﻿ADACTYLUS 
  BENNETII. 
  137 
  

  

  to 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  costal 
  and 
  inner 
  margins 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  costal 
  area 
  are 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  short 
  blackish 
  streaks, 
  and 
  directly 
  along 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  fold 
  are 
  

   four 
  black 
  dots 
  stretching 
  longitudinally 
  across 
  the 
  wing 
  ; 
  fringes 
  

   rather 
  lighter 
  and 
  more 
  shiny 
  than 
  the 
  ground-tint 
  of 
  the 
  wing. 
  

   Posterior 
  wings 
  entire, 
  the 
  same 
  colour 
  as 
  the 
  forewings, 
  the 
  nervures 
  

   rather 
  darker, 
  no 
  markings, 
  fringes 
  paler, 
  very 
  shiny, 
  and 
  distinctly 
  

   marked 
  with 
  a 
  dark 
  line 
  passing 
  through 
  it 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  hind 
  

   margin. 
  

  

  Variation. 
  — 
  There 
  is 
  considerable 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  tint 
  of 
  the 
  

   ground-colour 
  of 
  both 
  fore- 
  and 
  hindwings 
  and 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  black 
  

   markings. 
  The 
  various 
  forms 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  noticed 
  are 
  : 
  

  

  (1) 
  Unicolorous 
  whitish 
  -grey, 
  without 
  black 
  markings 
  = 
  ab. 
  grisea, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Whitish-grey, 
  with 
  four 
  black 
  dots 
  on 
  the 
  disc 
  = 
  ab. 
  grisea-typica, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (3) 
  Whitish-grey, 
  with 
  the 
  usual 
  dots 
  and 
  short 
  black 
  costal 
  streaks 
  = 
  ab. 
  

   grisea-lineata, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (4) 
  Whitish-grey, 
  with 
  ochreous 
  costal 
  and 
  inner 
  margins 
  = 
  ab. 
  ochrea, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (5) 
  As 
  4, 
  but 
  with 
  four 
  black 
  dots 
  on 
  disc 
  = 
  bennetii, 
  Curt. 
  

  

  (6) 
  As 
  5, 
  but 
  with 
  short 
  black 
  costal 
  streaks 
  = 
  ab. 
  ochrea-lineata, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  local 
  race 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  described, 
  viz., 
  from 
  

   Portland, 
  where 
  the 
  species 
  lives 
  on 
  a 
  different 
  foodplant, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  

   different 
  habitat 
  from 
  the 
  saltmarsh 
  form. 
  This 
  form 
  we 
  call 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  a. 
  var. 
  portlandica, 
  n. 
  var. 
  Bennetii 
  var., 
  Eichdsn., 
  " 
  Lep. 
  Fauna 
  of 
  Portland," 
  

   p. 
  40 
  (1890) 
  ; 
  " 
  List 
  Portld. 
  Lep.," 
  p. 
  171 
  (1896).— 
  Rather 
  lighter 
  coloured 
  and 
  about 
  

   one-eighth 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  specimens 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  saltmarshes 
  of 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Wight. 
  

   At 
  Portland 
  the 
  insect 
  occurs 
  on 
  cliffs 
  by 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  the 
  larvge 
  feed 
  on 
  Statice 
  

   binervosa, 
  and 
  not 
  on 
  its 
  usual 
  foodplant 
  S. 
  limonium, 
  an 
  inhabitant 
  of 
  saltmarshes. 
  

   Although 
  the 
  latter 
  plant 
  grows 
  on 
  the 
  Chesil 
  Beach, 
  A. 
  bennetii 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  

   taken 
  there 
  (Richardson). 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  "List 
  of 
  Portland 
  Lepidoptera," 
  p. 
  171, 
  Richardson 
  adds 
  

   that 
  " 
  The 
  insect 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  all 
  stages 
  on 
  Statice 
  auriculaefolia 
  

   (binervosa), 
  rather 
  small 
  and 
  'dark' 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  saltmarsh 
  form." 
  

   In 
  his 
  original 
  description 
  he 
  noted 
  the 
  form 
  as 
  "lighter 
  coloured 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   than 
  Isle 
  of 
  Wight 
  specimens." 
  The 
  later 
  note 
  he 
  says 
  was 
  a 
  laps, 
  

   cat. 
  for 
  "light 
  coloured." 
  

  

  Egglaying. 
  — 
  In 
  captivity 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid 
  June 
  6th-7th, 
  1899, 
  on 
  

   the 
  underside 
  of 
  fresh 
  and 
  withered 
  grass 
  leaves, 
  over 
  which 
  some 
  2 
  s 
  

   had 
  been 
  enclosed 
  ; 
  no 
  foodplant 
  was 
  available 
  (Bacot). 
  On 
  June 
  3rd, 
  

   1905, 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid 
  freely 
  on 
  the 
  small 
  central 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  foodplant, 
  

   usually 
  on 
  the 
  underside, 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  (Ovenden). 
  A 
  $ 
  was 
  busy 
  egglaying 
  June 
  15th, 
  

   1905, 
  when 
  spring 
  larva? 
  were 
  still 
  feeding, 
  about 
  halfgrown 
  in 
  Last 
  

   stadium 
  (Chapman). 
  

  

  Ovum. 
  — 
  The 
  egg 
  when 
  laid 
  is 
  green, 
  with 
  whitish 
  opalescent 
  tint, 
  

   according 
  to 
  light. 
  Its 
  length 
  is 
  0-74mm., 
  its 
  greatest 
  width 
  CKOmin., 
  

   its 
  greatest 
  height 
  O'BOinm. 
  Its 
  form 
  is 
  remarkable, 
  laid 
  on 
  a 
  rather 
  

   flat 
  side, 
  one 
  end 
  is 
  nearly 
  circular, 
  about 
  O'SOmm. 
  across, 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  flat; 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  this 
  end 
  is 
  raised 
  into 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  beads, 
  paler 
  

   than 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  egg, 
  pearly 
  white, 
  about 
  twenty-six 
  in 
  number; 
  

   they 
  are 
  crenulations 
  of 
  the 
  margin, 
  and 
  might 
  be 
  described 
  as 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  the 
  top 
  or 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  egg, 
  the 
  beads, 
  however, 
  do 
  not 
  overlap 
  the 
  

   sides, 
  i.e., 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  project 
  beyond 
  the 
  lines 
  bounding 
  the 
  sidos, 
  

   though 
  the 
  sulci 
  between 
  them 
  just 
  mark 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  sides. 
  

   inside 
  the 
  beads; 
  the 
  top 
  bulges 
  a- 
  little, 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  middle 
  is 
  nearly 
  

   level 
  with 
  the 
  crenated 
  margins 
  that 
  stand 
  up 
  round 
  its 
  edge. 
  The 
  

   circular 
  (?) 
  margin 
  of 
  this 
  end 
  is 
  faintly 
  angulated, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  

  

  