(Photo by H. Main.)]
The caterpillar varies in colour from dark grey through yellowish green to
obscure green, but the underside is always paler; on the back there is a
series of pale blotches, and some black spots on the middle rings; the head
is rather paler than the general colour, and marked with black. It feeds,
at night, on cabbage, horseradish, wallflower, white arabis, and many other
kinds of Cruciferae; and it is said to eat the foliage of gooseberry and
currant. June--October.
There are certainly two broods, and possibly more, as the moths occur in
greater or lesser numbers throughout the year, from late April to October,
but it seems to be most plentiful in May and June, and in August and
September.
Generally distributed over the British Isles. It is also an inhabitant of
North America.
THE GALIUM CARPET (_Xanthorhoe galiata_).
The more usual forms of this species are represented on Plate 81, Figs. 1,
2. Fig. 3 is the portrait of a form occurring in Yorkshire, Sussex, and
probably elsewhere, in which the central band is blackish and
solid-looking; this seems to be referable to _unilobata_, Haworth. Besides
varying in tint of ground colour, and in the amount of freckling or
mottling, there is modification in the width of the central band.
The caterpillar is brown, dotted with black, and striped with blackish
brown on the back, and with pale brown on the sides; the head is light
brown, sprinkled with black, and marked with {196} a dark V. It feeds on
bedstraw in late June and July, and there is a second brood in August and
September. The figure of the caterpillar on Plate 79, Fig. 3, is from a
coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich.
The moth is out in June, sometimes later in the north and earlier in the
south, where it occurs as a second generation in August. It is chiefly
found in chalk and limestone districts, and may be easily put up from the
herbage among which it secretes itself during the day. In the seaboard
counties of England, from Kent to Cornwall, it is especially common on the
coast, but is also to be met with in suitable inland localities in these
counties, and also in Surrey, Middlesex, Herts, Bucks., and Oxford. It is
always rare on the eastern side, but on the west, including Wales, it is
more or less frequent from Somerset and Wilts. to Westmorland. Not uncommon
in Yorkshire, principally in the West Riding, and an odd specimen has been
recorded from Durham. Somewhat rare in Scotland, but it has been noted in
Berwick, Wigtown, Arran, Clydesdale, and Perthshire. In Ireland it is
local, although often plentiful on the coast.
Abroad, the range extends to Eastern Siberia.
WOOD CARPET (_Xanthorhoe (Epirrhoe) rivata_).
The broad, clear white borders of both edges of the dark central band of
the fore wings, coupled with the clearer white of the hind wings, and the
generally larger size of the moth, should distinguish this species from its
very close ally, _X. sociata_; but it must be added that some forms of the
latter species approach the present one exceedingly close. (Plate 81, Figs.
4, 5.)
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 80.
1-4. GREY MOUNTAIN CARPET.
5, 6. YELLOW-RINGED CARPET.
7-10. SILVER-GROUND CARPET.
11-14. GARDEN CARPET.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 81.
1-3. GALIUM CARPET.
4, 5. WOOD CARPET.
6-9. COMMON CARPET.
10-12. SMALL ARGENT AND SABLE.
{197} The caterpillar is brown or olive-brown, dotted and freckled with
white; three lines on the back, the central one black, the others whitish,
not seen on rings 5-8, which have dark V-shaped marks enclosing white ones;
sometimes there is a V-mark instead of lines on ring 4; head, large, pale
brown sprinkled with blackish, and marked with a blackish V, the apex of
which appears to meet the central line of the body. It feeds, at night, in
July and August, on bedstraw (_Galium mollugo_, and _G. verum_), but will
thrive very well on cleavers or goose-grass (_G. aparine_). The chrysalis,
which is enclosed in a cocoon of silk coated with earth, is reddish brown,
thorax and wing-cases paler, shining. A coloured drawing of the
caterpillar, kindly lent, with others, for this volume, by Mr. A. Sich, has
been used for the figures on Plate 79, Figs. 2, 2a; but the description of
the caterpillar, and also of the chrysalis (Fig. 2b), are from material
that Mr. Pope, of Exeter, was good enough to furnish. In captivity a second
brood may be reared in August.
