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
2 Pl. 59.
1. NORTHERN WINTER-MOTH: _eggs_.
2, 2a. BARRED TOOTH-STRIPED: _caterpillar and chrysalis_.
3, 3a, 3b. EARLY TOOTH-STRIPED: _eggs and caterpillar_.
{155}
THE SERAPHIM (_Lobophora halterata_).
Fore wings whitish, with two greyish bands on the basal area; first and
second lines greyish, variable in width, and sometimes only represented by
marks on the front or inner margins; there is a black central dot, and the
outer area beyond the submarginal line is clouded with dark grey,
especially on the upper half. Sometimes the wings are so thickly stippled
with the darker colour that they appear to be greyish, with interrupted and
indistinct whitish cross lines. A rather frequent form has the fore wings
tinged with ochreous, and of this tint is ab. _zonata_, Thnbg., which has
the basal bands and outer marginal border blackish, the central area being
without cross lines. (Plate 57, Figs. 9 [male] and 10 [female].)
The caterpillar is green, darker below and between the rings; the most
distinct markings are two yellow lines along the back; head, notched; body
wrinkled, and with two points on the last ring. It feeds on aspen, and
other kinds of poplar, in June and July.
The moth appears in May, and continues out well into June, especially in
its northern localities. It rests on the trunks of poplar trees, or on the
stems of bushes around, and is sometimes easily alarmed, and flies off on
the collector's approach, whilst at other times it sits quietly, and may be
easily boxed. At dusk it may be seen flying around the poplars.
Widely distributed in the southern half of England, and only found where
poplars, chiefly aspens, are well established. From Worcester its range
extends northwards to Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and
Cheshire; and it has been recorded from Yorkshire and Cumberland; also from
Glamorganshire, South Wales. In Scotland it seems not to have been noted in
the south, but is found more or less frequently from Perthshire to
Sutherlandshire. Rare in Ireland.
Abroad, its range extends to Amurland and Japan. {156}
THE SMALL SERAPHIM (_Lobophora_ (_Mysticoptera_) _sexalisata_).
This is a much smaller species than the last. The fore wings are whitish,
with brownish-grey, or blackish-grey, cross lines and bands; the central
most distinct towards the front margin, where it encloses a black dot; hind
wings greyish, with black central dot. (Plate 58, Figs. 1 and 2.)
The green, much wrinkled caterpillar has three whitish lines or stripes
along the back, and in some examples there is a white line low down along
the sides; the head, which inclines to yellowish, is notched, and there are
two pinkish points on the last ring of the body. It feeds on sallow in
August and September.
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