62 CERURA BICUSPIS. 



Cerura BICUSPIS. 



Plate XXXII, fig. 1. 



On the 13th of September, 1867, Mr. Tester lent me an 

 example of this larva to figure ; it was feeding on birch. 

 In size and form this larva is something between the 

 larvae of G. furcula and G. bifida. The rich, reddish- 

 brown, broad dorsal mark commencing on the front of 

 the second segment is rapidly attenuated to the hump 

 on the third; it begins again at a narrow point towards 

 the end of the fourth segment, and widens on each seg- 

 ment to the eighth, where it extends much below the 

 spiracle, which is enclosed by it ; from this it narrows 

 on each segment to the tenth, passing along the eleventh 

 and twelfth as a broad stripe and widening again on 

 the thirteenth. The outline of this dorsal marking on 

 the sides of the sixth, seventh, and eighth segments is 

 very deeply dentated, and a broad edging of sulphur 

 yellow margins the whole of its course ; a faint double 

 darker dorsal line is visible on the middle of the back. 

 On the eighth segment near the margin is a faint yellow- 

 ish-orange spot or two, another such spot occurs near 

 the dorsal line on the seventh and sixth, and a blackish 

 spot on their outer circumference on each side of the 

 dorsal line. The sides and belly are of a brilliant 

 yellowish velvety- green, with a few faint yellowish 

 freckles indicating by their directions two lines along 

 the sides ; the belly and ventral prolegs are sprinkled 

 with some minute red-brown spots ringed with yellow. 

 On the belly of the hinder segments is a central streak 

 of red-brown, and another on each side of it on the 

 eleventh, and a short streak of this colour down the 

 back of each ventral proleg, and their circlets of hooks 

 the same colour ; the spiracles green, delicately outlined 

 with black ; the head dark reddish-brown, mouth paler, 

 antennal papillae sulphur-yellow, the anterior legs red. 

 (W. B., Note Book II, 145). 