The moth is out in July and early August, and although local, is not
uncommon in bushy places on downs, etc., also in lanes, in chalk districts,
in most of the southern and eastern counties. In the north of England it is
far more local and uncommon, but is known to occur in Cheshire, Yorkshire,
and Cumberland, and has been recorded from Durham. It is found in Wales,
and in Scotland has been noted as very local in Roxburghshire and rare in
Clydesdale and Arran. Kane states that in Ireland it is "very rare and
local."
COMMON CARPET (_Xanthorhoe_ (_Epirrhoe_) _sociata_).
The white ground colour of this species is nearly always obscured, to a
greater or lesser extent, by greyish markings and suffusions on the basal
area; the outer margin is broadly bordered with dark grey, and the white
band between this and the dark-grey central band is intersected throughout
its length by a grey line. As shown on Plate 81, Figs. 6, 7, the central
band varies in width; it is often contracted below the middle, sometimes
completely severed at this point, and in ab. _degenerata_, {198} Haworth,
both portions are much reduced in width. Figs. 8 and 9 represent two
specimens from the Isle of Lewis; these brownish-grey examples are var.
_obscurata_, South. There are intermediate modifications leading up to a
form in which the whole of the central third of the fore wings is whitish,
with the usual cross lines dingy grey, and some tiny clouds of the same
colour around the black discal spot.
The caterpillar is very like that of the last species referred to, but it
is rather smaller in size and rougher in appearance. There is variation in
the general colour, from pale fawn through greenish-brown, to dull or
bright green, and sometimes the markings are tinged with reddish (Hellins).
It feeds on bedstraw, in June and July, and a second brood occurs in
September. The figure of the brownish, inclining to reddish, chrysalis
(Plate 79, Fig. 4), is from a photo by Mr. H. Main, and is twice the
natural size.
The moth is out in May and June, and, in the South especially, again in
August and September. It is generally distributed over the British Islands,
but so far has not been noted from the Shetlands.
The range abroad extends to Eastern Siberia and Amurland.
According to Prout, the earliest name for this species is _alternata_
(Muller).
SMALL ARGENT AND SABLE (_Xanthorhoe_ (_Epirrhoe_) _tristata_).
On Plate 81 are shown three examples of this variable species. Fig. 10
represents the typical form from N. Devon. Fig. 11 is a black-marked
specimen from Yorkshire, and Fig. 12 depicts a smoky-brown marked specimen
from Clydesdale, in which the ground colour has a brownish tinge. All these
have the central band more or less entire, but this character may be
broader or narrower, and is sometimes divided into two parts, and these
reduced to very small proportions; the white projections into {199} the
outer marginal border of all the wings is not infrequently enlarged, in
some cases so much so that the borders are separated into two parts, and
also reduced in width.
The caterpillar is grey brown, ochreous brown between the rings and on the
underside; a dark line along the back, and a dark-edged, pale line on each
side; a black dot on each ring at the junction of the dark upper and pale
lower areas; head, grey-brown, with blackish freckles. It feeds, in July
and August, on bedstraw, preferring the heath kind (_Galium saxatile_), but
will eat the large hedge kind (_G. mollugo_).
The moth is out in June, or from late May, and in some parts specimens are
seen in August. Its haunts are moors and upland heaths, and its British
distribution extends from Dartmoor and Exmoor, in Devon, through Western
England and Wales to Westmorland. It appears to be very local in Somerset,
Gloucester, Hereford, Shropshire, and Cheshire; from Staffordshire and
Derbyshire northwards, and through Scotland, it becomes more plentiful; and
has been recorded from the Shetlands. In Ireland it is local, but common
where it occurs.
