The Moths of the British Isles, Second Series: Comprising the Families Noctuidæ to HepialidæSouth, Richard
History
The Moths of the British Isles, Second Series: Comprising the Families Noctuidæ to Hepialidæ
South, Richard
Lepidoptera -- Great Britain; Moths -- Great Britain
The moth emerges the following year, from May to July, but its time of
appearance is uncertain, and it may come up in early spring or not until
early autumn. Sometimes it will remain in the chrysalis for two winters.
In England the species occurs in the counties of Kent, Surrey, Sussex,
Berks, Hants, Devon, Somerset, Hereford, Worcester, Stafford, Leicester,
Cheshire (rare in the last five), Cumberland and Yorkshire (recorded once
from each county), {152} Norfolk, Suffolk; also Glamorgan, and other parts
of South Wales. In Scotland it is found in the south, but is more frequent
from Perthshire to Moray. Probably occurs in other British localities where
there is plenty of broom.
THE BARRED TOOTH-STRIPED (_Lobophora_ (_Trichopteryx_) _polycommata_).
The general colour of the species represented on Plate 57, Figs. 5 [male],
6 [female], is greyish, inclining to ochreous or to whitish; but
occasionally it is clouded with dark greyish on the basal area, and there
is a broad band of the same colour on the outer marginal area; in such
specimens the central band becomes less conspicuous.
The caterpillar (Plate 59, Fig. 2) feeds in May and June, on privet, at
first on the leaf buds, and afterwards on the expanded leaves. It will also
eat ash and honeysuckle. In colour it is rather deep green, with three fine
lines along the back, the central one darker than the ground colour, and
the others whitish and irregular; a whitish stripe low down along the
sides; two points on the last ring of the body. The chrysalis (Plate 59,
Fig. 2a), which is enclosed in an oval earthen cocoon, is dark yellowish
brown, inclining to blackish on the wing cases.
The moth may be found at night, in March and April, sitting on the privet
hedge, and may then be easily boxed, as it seems very disinclined to fly at
that time, but earlier in the evening it flits along the hedgerows, and is
equally easy to net. When resting, however, one is able to select just the
finest specimens.
The species appears to be very local in Britain, but it occurs in the
Brighton, Lewes, and Emsworth districts of Sussex; Hants, Wilts
(Salisbury), Somerset, Devon (Sidmouth), Gloucestershire, Herefordshire,
Worcestershire (Malvern), {153} North Lancashire, Cumberland, Northampton,
Berks, Essex, and Kent. In Scotland it has been reported from Clydesdale
and Arran, but has not been noted from Ireland.
THE EARLY TOOTH-STRIPED (_Lobophora_ (_Trichopteryx_) _carpinata_).
The whitish fore wings of this species are tinged with grey or greenish
grey, the cross lines and bands vary in intensity, and, as a rule, are more
distinct and complete in the female than in the male. A form of not
infrequent occurrence in Scotland (ab. _fasciata_, Prout) has blackish
bands, which show up in strong contrast with the general whitish colour of
the wings. The ordinary form is represented on Plate 57, Fig. 7 [male], and
Fig. 8 on the same plate shows the named variety referred to.
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