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
Abroad the species is found in Central Europe, North Italy, North-western
Russia, Southern Norway, and also in Amurland and Ussuri. There are said to
be two broods on the continent, one emergence of moths taking place in
April and the other in June or July.
THE MARBLED BROWN (_Drymonia trimacula_).
Somewhat similar to the next species, but the fore wings are generally
whiter; the cross lines are not so straight, and there is no black crescent
above the centre of the wings (Plate 28, Fig. 1).
The caterpillar is green, with two yellow lines on the back, and a yellow
one along the spiracles, the latter edged above with reddish. It feeds on
oak, and may be found from July to September; stated to hide by day in the
chinks of the bark. The reddish brown chrysalis is enclosed in a cocoon of
earth held together with silk. It may be searched for at the roots of
grass, etc., around the foot of oak trees growing in parks or in the more
open parts of woods. The moth appears in May.
Although nowhere really common, it seems to occur pretty generally over the
southern portion of England, and as far north {68} as Derbyshire and
Staffordshire. Farther north, and in Wales and Scotland, it has been rarely
met with. Recorded by Birchall to be not uncommon at Killarney; but Kane
states that he has never seen an Irish specimen.
The species occurs locally throughout Central Europe, also in Transylvania,
Northern and Central Italy, and Eastern Armenia. In Ussuri, and Japan, it
is represented by the form _dodonides_, Staud.
THE LUNAR MARBLED BROWN (_Drymonia chaonia_).
The fore wings of this moth (Plate 28, Fig. 2) are dark fuscous, almost
blackish, a short white line near the base; the central third is white
clouded with the ground colour and limited by white edged black wavy lines;
a black crescent just above the centre of the wing. Hind wings smoky grey
with a pale curved line. The egg, which is bluish white in colour, is of
the usual Notodont shape. Caterpillar green, merging into bluish-green on
the back; the lines are pale yellow, or creamy white, that along the black
margined spiracles is rather broad and is sometimes tinged with reddish on
the three front rings. Head green, mouth marked with pale yellow. Feeds in
June, July, and August on oak. From about a dozen eggs that I had in May,
1907, the caterpillars hatched on the 13th of the month. Only one got
through safely to the chrysalis stage which it reached at the end of June.
On June 26th some half-grown and smaller caterpillars were received from
the New Forest, only one of these was seen on July 19th, but it was then
nearly full grown and appeared to be quite healthy, and others had pupated
or died.
The chrysalis is deep red brown, enclosed in a silken cocoon covered with
particles of earth; generally found at the roots of isolated oak trees
(Plate 29, Figs. 1, 1a).
[Illustration]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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