﻿136 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  densely 
  clothed 
  with 
  short 
  scales, 
  the 
  very 
  minute 
  spurs 
  to 
  the 
  hind 
  tibiae, 
  and 
  

   several 
  other 
  minor 
  differences 
  (British 
  Entomology, 
  fo. 
  471). 
  

  

  Curtis 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  entirely 
  ignorant 
  that 
  Hiibner 
  had 
  already 
  

   (Verz., 
  p. 
  429) 
  created 
  the 
  genus 
  Agdistis 
  for 
  his 
  adactyla. 
  The 
  next 
  

   year, 
  1834, 
  Stephens 
  redescribed 
  the 
  genus 
  under 
  Hiibner' 
  s 
  name, 
  with 
  

   bennetii 
  as 
  type 
  (Brit. 
  Ent. 
  Haust., 
  iv., 
  p. 
  370). 
  

  

  The 
  imagines 
  of 
  this 
  genus, 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  all 
  other 
  Agdistids, 
  

   are 
  characterised 
  by 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  cleft 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  wings 
  

   present 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Alucitids, 
  although 
  the 
  point 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   wing, 
  where 
  it 
  normally 
  occurs 
  in 
  Alucitids, 
  is 
  without 
  a 
  fringe, 
  whilst 
  

   the 
  posterior 
  wings 
  are 
  not 
  divided 
  into 
  plumules. 
  The 
  ovum 
  is 
  

   a 
  very 
  specialised 
  structure 
  (judged 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  A. 
  bennetii), 
  for, 
  

   although 
  laid 
  as 
  a 
  flat 
  egg, 
  the 
  micropylar 
  end 
  is 
  circular 
  with 
  crenate 
  

   edge, 
  the 
  crenulations 
  giving 
  rise 
  to 
  longitudinal 
  flutings 
  that 
  suggest 
  

   strongly 
  an 
  urceolate 
  egg 
  turned 
  over 
  on 
  its 
  long 
  side, 
  the 
  pronounced 
  

   flutings, 
  however, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  egg 
  being 
  on 
  its 
  side, 
  give 
  the 
  egg 
  

   somewhat 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  brick 
  (roughly 
  not 
  unlike 
  an 
  Ennomid 
  egg). 
  

   The 
  larva 
  has 
  the 
  characteristic 
  Alucitid 
  tubercular 
  arrangement 
  on 
  

   the 
  abdominal 
  segments, 
  i 
  (on 
  1st 
  subsegment), 
  nearer 
  mediodorsal 
  line 
  

   than 
  ii 
  (on 
  the 
  2nd 
  subsegment), 
  iii 
  (on 
  1st 
  subsegment) 
  supra- 
  

   spiracular, 
  iv 
  and 
  v 
  (on 
  1st 
  subsegment), 
  both 
  subspiracular 
  and 
  above 
  

   the 
  lateral 
  flange, 
  vi 
  (single) 
  and 
  vii 
  above 
  prolegs, 
  the 
  subsegmental 
  

   divisions 
  being 
  lost 
  below 
  the 
  flange. 
  

  

  Adactylus 
  bennetii, 
  Curtis. 
  

  

  Synonymy. 
  — 
  Species 
  : 
  Bennetii, 
  Curt., 
  "Brit. 
  Ent.," 
  fo. 
  471 
  (1833); 
  app. 
  p. 
  

   424 
  ; 
  Stphs., 
  " 
  Illus. 
  Haust.," 
  iv., 
  p. 
  370 
  (1834); 
  Wood, 
  " 
  Ind. 
  Ent.," 
  1st 
  ed., 
  p. 
  

   234, 
  pi. 
  1L, 
  fig. 
  1625 
  (1839): 
  Zell., 
  -'Linn. 
  Ent.,"vi., 
  p. 
  324 
  (1852); 
  Curt., 
  "Gen. 
  