SHARP-ANGLED CARPET (_Xanthorhoe_ (_Euphyia_) _unangulata_).
This species (Plate 82, Figs. 1, 2) may be recognized by the distinctly
angled outer edge of the blackish central band, which is thrown into strong
relief by the usually broad white stripe following it. Wilkes, who figured
the moth in 1742, called it the "White Stripe." By some authors the species
is referred to _amniculata_, Hubner.
The caterpillar is pale whity brown, with a slightly darker but indistinct
line along the centre of the back, and a black spot on the middle rings; a
pale line on the sides is edged with dark grey; head, brown, marked with
black. It feeds, in July and early August, on chickweed (_Stellaria
media_).
The moth, which is partial to hedges and easily disturbed {200} therefrom,
is out in June and July, and even later in some seasons. The earliest
hatched caterpillars reared in confinement sometimes attain the moth state
in August of the same year. Although certainly local, the species has a
wide distribution in the southern half of England, and is not uncommon in
some localities. Its range extends into Wales, and also northwards to
Cumberland and Westmorland, but it is generally very much scarcer in the
north than in the south. In Ireland it is known to occur locally in
counties Antrim, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Waterford, Kerry, and Galway, but, as a
rule, only sparingly.
Abroad, the distribution includes North Amurland and North America.
CLOAKED CARPET (_Euphyia picata_).
An older English name for this species (Plate 82, Figs. 4, 5) is "The Short
Cloak Carpet," Harris (1782), but that given to it by Haworth is here
adopted. It is also the _biangulata_ of Haworth, Stephens, and others.
As will be observed on referring to the figures, the outer edge of the
blackish central band of the fore wings is twice angled just above the
middle; the basal area and the outer marginal border are dark greyish
brown, more or less tinged with olive; the whitish ground colour only shows
distinctly as a strip immediately beyond the central band, and from this an
irregular streak runs to the tips of the wings; some white wavy cross-lines
through the outer border are often obscure.
The stoutish caterpillar is yellowish brown, or sometimes reddish brown;
there is a series of blackish or dark-brown spots along the back, and a
stripe of dusky freckles along each side; lower down are two slender wavy
lines enclosing a dusky stripe; head, yellowish-brown mottled with darker
brown. It feeds, at night, on chickweed and other kinds of _Stellaria_, in
{201} August and September. One of the mouse-ear chickweeds (_Cerastium
glomeratum_) has also been mentioned as a food plant, and for rearing the
caterpillars this would perhaps be useful, as common chickweed, unless in a
growing state, is difficult to keep in a suitable condition for larval
requirements.
The moth, which is partial to a hedgerow as a hiding-place, is out in June
and July, and may be sometimes reared as a second generation in September.
The species is somewhat local, but it is not scarce in many parts of
England; its range does not appear to extend northwards beyond
Worcestershire on the western side, although it has been recorded from
North Wales; on the eastern side it is found up to Norfolk.
THE ARGENT AND SABLE (_Eulype hastata_).
About one hundred and sixty years ago Wilkes figured this species as "The
Mottled Beauty," but Harris in 1778 gave it its present English name. On
Plate 82 are shown two examples of the typical form (Figs. 7, 8), also two
specimens of the small form (Figs. 10, 11), var. _subhastata_, Nolcken (=
_hastulata_, Hubner); the latter form in Britain occurs chiefly in
Sutherlandshire and the Isle of Lewis. As regards variation there is, in
the small form, a tendency to an increase of black; whilst in the typical
form there is a considerable reduction of the black marking--so much so
occasionally that of the central black band only a few dots remain around
the discal spot, and perhaps a speck or two below it, and a dot or two on
the inner margin (ab. _demolita_, Prout).
