﻿278 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  *' 
  heath 
  " 
  localities 
  the 
  specimens 
  are 
  of 
  normal 
  size 
  and 
  brightness.] 
  

   Holmann 
  does 
  not 
  note 
  that 
  his 
  "heath" 
  race 
  is 
  abnormally 
  small. 
  

  

  7. 
  var. 
  calaminthae, 
  Frey, 
  " 
  Stett. 
  Ent. 
  Ztg.," 
  p. 
  62 
  (1886) 
  ; 
  Hofm., 
  " 
  Die 
  

   Deutsch. 
  Pteroph.," 
  pp. 
  62-63 
  (1895); 
  Staud. 
  and 
  Reb., 
  " 
  Cat.," 
  p. 
  73 
  (1901).— 
  

   Amblyptilia 
  calaminthae, 
  Schmid. 
  Schmid 
  discovered, 
  in 
  1880, 
  very 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn, 
  near 
  Regensburg, 
  this 
  interesting 
  species, 
  which 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  acanthodactyla 
  

   .group. 
  Zeller 
  and 
  I 
  always 
  differed 
  on 
  the 
  specific 
  value 
  of 
  cosmodactyla, 
  Hb., 
  which 
  

   he 
  considered 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  aeanthadactyla, 
  Hb., 
  nor 
  was 
  his 
  opinion 
  shaken 
  by 
  my 
  dis- 
  

   covery 
  concerning 
  the 
  larva. 
  Later, 
  when, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  forests 
  

   around 
  Zurich, 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  cosmodactyla. 
  (i.e., 
  punctidactyla) 
  became 
  very 
  rare 
  on 
  the 
  

   seeds 
  of 
  Aquilegia 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  autumn, 
  I 
  discovered 
  a 
  larva, 
  some 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  weeks 
  

   earlier, 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  bloom 
  of 
  Stachys 
  sylvatica. 
  I 
  described 
  it, 
  with 
  some 
  

   reservation, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  stachydalis, 
  as 
  being 
  possibly 
  the 
  first 
  brood 
  of 
  

   cosmodactyla. 
  I 
  believe 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  double-brooded, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  cosmodactyla 
  

   from 
  August 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June, 
  and 
  an 
  Alucitid 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  exist 
  for 
  ten 
  months 
  

   in 
  a 
  single 
  brood. 
  Further, 
  I 
  have 
  several 
  cosmodactyla 
  which 
  closely 
  resemble 
  

   stachydalis. 
  Now 
  we 
  have 
  Schmid's 
  find, 
  which 
  has 
  caused 
  me 
  much 
  trouble, 
  yet 
  I 
  

   feel 
  perfectly 
  satisfied 
  that 
  his 
  calaminthae 
  is 
  a 
  distinct 
  species, 
  though 
  nearly 
  

   related 
  to 
  acanthodactyla 
  and 
  cosmodactyla. 
  First, 
  it 
  is 
  considerably 
  smaller, 
  even 
  

   smaller 
  than 
  stachydalis, 
  the 
  forewings 
  narrower 
  and 
  drawn 
  out 
  to 
  a 
  sharper 
  point. 
  

   An 
  important 
  detail 
  in 
  its 
  distinction 
  is 
  offered 
  by 
  the 
  ground 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  fore- 
  

   wings, 
  for 
  whereas, 
  in 
  the 
  allied 
  species 
  described 
  hitherto, 
  the 
  colour 
  is 
  brown 
  (in 
  

   acanthodactyla 
  mixed 
  with 
  reddish, 
  in 
  cosmodactyla 
  chestnut-brown, 
  in 
  stachydalis 
  

   much 
  lighter 
  yellow-brown), 
  this 
  slenderly-built 
  insect 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  light-grey 
  ; 
  otherwise 
  

   the 
  markings 
  are 
  typical. 
  Across 
  the 
  two 
  lobes 
  of 
  the 
  forewing 
  is 
  a 
  distinct 
  white 
  

   line. 
  The 
  costal 
  mark 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  I 
  lay 
  no 
  

   particular 
  stress. 
  The 
  third 
  plumule 
  of 
  the 
  hindwings 
  has 
  narrower 
  black 
  fringes, 
  

   and 
  a 
  small 
  black 
  scale-tooth 
  on 
  the 
  margin 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  but 
  the 
  fringes 
  of 
  

