are Zeller's original examples, show them to be a somewhat small 

 form of A. trifolii, 25-30 mm., the spots small and generally quite sepa- 

 rated. Other specimens are labelled from Catalonia, and these run from 

 24-30 mm. (The Guernsey examples appear almost inseparable from 

 this variety.) One small example has a very broad black margin to the 

 hind-wings, similar to an example Mr. Prout obtained at Brox- 

 bourne. Curo notices it as a very small form, with the small spots of 

 the anterior wings not confluent, and with a wide black margin to the 

 posterior wings. The main characters of the larva, as given by Zeller 

 (supra), are those of that of the early form of A. trifolii, and the 

 differences given by Speyer (Stett. Ent. Zeit., xxxviii., pp. 40 et seq.) 

 between the larvae of A. syracusia and A. trifolii are simply those 



