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 caterpillar (Plate 6, Fig. 2) is purplish brown freckled with blackish;
there are three obscure paler lines along the back from ring 3, and a
central series of black spots; the head is black, and the fine hairs of the
body are yellowish brown. It feeds, in May and June, on apple, plum,
dandelion, etc. The fact has been noted that, if supplied with apple until
about half grown, and afterwards with dandelion, it attains full size more
quickly than when kept to one kind of food only.
The moth appears in October and November, retires during the cold weather,
and comes forth again in the spring. When {27} reared in confinement, it
emerges from the chrysalis about a month earlier. Ivy bloom, ripe yew
berries, and also sugar attract it in the autumn, and in the spring it
visits the blossoms of sallow, damson, and sloe. There are several records
of its having been taken at light, perhaps the latest of these being that
of a specimen captured at Exeter on April 11, 1906.
Except in Devonshire, where it is of more regular occurrence, the species
is far from common in England, but is taken in, or has been recorded from,
the counties of Dorset, Wilts, Gloucester, Hereford, Monmouth (S. Wales),
Hants and Isle of Wight, Sussex, Surrey, Berks, Bucks, and Cambridge. In
Ireland it is noted from Dublin, King's County, Kerry, Wicklow, and Galway.
It is represented in Japan by the larger ab. _fornax_, Butler.
THE SATELLITE (_Eupsilia_ (_Scopelosoma_) _satellitia_).
An example of each sex of this species is shown on Plate 12, together with
a less common form. Although specimens vary in the amount of red in the
colour of the fore wings, there is more striking aberration in the colour
of the lunular marks representing the reniform stigma; these are frequently
white, but may be yellow (typical), or reddish orange in either sex. The
dull brownish specimen (Fig. 3) is from Yorkshire, and appears to be
referable to var. _brunnea_, Lampa.
The caterpillar is dark brown, with indistinct paler lines on the back; the
line along the spiracles is white or whitish, but often reduced to a series
of spots on rings 1, 2, 5, and 11. Head, ochreous-brown, darker about the
mouth. It feeds, in May and June, on the leaves of oak, beech, elm, and
other trees, also on low plants; and has a keen appetite, it is said, for
other caterpillars when the opportunity offers.
The moth is out in September, and may be seen at ivy bloom or sugar during
that month, and also in October and November {28} if the weather is
favourable; it is early on the wing again in the spring.
Although apparently uncommon in some few parts, the species seems to be
generally distributed and plentiful throughout England, Wales, Scotland up
to Ross (recorded from Stromma, Orkney), and Ireland.
In Japan, a greyish form with larger spots (ab. _tripuncta_, Butler)
occurs.
THE TAWNY PINION (_Lithophane_ (_Xylina_) _semibrunnea_).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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