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
This moth is shown on Plate 4, Fig. 6. It is somewhat similar in general
appearance to the last mentioned, but the {10} colour of the fore wings is
greyer; the cross lines are not parallel, and the outer margins of these
wings are less irregular. The caterpillar is greenish, with black dots, and
white lines along the back and sides; the head and plate on the first ring
of the body black. It feeds, on poplar and aspen, in April and May. By day
these caterpillars may be found spun up between two leaves or in a folded
leaf. The moth is out in July and August, but is rarely noticed in the
daytime, although at night, when it becomes active, it may be obtained,
sometimes not altogether uncommonly, at honeydew, or in much fewer numbers
at sugar or light. The best way to obtain the species is to search for the
caterpillars, which are not at all difficult to rear. Most of them,
however, prefer the higher foliage of well-grown aspen or poplar, where
they may be seen but not readily secured; but I have generally found as
many as I wanted within reach.
The species seems to have a wide distribution throughout England, and
Scotland up to Moray, its occurrence in any locality depending on the
presence of the poplar or aspen. The range abroad extends to Eastern
Siberia.
THE CENTRE-BARRED SALLOW (_Cirrhoedia_ (_Atethmia_) _xerampelina_).
The typical form of this pretty species has the fore wings yellow, with a
purplish-red central band. The band, which fills up the space between the
first and second lines, is rarely carried through to the front margins of
the wing, but usually is only fragmentary above the reniform stigma, which
forms part of it; it also varies in the intensity of the purple tint. In
most British specimens the band varies as indicated above, but the general
colour of the fore wings is orange-yellow (Plate 4, Fig. 8)--ab.
_centrago_, Haw.--the hind marginal band agreeing in colour with that of
the central band. Or the fore wings may assume the colour of Fig. 9, var.
_unicolor_, Staud., but this form is rare in Britain, although it is known
to occur in the Isle of Man, and has been recorded from Ripon, Skipworth,
and York, also from Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Notts, Lincoln, and
Gloucestershire. The caterpillar is brownish, inclining to greyish above
and to greenish grey beneath, freckled with darker brown; of the three
whitish lines along the back, the central one is widest, but is only really
distinct on the middle part of each ring; the lines are margined with
black, the edging of the central one irregular, but of the others more
complete; the spiracles are whitish, and the area above them is dark
grey-brown enclosing paler spaces on each ring; head, shining grey-brown
freckled with blackish. It feeds, in April, May, and June, on ash, and
until the leaves expand it is content with the buds. After dark it may be
beaten from saplings in the hedgerow, as well as from full-grown trees. By
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