The rather stumpy caterpillar is dark olive-green, inclining to blackish,
and somewhat shiny; the skin along the sides puckered and marked with
ochreous; a black line along the middle of the back; head, black and
glossy. It feeds, in July and August, later in the north, on birch,
_Vaccinium_, chiefly {202} _uliginosum_, and sweet gale (_Myrica_). It
spins together the leaves at the tips of the twigs, and so forms a
cocoon-like habitation. The moth is out in May and June, and even July in
the north. It flies in the afternoon sunshine around and over birch trees,
and occasionally alights on the leaves. It has been taken in Kent, and more
frequently in Essex and Suffolk, but it is more plentiful in Oxfordshire
and Berkshire, and from Surrey to Dorsetshire and Wiltshire; also in
Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and on high ground in North Wales,
Staffordshire, and Derbyshire; its range extending through Cheshire and
Lancashire to Cumberland and Northumberland, but only odd specimens have
been reported from the last-named county and from Durham. The egg and the
caterpillar are shown on Plate 79, Figs. 1 and 1a.
It is widely distributed, and often common in places, throughout Scotland.
In Ireland it is local, but has occurred plentifully in some of its haunts
in that country; Kane states that var. _subhastata_ has not been noted.
The range abroad spreads to Amurland, China, Iceland, Labrador, and North
America.
BEAUTIFUL CARPET (_Mesoleuca albicillata_).
The English name of this species (Plate 82, Fig. 13) is exceedingly
appropriate; few of our native moths exhibit such a pleasing combination of
colour and marking. It varies but very little in a general way, but a
specimen taken in York some years ago has the fore wings dark leaden grey
instead of creamy white (ab. _suffusa_, Carrington), and very rarely the
ground colour inclines to yellow.
The stoutish caterpillar (Plate 76, Fig. 2) is green with reddish marks
along the back; a white line low down along the sides is edged below with
purplish red on the first three rings; the last ring, and the claspers,
tinged with purplish red. It feeds {203} at night on bramble and raspberry,
in August and September, occasionally earlier or later. In the daytime it
rests on the underside of a leaf. When full grown it forms a cocoon just
under the surface of the soil, or among rubbish (in the cage), and therein
changes to a dark reddish-brown chrysalis (Plate 76, Fig. 2a).
The moth is out in June, sometimes in late May, and occasionally there
seems to be a few individuals about in August. The species is a denizen of
the woodlands, and is generally to be found in the more open parts of woods
where its food plants are well established. It is widely distributed over
England and Wales, but most frequent in the south of the former country. In
Scotland, it is local in Roxburghshire and Wigtownshire; and it occurs in
many parts of Ireland. The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
THE PURPLE BAR (_Mesoleuca ocellata_).
The whitish fore wings of this species (Plate 82, Fig. 12) are often tinged
with pale ochreous brown on the lower two-thirds of the outer marginal
area, and this tint sometimes invades the central portion of the
bluish-black central band. Rarely the ground colour is almost entirely
white, and the central band is very slender (ab. _coarctata_, Prout), and
perhaps rather more frequently the band is completely severed below the
middle.
The caterpillar, which feeds at night on bedstraw (_Galium mollugo_ and _G.
verum_), is pale ochreous brown, or pale pinkish brown, netted with darker
brown; on the back are a reddish ochreous central line, and some reddish
edged pale V-marks: June and July, and sometimes again in the autumn.
The moth is out in June and early July, occasionally in late May in some
southern localities. Individuals of a second emergence sometimes appear in
August and September. It {204} rests by day on tree-trunks or in hedges,
and flies at night. Widely distributed over the British Isles, but, except
perhaps in the highlands of Scotland, not very common.
BLUE-BORDERED CARPET (_Mesoleuca bicolorata_).
