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
So far as the British distribution of this species (Plate 147, Fig. 9) is
known, it seems to be confined to the coasts of South Devon and South
Wales. It was first noted at Torquay in the year 1859, and about twelve
years later was detected in Carmarthenshire. Abroad it occurs somewhat
locally in France, Italy, Dalmatia, and in North-west Africa.
The caterpillar is pale brown with three whitish lines on the back, the
central one edged on each side with blackish, the others shaded above with
blackish with black dots in the shading, and edged below by a blackish
line; all these lines become faint on the last three rings of the body; the
usual dots are black; head rather paler, somewhat shiny, the lobes
conspicuously edged with black, and the jaws marked with blackish. It feeds
on grasses from September to January. The figure on Plate 148, Fig. 7, is
from one of a few caterpillars kindly sent by Mr. J. Walker, of Torquay. He
writes: "They are full fed by the beginning of January as a rule, and
although they go down, they do not turn until the beginning of June." Mine
unfortunately died in the cocoon. The moth flies in July and August, and
favours particular coves and banks by the sea. It visits sugar, and also
the flowers of wild sage.
THE WHITE-SPECK OR AMERICAN WAINSCOT (_Leucania_ (_Cirphis_) _unipuncta_).
This moth (Plate 149, Fig. 4) is known in America, where it is exceedingly
abundant and destructive, as the "Army Worm." It ranges through India,
China, and Japan, and occurs in many other parts of the world, including
Madeira and the Canary Isles. It is rare in Europe, and appears to have
been noted in parts of Spain, Portugal, and France. Since Haworth described
and {311} named it _unipuncta_ in 1803 it has been renamed many times, and
was long known in England as _extranea_, Guenée. About a score have been
recorded as taken in the British Isles altogether, and of these two only in
Ireland; the others were captured in England and Wales, and nearly all on
the south or south-west coast, chiefly in the month of September. The most
recent being one in the New Forest, Hampshire, 1896, one in Devon, 1903,
one in 1907, and one in 1911. Also in Isle of Wight, 1912.
THE COSMOPOLITAN (_Leucania_ (_Cirphis_) _loreyi_).
Barrett accepted this species as British, chiefly on the strength of two
specimens captured at sugar by a sedgy ditch, nearer to Worthing than to
Brighton in Sussex; the date was 1862. More recent records are one specimen
at Torquay on September 27, 1900, and another, also in South Devon,
September 6, 1903. The former taken at sugar, and the latter netted when
"flying wildly over rough herbage at dusk." Ireland in 1908.
The species has a wide range through Southern and Eastern Asia, etc., but
in Europe it is only found in the south and along the Mediterranean. The
specimen shown on Plate 149, Fig. 6, is from India.
THE DELICATE (_Leucania_ (_Sideridis_) _vitellina_).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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