   the 
  hind 
  margin 
  are 
  not 
  white, 
  but 
  grey 
  (Frey) 
  . 
  Hofmami 
  gave 
  us 
  the 
  following 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  larva: 
  "Found 
  September 
  12th, 
  1884, 
  on 
  the 
  buds 
  of 
  Calamintha 
  nepeta, 
  

   eating 
  thereinto. 
  About 
  8mm. 
  long, 
  slightly 
  tapering 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  anus 
  ; 
  dirty 
  

   reddish 
  or 
  lilac 
  in 
  tint, 
  of 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  flowers 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  feeds 
  (the 
  larvae 
  of 
  

   cosmodactyla 
  and 
  stachydalis 
  are 
  pale 
  green) 
  ; 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  greenish- 
  

   yellow. 
  Head 
  glossy 
  black, 
  with 
  yellow 
  lines 
  and 
  spots 
  about 
  the 
  mouth-parts 
  ; 
  

   the 
  prothoracic 
  shield 
  yellowish, 
  bordered 
  with 
  white 
  in 
  front, 
  with 
  three 
  black 
  

   spots, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  central 
  is 
  largest, 
  triangular, 
  and 
  bordered 
  with 
  white 
  raised 
  

   lines 
  ; 
  the 
  tubercles 
  are 
  white, 
  with 
  white 
  stellate 
  hairs 
  ; 
  these 
  tubercles 
  run 
  along 
  each 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  in 
  three 
  longitudinal 
  lines, 
  two 
  rows 
  near 
  each 
  other 
  above, 
  and 
  one 
  

   beneath, 
  the 
  stigmata 
  ; 
  the 
  anal 
  flap 
  yellowish, 
  with 
  black 
  dots 
  ; 
  the 
  anal 
  claspers 
  

   and 
  ventral 
  prolegs 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  colour 
  as 
  the 
  venter 
  ; 
  true 
  legs 
  black. 
  [Described 
  

   from 
  a 
  living 
  larva 
  not 
  quite 
  fullgrown.] 
  From 
  Regensburg." 
  

  

  The 
  types 
  of 
  this 
  small 
  race 
  (<? 
  and 
  2 
  ) 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  "Frey 
  collection" 
  

   at 
  the 
  British 
  (Natural 
  History) 
  Museum. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  grey 
  

   tint, 
  one 
  being 
  much 
  marked 
  with 
  transverse 
  white 
  lines 
  as 
  in 
  

   punctidactyla, 
  are 
  labelled 
  " 
  calaminthae, 
  Kegensburg," 
  and 
  are 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  by 
  the 
  empty 
  pupa-cases 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  bred. 
  Eebel 
  

   says 
  of 
  the 
  form 
  "gracilior, 
  dilute 
  grisescens, 
  nigro-signata. 
  Bavaria 
  " 
  

   (Cat., 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  73), 
  and 
  Frey 
  himself, 
  comparing 
  his 
  cosmodactyla, 
  

   acanthodactyla, 
  stachydalis, 
  and 
  calaminthae, 
  says 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   "chestnut-brown," 
  "brown 
  mixed 
  with 
  red," 
  "light 
  yellow-brown," 
  

   and 
  "light 
  grey," 
  respectively. 
  Of 
  this 
  last-named 
  form, 
  Hofmann 
  says 
  

   (Die 
  Deutsch. 
  Pteroph., 
  p. 
  62) 
  that 
  the 
  colour 
  is 
  " 
  bright 
  grey, 
  the 
  dark 
  

   markings 
  tbe 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  typical 
  form, 
  but 
  never 
  brown, 
  always 
  pure 
  

   black. 
  The 
  costal 
  triangle 
  is 
  often 
  absent, 
  and, 
  in 
  that 
  case, 
  the 
  spots 
  

   at 
  the 
  fissure, 
  either 
  separated 
  or 
  united 
  into 
  a 
  transverse 
  stripe, 
  stand 
  

   out 
  conspicuously. 
  The 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  1st 
  and 
  3rd 
  plumules 
  is 
  black, 
  

   with 
  rather 
  large 
  and 
  abundant 
  white 
  scales, 
  which 
  form, 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  

   of 
  the 
  1st 
  plumule, 
  an 
  indistinct 
  white, 
  sometimes 
  angulated, 
  trans- 
  

   verse 
  line. 
  The 
  scale-tuft 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  is 
  usually 
  weakly 
  

  

  