496 BRITISH LEPIDOPTEEA. 



exposed. The 1st abdominal segment of the same black colour as the 

 thoracic segments. The 2nd-7th abdominal segments very delicate, 

 the skin almost transparent and smooth, except for a row of very fine, 

 closely set, minute, black hooks on the front edge of each segment, 

 the membrane of the segmental incisions quite transparent. The 

 8th and 9th abdominal segments are much smaller but more 

 opaque, shining, blackish, and the hooks are better developed and 

 set rather further back on these segments. The cremaster is 

 shining, black, turned back dorsally, the tip studded with numerous 

 black points. The lateral longitudinal grooves on the dorsum of 

 the mesothorax are very marked, and formed of semi-transparent chitin. 

 Some variation in the colour of the abdominal segments occurs ; 

 this is especially liable to be the case in immature examples. 

 Ventral view : The mouth, mouth-parts and wings black, the appendages 

 rather less black, the abdominal segments 1-4 quite transparent, but faint 

 blackish in hue ; the remaining segments more opaque and blacker. 

 The maxillae and third pair of legs free and extending to the venter 

 of the 6th abdominal segment. Each abdominal segment bears ventrally 

 two depressions, occupying the positions of the larval prolegs ; the anal 

 organs sloping ventrally, rough ; the genital organs prominent on the 8th 

 or 9th abdominal segments (according to sex). Lateral view: The glazed 

 eye is a smooth shiny blackish-brown lunule, extending from the base 

 of antenna to the first pair of legs ; the wing-neuration is very distinct, 

 the spiracles small, black, and inconspicuous, placed posteriorly on the 

 segments ; the two depressions above each spiracle represent the 

 positions of the subdorsal (i and ii) and the supraspiracular (iii) 

 tubercles of the adult larva ; the cremaster prominent. Hellins notes 

 that some pupae that he measured were about 2 mm. shorter than those 

 of A. filipendulae, but that he could detect no other difference between 

 them. Webb states (Ent. Record, vii., p. 255) that the pupa some- 

 times goes over the winter, the imago emerging the next year. We 

 have little doubt this is an error. Apparently living pupae do go over 

 the winter, but such pupae always produce a parasite the next summer. 

 It is the pupa of the parasite, and not of the moth, we believe, that 

 lives through the winter. 



Dehiscence. — The dorsal head-piece carries the antennae, glazed 

 eye and maxillae ; the pro- and mesothorax split mediodorsally, to 

 posterior margin of mesothorax, and carry the wings, the surfaces of 

 both fore- and hind-wings being completely separated and free from 

 the abdominal segments ; the maxillae and third pair of legs retain 

 their position, but the first and second pairs of legs separate indepen- 

 dently ; the abdominal incisions 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, are stretched 

 out widely, and exhibit conspicuously the transparency of the con- 

 necting membrane. 



Food-plants. — Trifolium jnocumbens, Lotus comicidatus, Hippo- 

 crepis comma (Boisduval), I^otus comicidatus (Hellins, Briggs), Poly- 

 gonum aviculare (Machin), Trifolium procumbens, Lotus comicidatus, 

 Coronilla varia (St. John). [Lafitole records {Pet. Nouv., 1876, p. 62) 

 a larva found feeding on oak. There is, one would suppose, some 

 error here.] 



Parasites. — Casinaria vidua, Holmgren, bred by Weston (Bignell), 

 0. orbitalis, Gr., and Cnjptus zygaenarum, Katz., have also been bred 

 from this species. 



