MANCHESTER TREBLE-BAR (_Carsia paludata_).
In general character this species somewhat resembles that last considered.
It is, however, much smaller, and there are reddish clouds on the outer
marginal area.
This reddish shading is more or less absent in the type, which is otherwise
less variegated than var. _imbutata_, the form to which our British
specimens are almost entirely referable. (Plate 55, Figs. 9 and 10.)
The caterpillar is of somewhat stoutish build, and reddish brown in colour;
three darker lines along the back, and yellow stripe low down along the
sides, the latter edged above with black on the front three rings, and
blotched with pinkish on the middle rings; the head is rather paler than
the body, and the dots on the latter are yellow. It feeds on cowberry
(_Vaccinium vitis-idaea_) and cranberry (_V. oxycoccos_), and seems to have
a preference for the flowers of these plants: April to June.
The moth is out in July and August among the _Vaccinium_ in its swampy
haunts on the heaths and moors of the north of England, and Scotland, even
to the Shetlands. McArthur took a specimen in the Isle of Lewis in 1901. It
also occurs in Ireland. In England it does not seem to have been noted
south of Staffordshire.
The range abroad extends to Eastern Siberia and Amurland.
THE STREAK (_Chesias spartiata_).
The most striking features of this shining brownish coloured species are
the oval-shaped marks on the disk of the fore wings, and the long whitish
streak running to the tips of the wings. (Plate 57, Figs. 3 [male], 4
[female].)
The long caterpillar (Plate 56, Fig. 2) is deep green, with a darker line
along the middle of the back, and whitish lines along the sides and the
under surface; the spiracles are reddish, encircled with black, and the
head is flecked with brown. It feeds in the spring on broom (_Cytisus
scoparius_).
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 56.
1, 1a. BROOM-TIP: _caterpillar and chrysalis_.
2, 2a. STREAK: _egg (enlarged) and caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 57.
1, 2. THE BROOM-TIP.
3, 4. THE STREAK.
5, 6. BARRED TOOTH-STRIPED.
7, 8. EARLY TOOTH-STRIPED.
9, 10. THE SERAPHIM.
{151} The moth is out in September and October, and secretes itself during
the day, but may be found at night flying about the broom bushes for a
short time, and later on it sits upon the twigs. It occurs in almost every
part of the British Isles where the food plant of the caterpillar is well
established.
BROOM-TIP (_Chesias rufata_).
A noticeable character in this glossy, greyish moth (Plate 57, Figs. 1
[male], 2 [female]) is the black mark on the upper part of the second cross
line of the fore wings (which probably suggested the English name "Chevron"
given to the species by Donovan); following the mark is a reddish or
ochreous flush, extending to the tips of the wings.
The long, green caterpillar inclines to bluish above, and to paler green
beneath; a darker line along the middle of the back, then a slender whitish
line edged with darker green, and between this and the white spiracular
line there is another slender whitish line. It feeds, in August and
September, on broom; when full grown it enters the earth, and there turns
to a reddish brown chrysalis, the wing cases of which are greenish. I am
indebted to Mr. A. J. Scollick for the caterpillar and chrysalis figured on
Plate 56, Figs. 1, 1a.
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.
The caterpillar is green, with rather darker lines along the back, and a
yellow stripe low down along the sides; the two points on the last ring are
also yellow. It feeds, in June and July, on honeysuckle, sallow, birch, and
alder. The moth is out in April and May, and seems to be more or less
common in woodlands throughout the greater part of the British Isles. In
Scotland it appears to be most plentiful from Perthshire northwards to
Sutherlandshire, but it has not been reported from the Orkneys, Shetlands,
or Hebrides. (Early stages are shown on Plate 59, Figs. 3-3b.)
The boles of trees are favourite resting places, and upon them, and also
upon gate-posts, etc., the moth is often met with in the daytime.
Abroad, the range extends to Eastern Siberia.
YELLOW-BARRED BRINDLE (_Lobophora_ (_Trichopteryx_) _viretata_).
The general colour of the fore wings is olive green, varying from pale to
dark, the wavy cross lines are blackish, dotted {154} with black, and
sometimes there are whitish lines between them; those on the central area
are often united by a blackish cloud, and so form a band, and not
infrequently the basal area is also blackish marked. (Plate 58, Figs. 3 and
4.) The ground colour is very apt to fade if the insect is exposed to
moisture of any kind, as, for instance, when pinned in a damp collecting
box, but I have one bred specimen of a reddish ochreous colour, and I am
assured that it was of this tint when it emerged from the chrysalis. An old
English name was "The Brindle-barred Yellow."
The thick-set caterpillar is green, more or less tinged with pinkish; three
interrupted pink lines on the back, the central one sometimes inclining to
purple, and broken up into spots; the head is brown, sometimes marked with
purplish, and there are two tiny points on the last ring of the body. It
varies in the green tint and also in marking. It feeds on flowers and
leaves of holly, ivy, dogwood, privet, etc., in June and July, and in some
sheltered southern localities again in September and October.
The moth is out in May and early June, and where a second generation is
developed, in August and early September. It sits in the daytime on
tree-trunks, but more especially those with smooth bark; the stems of holly
are a favourite resting place, but at Box Hill I have occasionally seen a
specimen on the trunk of a beech tree. Barrett states that it also rests on
the trunks of fir trees, and that it is then very easily seen. Night is its
time of activity, and it is then attracted by light.
The species seems to be widely distributed, but locally and not generally
common, throughout England, Wales, and Ireland; it has only been recorded
from Rosemount, Ayr, and one or two other localities in the south of
Scotland.
The range abroad extends to Western India, Amurland, and Japan.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 58.
1, 2. SMALL SERAPHIM.
3, 4. YELLOW-BARRED BRINDLE.
5-7. NORTHERN WINTER MOTH.
8-10. THE WINTER MOTH.
[Illustration]
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.