60 PLATE CCLXXIV. 



F I G. III. 

 PHAL^NA H ECTA. 



Golden Swift Moth. 

 SPECIFIC CHARACTER 



AND 



SYNONYMS. 



Wings yellow, the anterior pair with two yellow bands of inter- 

 rupted dots. 



Phal^naHecta: lutea, alls deflexis : primoribus fafciis duabus 

 albidis obliquis punctata interruptis. Fn. Sv. 1 148.— 

 Gmel. Linn. S\jl. Nat. Ent. p. 2617. fp. 85. 



Hepialus Hectus. Fab. Ent. Syji. T.S.p. 2. p. 6. Sp. 4. 

 Degeer. Inf. 1. tab. 7. fig. 11.' 



This fpecies is common in the fkiits of woods in May and June. 

 The colours in the male In feci: are more vivid than the female, and 

 the fpots on the anterior wings in particular are of fuch a beautiful 

 yellow, that Englilh collegers have termed this kind the Golden 

 Swift Moth. 



It commences its flight earlier in the evening than any other of 

 the nofturnal lepidopterous infefts. Its manner of flying is ver 

 lingular, and attracted the notice of Linnseus, who aptly compare! 

 it to the motion of the pendulum of a clock. 



The larva is unknown *. it is fuppofed to feed on the roots of 

 plants under ground. 



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