   Brit. 
  Lep.." 
  pi. 
  xv., 
  fig. 
  193 
  (185$); 
  Sta., 
  " 
  Man.," 
  ii., 
  p. 
  440 
  (1859) 
  ; 
  Staud., 
  "Cat.," 
  

   2nd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  341 
  (1871) 
  : 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  78 
  (1901) 
  ; 
  Moncreaff, 
  "Ent.," 
  v., 
  321 
  (1871) 
  ; 
  

   South. 
  " 
  Ent.," 
  xvi., 
  p. 
  27, 
  pi. 
  i., 
  figs. 
  3-3c 
  (1883) 
  ; 
  Leech, 
  " 
  Brit. 
  Pvr.," 
  p. 
  50, 
  pi. 
  

   xvi., 
  fig. 
  1 
  (1886) 
  ; 
  Tutt, 
  "Young 
  Nat.," 
  x., 
  pp. 
  163, 
  197 
  (1889) 
  ; 
  " 
  Pter. 
  Brit.," 
  

   p. 
  15 
  (1895); 
  Meyr., 
  "Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  Lond.," 
  1890, 
  p. 
  487 
  (1890); 
  "Hand- 
  

   book," 
  etc., 
  p. 
  441 
  (1895) 
  ; 
  Richdsn., 
  "Lep. 
  Fauna 
  Portland," 
  p. 
  4 
  (1890) 
  ; 
  Snellen, 
  

   "Tijds.," 
  xl., 
  p. 
  363 
  (1897); 
  Porritt. 
  "Buckler's 
  Larva," 
  ix.. 
  p. 
  335, 
  pi. 
  clxiii., 
  

   fig. 
  1 
  (1901). 
  Bennettii, 
  Westd., 
  " 
  Classfn.," 
  etc., 
  ii., 
  p. 
  115 
  (1840); 
  H.-Sch., 
  

   " 
  Sys. 
  Bearb.,"v., 
  p. 
  365, 
  supp. 
  fig. 
  1 
  (1855); 
  Barr., 
  "Lep. 
  Brit. 
  Isles," 
  ix., 
  

   p. 
  341, 
  pi. 
  431, 
  figs. 
  1-lb 
  (1904). 
  Bennetti, 
  Zell., 
  " 
  Isis," 
  1841, 
  p. 
  772 
  (1841). 
  

  

  Oeigixal 
  description. 
  — 
  Adactylus 
  bennetii, 
  3,2. 
  Length 
  6|--7|-1., 
  

   breadth 
  lin. 
  Reddish-cinereous, 
  sometimes 
  with 
  an 
  ochreous 
  tint; 
  eyes 
  

   black 
  ; 
  superior 
  wings 
  with 
  four 
  dark 
  spots 
  upon 
  each 
  = 
  one 
  towards 
  the 
  

   base, 
  another 
  nearer 
  the 
  middle, 
  and 
  two 
  beyond 
  it 
  approaching 
  the 
  

   posterior 
  angle 
  ; 
  abdomen 
  of 
  2 
  with 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  pairs 
  of 
  black 
  dots 
  

   down 
  the 
  back" 
  (Curtis). 
  

  

  Imago. 
  — 
  25mm. 
  -29mm. 
  Anterior 
  wings 
  entire, 
  much 
  arched 
  near 
  the 
  

   apex, 
  which 
  is 
  pointed 
  ; 
  colour 
  shining 
  grey, 
  the 
  costal 
  and 
  inner 
  

   margins 
  much 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  wmite 
  scales, 
  a 
  line 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  apex 
  

   of 
  the 
  wing 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  median 
  nervure, 
  and 
  another 
  from 
  the 
  

   base 
  to 
  the 
  outer 
  margin 
  (at 
  about 
  one-half 
  between 
  the 
  apex 
  and 
  anal 
  

   angle) 
  would 
  enclose 
  a 
  wedge-shaped 
  space, 
  much 
  more 
  sparsely 
  scaled 
  

   than 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  w 
  T 
  ing, 
  and 
  not 
  sprinkled 
  w 
  T 
  ith 
  wmitish 
  scales 
  similar 
  

  

  * 
  Curtis 
  figures 
  the 
  species 
  with 
  a 
  plant, 
  and 
  notes: 
  — 
  "The 
  plant 
  is 
  Carex 
  

   limosa 
  (Green 
  and 
  Gold 
  Carex) 
  ; 
  communicated 
  by 
  C. 
  J. 
  Paget, 
  Esq., 
  from 
  a 
  bog 
  

   at 
  Belten, 
  Suffolk." 
  One 
  suspects 
  that 
  the 
  plant 
  was 
  simply 
  added 
  for 
  artistic 
  

   purposes, 
  and 
  that 
  neither 
  plant 
  nor 
  locality 
  bad 
  anything 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  moth. 
  

  

  