GENUS. CALLIMORPHA, _Latr. Leach_. Hypercompa, _Steph._ Heraclia,
_Hubner_. Phalæna Bombyx, _Drury_.
CALLIMORPHA PHYLLIRA. Alis anticis nigris lineis albidis apicalibus,
literam B referentibus; posticis sanguineis maculis nigris. (Expans.
Alar. 1 unc. 6 lin.)
SYN. Phalæna (Bombyx) Phyllira, _Drury, Append. v._ 2. _Olivier, Enc.
Méth._ 5. 94. 236. _Abbot and Smith, Ins. Georg. tab._ 64.
HABITAT: New York; taken on the 12th day of July.
_Upper Side._ The antennæ are black, small, and thread-like, near half an
inch long; the head and thorax cream-coloured. Behind the head are two
black spots, and on the thorax are three others, longer, and running
parallel with it. The abdomen is scarlet, and on each segment is a black
mark, forming a row, united together in the middle. All the wings are
entire. The anterior ones black, with cream-coloured cilia; the interior
edge, and part of the anterior, next the body, are margined with cream
colour. A line of the same colour, runs from the body, parallel with, and
near to the posterior edge, quite to the external one, where, suddenly
returning, in a zigzag manner, it ends at the anterior edge, near the
tips, and forms two angles, like a B, with a line placed across its top,
or upper part. The posterior wings are scarlet, having a thin border of
black, running along their external edges, with four black spots above
it, those nearest the abdomen, being in shape like hearts.
_Under Side._ Like the upper: but the colours are more faint and less
distinct.
The caterpillar of this species is brown, with small dorsal and lateral
diamond-shaped yellow spots, emitting fascicles of hairs. It feeds,
according to Abbot, on the cross-wort, corn, peas, wheat, &c. One of the
caterpillars spun up on the 4th of April, and the moth appeared on the
29th. Another spun up on the 27th of May, and came out on the 16th of June.
It continues breeding during most part of the summer.