﻿AMBLYPTILIA 
  PUNCTIDACTYLA. 
  309 
  

  

  reach 
  the 
  punctidactyla 
  form. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  

   most 
  marked 
  of 
  these 
  characters, 
  viz., 
  the 
  shortness 
  of 
  hairs 
  on 
  

   punctidactyla, 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  vary 
  in 
  my 
  specimens 
  of 
  that 
  species, 
  

   though 
  some 
  cosmodactyla 
  approach 
  them 
  so 
  closely 
  that, 
  if 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  punctidactyla 
  afforded 
  some 
  varieties, 
  the 
  interval 
  would 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  be 
  bridged. 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  this 
  variation, 
  there 
  is 
  one 
  point 
  

   about 
  my 
  material 
  to 
  be 
  noted. 
  Amongst 
  some 
  200 
  undoubted 
  cosmo- 
  

   dactyla 
  pupae, 
  none 
  approach 
  very 
  closely 
  to 
  punctidactyla, 
  but 
  a 
  number 
  

   (50 
  or 
  so) 
  sent 
  me 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Bankes, 
  as 
  cosmodactyla, 
  

   afforded 
  five 
  pupae 
  that 
  I 
  take 
  to 
  be 
  punctidactyla, 
  and 
  four 
  that 
  make 
  

   a 
  very 
  close 
  approach 
  to 
  them, 
  but 
  are, 
  I 
  think, 
  cosmodactyla. 
  In 
  reply 
  

   to 
  my 
  enquiries 
  respecting 
  them, 
  Mr. 
  Bankes 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  certainly 
  

   cannot 
  warrant 
  them 
  as 
  including 
  no 
  punctidactyla 
  , 
  for 
  I 
  never 
  could 
  

   satisfactorily 
  separate 
  the 
  larvae, 
  even 
  with 
  the 
  published 
  distinctions 
  

   before 
  me, 
  when 
  sorting 
  them 
  out. 
  Probably 
  the 
  shells 
  you 
  have 
  were 
  

   the 
  result 
  of 
  my 
  searches 
  for 
  larvae 
  in 
  1892, 
  when 
  I 
  bred, 
  with 
  a 
  host 
  

   of 
  the 
  parasite, 
  Apanteles 
  fuliginosus, 
  Wesrn., 
  443 
  cosmodactyla 
  and 
  21 
  

   punctidactyla, 
  every 
  cage 
  that 
  produced 
  the 
  latter 
  species 
  yielding 
  the 
  

   former 
  also." 
  Those 
  selected 
  from 
  these 
  shells 
  as 
  punctidactyla 
  are, 
  then, 
  

   almost 
  certainly 
  that 
  species, 
  but 
  what 
  of 
  the 
  intermediates? 
  They 
  are 
  

   not 
  typical 
  punctidactyla, 
  but 
  are 
  nearer 
  to 
  them 
  than 
  any 
  among 
  the 
  

   200 
  (odd) 
  undoubted 
  cosmodactyla 
  are 
  (Chapman). 
  The 
  pupa 
  is 
  green, 
  

   bright 
  yellow-brown 
  to 
  dark 
  brown 
  (then 
  reddish 
  on 
  the 
  back), 
  with 
  

   dark 
  longitudinal 
  lines 
  on 
  the 
  abdomen 
  and 
  between 
  the 
  veins 
  on 
  the 
  

   wing-cases, 
  also 
  with 
  two 
  blackish 
  diagonal 
  streaks 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   thorax, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  posterior 
  arises 
  from 
  the 
  sickle-shaped 
  humps 
  of 
  

   the 
  4th 
  abdominal 
  segment 
  ; 
  the 
  latter 
  exhibit, 
  on 
  the 
  anterior 
  side 
  (or 
  

   slope), 
  no 
  such 
  deep 
  indentation 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  A. 
  'punctidactyla 
  ; 
  neither 
  is 
  

   the 
  apex 
  so 
  sharp 
  or 
  high. 
  Of 
  the 
  bifurcated 
  thorns 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  

   the 
  4th 
  to 
  the 
  8th 
  abdominal 
  segments, 
  the 
  posterior 
  point, 
  directed 
  

   downwards, 
  is 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  anterior 
  point 
  which 
  stands 
  

   upright, 
  through 
  which 
  a 
  further 
  difference 
  from 
  the 
  pupa 
  of 
  A. 
  

   cosmodactyla 
  is 
  exhibited, 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  thorns, 
  especially 
  the 
  posterior 
  

   point, 
  are 
  significantly 
  larger 
  (Hofmann). 
  

  

  Time 
  of 
  appearance. 
  — 
  Hybernated 
  examples 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  

   from 
  March 
  until 
  June. 
  The 
  imagines 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  commence 
  to 
  

   emerge 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July, 
  and 
  continue 
  throughout 
  August 
  and 
  

   September, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  during 
  any 
  spell 
  of 
  mild 
  weather 
  during 
  

   the 
  late 
  autumn*. 
  They 
  are 
  rarely 
  seen 
  from 
  December 
  to 
  February 
  

   when 
  their 
  hybernation 
  seems 
  more 
  complete. 
  Bankes 
  writes 
  (in 
  lift.) 
  : 
  

   " 
  The 
  imago 
  seems 
  clearly 
  to 
  hybernate 
  as 
  such. 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Dale 
  took 
  

   one 
  on 
  March 
  30th, 
  and 
  three 
  in 
  April 
  (in 
  two 
  different 
  years), 
  and 
  1 
  

   have 
  captured 
  a 
  specimen 
  on 
  May 
  29th, 
  and 
  another, 
  which, 
  from 
  its 
  

   condition, 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  unquestionably 
  hybernated, 
  on 
  July 
  17th. 
  

   There 
  are 
  probably 
  two 
  broods, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  England, 
  

   for 
  larvae 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  from 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  

   of 
  September, 
  and 
  very 
  likely 
  till 
  later, 
  and 
  moths 
  may 
  be 
  bred 
  from 
  

   about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August 
  until, 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  October." 
  

   In 
  Switzerland, 
  the 
  imagines 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  in 
  

  

  * 
  Barrett 
  says: 
  "On 
  the 
  wing 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  July, 
  then 
  again 
  

   in 
  September, 
  but 
  whether 
  as 
  two 
  generations, 
  or 
  hibernating 
  and 
  reappearing 
  in 
  

   the 
  following 
  summer, 
  is 
  not 
  dearly 
  ascertained." 
  

  

  