The Moths of the British Isles, First Series: Comprising the Families Sphingidæ to NoctuidæSouth, Richard
History
The Moths of the British Isles, First Series: Comprising the Families Sphingidæ to Noctuidæ
South, Richard
Lepidoptera -- Great Britain; Moths -- Great Britain
In the past this greenish-mottled brownish moth (Plate 126, Fig. 5) appears
to have been commoner, and more widely distributed in England than it now
is. Wilkes, in 1773, referring to it as "The Wild Arrach," states that it
was taken occasionally near London. At the present time the species seems
to occur only in the eastern counties, and chiefly in Cambridgeshire. In
June, 1904 and 1905, specimens (three in all) were obtained at sugar in
Huntingdonshire. The caterpillar is ochreous or reddish brown, dotted with
white; three dark lines on the back, the central one only distinct. A
yellowish stripe along the black-edged white spiracles; head light reddish
brown, glossy. It feeds in July and August on orach (_Atriplex_),
persicaria, knot-grass, and will also eat dock. The range abroad extends to
Amurland, Corea, and Japan.
NOTE.--It may be mentioned here that _Prodenia littoralis_, Boisd., an
inhabitant of tropical and sub-tropical regions, has {265} been
occasionally reared in this country from caterpillars found in imported
tomatoes.
THE SAXON (_Lithomoea_ (_Hyppa_) _rectilinea_).
The brownish clouding, and reddish-brown central band, of this species
(Plate 126, Figs. 6, 7) varies in tone; sometimes the band is olive grey
and the clouding rather grey than brown. The caterpillar, according to
Buckler, varies from dark brown to chestnut, ochreous, and orange browns;
the spiracular stripe pale ochreous or cream colour, shading off in the
middle to grey brown. It feeds from July to September, or later, on sallow,
bramble, bearberry (_Arctostaphylos uva-ursi_), and will eat knot-grass. It
hibernates when full grown, and pupates in the following spring. The moth
is out in May, June, or July, and is taken at sugar, chiefly in woods. At
one time it was found in Yorkshire, but Cumberland seems to be the only
English county in which it now occurs. In Scotland it has been taken in the
south. Renton states that near Hawick, Roxburghshire, he finds a few at
raspberry blossom every year. It is more plentiful, however, from
Perthshire to Sutherland. Kane notes it from Torc Wood, Killarney, near
Galway, and Clonbrock; and that the form is identical with that from
Aberdeen named _semivirgata_, Tutt. The range abroad extends to Siberia and
Amurland; and the North American, _xylinoides_, Guen, seems to be a form of
the present species.
THE FIGURE OF EIGHT MOTH (_Diloba cæruleocephala_).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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