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
The first recorded British specimen of this species (Plate 149, Fig. 3) was
captured at Brighton, Sussex, some fifty odd years ago. The species has
occurred in and around that locality several times since, but seems to have
been found more frequently at Torquay and other places on the Devonshire
coast. It has also been recorded from the Scilly Isles, Cornwall, the Isle
of Wight, the New Forest, and Chichester; Kent, on the coast, and inland at
Canterbury, Sussex. In 1902, a year in which several specimens were
obtained on the south coast, {312} one example was taken at Navestock, in
Essex. August and September are the months during which it is seen in this
country, but abroad it occurs also in June and July. The caterpillar, which
feeds on grasses in the spring, is described by Hofmann as pinkish ochreous
with three white lines on the back and black dots between them, two on each
ring; below the black spiracles is a yellowish stripe; head brown with
black dots.
THE WHITE-POINT (_Leucania_ (_Sideridis_) _albipuncta_).
This species (Plate 149, Fig. 5) appears to have been confused with the
following one. It may be distinguished by its generally smaller size and
the pure white spot on the fore wings. The colour of the fore wings is
brownish red, rather than rusty tinged as in some reddish forms of _L.
lithargyria_; the second cross line is more distinct, and the series of
black marks beyond less so. The hind wings are paler than those of the next
species. The caterpillar is yellowish wainscot brown above, inclining to
flesh-colour on the sides and beneath; three white lines on the back, the
central one edged on each side by a wavy blackish line, the outer ones
edged above by a blackish line and below by a brownish line; a pale stripe
low down along the sides; head ochreous, shining, and lined on the face
with greyish. It feeds from autumn to spring on grasses. The moth is out
from August to October. It occurs more or less frequently, and chiefly on
the coast, in Kent (first taken at Folkestone, in 1868), Sussex, Hants,
Isle of Wight, South Devon, and Essex (Shoeburyness).
THE CLAY (_Leucania_ (_Sideridis_) _lithargyria_).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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