﻿AMBLYPTILIA 
  COSMODACTYLA. 
  275 
  

  

  alone 
  being 
  shown. 
  Forewing 
  silky 
  drab-brown, 
  much 
  speckled 
  and 
  

   mottled 
  with 
  blackish 
  ; 
  costa 
  posteriorly 
  white-marked, 
  an 
  oblique 
  

   bright 
  ochreous 
  costal 
  spot 
  preceding 
  an 
  oblique 
  whitish 
  subapical 
  

   fascia, 
  from 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  whitish 
  streak, 
  like 
  a 
  dagger-blade, 
  

   projects 
  inwardly 
  ; 
  dorsum 
  partially 
  washed 
  with 
  rufous-tawny 
  

   beyond 
  middle; 
  termen 
  slightly 
  notched 
  in 
  centre, 
  but 
  showing 
  no- 
  

   fissure 
  ; 
  cilia 
  and 
  scale-tooth 
  much 
  as 
  in 
  fig. 
  35, 
  but 
  a 
  small, 
  slightly- 
  

   projecting, 
  black 
  scale-tooth 
  replaces 
  the 
  blackish 
  spot 
  in 
  cilia 
  

   between 
  central 
  scale-tooth 
  and 
  tornus. 
  Hindwing 
  drab-brown, 
  

   speckled 
  with 
  blackish, 
  darker 
  posteriorly 
  ; 
  upper 
  plumule 
  with 
  a 
  

   straight, 
  bright 
  ochreous, 
  subterminal 
  fascia 
  ; 
  cilia 
  lilac-grey, 
  with 
  a 
  

   broad, 
  central, 
  blackish, 
  mediodorsal 
  scale-tooth 
  (Bankes. 
  From 
  

   W. 
  H. 
  B. 
  Fletcher's 
  copy 
  of 
  Hiibner's 
  Eurojp. 
  Schmett., 
  pi. 
  vii., 
  figs. 
  

   35-86). 
  

  

  Eaeliest 
  description. 
  — 
  The 
  oldest 
  description 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   reads 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  Pterophorus 
  calodactylus, 
  alis 
  fissis 
  fuscis 
  ; 
  anticis 
  

   subfalcatis 
  fissis 
  fulvo-maculatis, 
  posticis 
  tripartitis. 
  [Alucita 
  calodac- 
  

   tyla, 
  "Wien. 
  Verz.," 
  146, 
  4.] 
  Habitat 
  in 
  Austria, 
  Mus. 
  Dom. 
  Schieffer- 
  

   myller. 
  Statura 
  prsecedentium. 
  Alse 
  anticae 
  cinereo 
  fuscse 
  apice 
  

   obscuriores 
  macula 
  magna 
  fulva. 
  Margo 
  interior 
  dentatus, 
  posticus- 
  

   fissus. 
  Posticae 
  tripartita 
  nigrre. 
  Pedes 
  albo 
  annulati 
  (Fabricius, 
  

   Mantissa 
  bisector 
  urn, 
  p. 
  258). 
  

  

  Imago. 
  — 
  20mm. 
  -22mm. 
  Forewings 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  lobes 
  ; 
  apex 
  

   pointed, 
  slightly 
  falcate; 
  anal 
  angle 
  of 
  hinder 
  lobe 
  slightly 
  prolonged; 
  

   a 
  small 
  lobe 
  on 
  inner 
  margin 
  of 
  hindwing. 
  Ground-colour 
  of 
  fore- 
  

   wings 
  of 
  a 
  rich 
  reddish-brown, 
  showing 
  longitudinally 
  along 
  costa, 
  

   near 
  inner 
  margin, 
  from 
  anal 
  angle 
  to 
  base, 
  and 
  above 
  the 
  cleft 
  of 
  

   upper 
  lobe 
  ; 
  the 
  median 
  area 
  from 
  cleft 
  to 
  base 
  pale 
  flesh-colour 
  (due 
  

   to 
  thick 
  sprinkling 
  of 
  white 
  scales), 
  interrupted 
  with 
  two 
  (or 
  three) 
  

   short 
  longitudinal 
  dark 
  brown 
  discal 
  spots; 
  a 
  deep 
  velvety-brown 
  

   triangular 
  costal 
  spot, 
  of 
  which 
  apex 
  reaches 
  below 
  the 
  cleft, 
  its 
  outer 
  

   edge 
  margined 
  with 
  white 
  ; 
  a 
  deep, 
  rich, 
  velvety-brown 
  (almost 
  black 
  

   externally) 
  band 
  across 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  lower 
  lobes, 
  the 
  inner 
  edge 
  

   irregular, 
  the 
  outer 
  edged 
  with 
  a 
  fine, 
  white, 
  transverse 
  line 
  ; 
  the 
  

   upper 
  lobe 
  strongly 
  covered 
  with 
  white 
  scales, 
  the 
  costal 
  and 
  outer 
  

   margin 
  brown, 
  the 
  anal 
  angle 
  and 
  outer 
  margin 
  with 
  black 
  scales- 
  

   variable 
  in 
  number) 
  ; 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  less 
  thickly 
  covered 
  with 
  white 
  

   scales, 
  the 
  margins 
  and 
  anal 
  angle 
  strongly 
  suffused 
  with 
  black 
  ; 
  

   the 
  costa 
  marked 
  with 
  short 
  white 
  oblique 
  dashes, 
  the 
  inner 
  margin 
  

   with 
  white 
  fringes 
  chequered 
  with 
  black 
  scales 
  ; 
  the 
  outer 
  fringes 
  grey 
  

   with 
  white 
  bases, 
  at 
  the 
  anal 
  angle 
  black 
  ; 
  the 
  cleft-fringes 
  grey, 
  

   darker 
  towards 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  cleft, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  white 
  lunular 
  mark, 
  

   with 
  a 
  black 
  discal 
  point 
  terminating 
  the 
  cleft. 
  Hindwings 
  divided 
  

   into 
  three 
  plumules, 
  the 
  second 
  cleft 
  much 
  more 
  deeply 
  cut 
  than 
  the 
  

   first 
  ; 
  dark 
  grey-brown 
  in 
  colour 
  ; 
  the 
  fringes 
  dark 
  grey 
  ; 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   outer 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  with 
  paler 
  bases, 
  with 
  a 
  well-marked 
  

   scale-patch 
  medially, 
  with 
  isolated 
  black 
  scales 
  extending 
  to 
  base, 
  and 
  

   sometimes 
  to 
  apex. 
  

  

  Variation. 
  — 
  Extreme 
  colour 
  aberrations 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   remarkably 
  few, 
  yet 
  there 
  is 
  considerable 
  racial 
  distinction 
  in 
  specimens 
  

   reared 
  under 
  different 
  environmental 
  conditions, 
  and, 
  amongst 
  our 
  

   British 
  examples, 
  one 
  notes 
  many 
  interesting 
  races, 
  and 
  observes 
  that. 
  

   although 
  our 
  specimens 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  England 
  — 
  Devonshire. 
  

   Dorsetshire, 
  Kent, 
  Essex, 
  Sussex, 
  etc. 
  — 
  show 
  comparatively 
  little 
  

  

  