The more usual form of this pretty little species is shown on Plate 82,
Figs. 3 and 6. In the type the central band is only represented by a spot
on the front margin of the fore wings; in ab._parvula_, Retz =
_rubiginata_, Hubner, there is also a portion of the band showing on the
inner margin. Ab. _plumbata_, Curtis, from Scotland has the central band
entire and the ground colour inclining to creamy white. In ab. _fumosa_,
Prout, the usual white parts of the wing are smoky or dark lead colour
(Fig. 9). Barrett mentions a form with all the wings smoothly smoky black;
markings of the fore wings olive brown, margined with slender stripes of
smoky white.
The long, thin, caterpillar is green, with a darker stripe along the back,
and a yellowish green stripe on each side; two points on the last ring. It
feeds on alder, birch, sloe, and crab; also in orchards and gardens on plum
and apple: April to June.
The moth is out in July and August. It appears to occur most freely in
districts where alder is plentiful, but it is not uncommon in country
lanes, especially where these are rather moist. It is one of the earliest
Geometrid moths to get on the wing, as it is generally active well before
dark. Decidedly more common in some districts than in others, but it may be
said to be generally distributed.
The range abroad extends to Eastern Siberia, Amurland, and Japan, but the
ab._fumosa_ is only known from Britain.
PRETTY CHALK CARPET (_Melanthia procellata_).
From almost any well-grown hedgerow, in which traveller's joy, or old-man's
beard (_Clematis vitalba_) is plentiful, throughout the southern counties
of England, this species (Plate 82, Fig. 14) may be disturbed by the
beating stick. It is generally to be met with in July and early August, but
may be obtained in forward seasons, or in sheltered localities, at the end
of June.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 82.
1, 2. SHARP-ANGLED CARPET.
3, 6, 9. BLUE-BORDERED CARPET.
4, 5. CLOAKED CARPET.
7, 8, 10, 11. ARGENT AND SABLE.
12. PURPLE BAR.
13. BEAUTIFUL CARPET.
14. PRETTY CHALK CARPET.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 83.
1, 2. RIVULET.
3, 6. SMALL RIVULET.
4, 5. BARRED RIVULET.
9, 12. HEATH RIVULET.
10, 11, 13, 14. GRASS RIVULET.
7, 8. PRETTY PINION.
{205} On the fore wings the dark, slender and wavy cross lines are more
distinct in some specimens than in others, and occasionally the blackish
blotch on the front margin is traversed by a white line, sometimes by two
lines.
The caterpillar is pale ochreous brown, with three darker brown lines along
the back, the central one slender, spotted with black on the middle rings;
usual dots, black, encircled with white; head, marked with a reddish brown
triangle. It feeds on _Clematis_ in August and September.
Distribution of the species abroad extends to Amurland, and in Japan,
Corea, and China it is represented by the darker _inquinata_, Butler.
THE RIVULET (_Perizoma affinitata_).
The whitish band crossing the brownish fore wings is generally fairly wide,
sometimes broad, but occasionally it is very narrow; the reduction in width
is mainly the result of brownish suffusion of the outer half of the band,
leaving the inner half white. Kane mentions a smoky form from Co. Derry, in
which the band is absent, and refers this to ab. _unicolorata_, Gregson. In
a specimen from Sligo in my series, the band is tinged with brownish
throughout. The hind wings are usually smoky brown, with a paler central
band, but in some specimens, referable to ab. _turbaria_, Stephens, the
basal two-thirds are whitish. The moths also vary in size (Plate 83, Figs.
1 and 2).
The caterpillar is pinkish-ochreous inclining to brown; three pinkish lines
along the back, and a similar line along the blackish spiracles; a dark
plate on the first and last rings. It feeds in the capsules, on the seeds,
of red campion (_Lychnis_ {206} _dioica_), and will eat those of the white
_L. vespertina_: July to September. When eggs can be obtained early, it is
possible to rear moths from them in August of the same year.
The moth is out in June and July, in some southern districts in late May.
As it conceals itself during the day among its food plant, or other
vegetation around, it may be put up therefrom by gently stirring the
herbage; but it flies freely about sundown, and is then easily netted.
The species is widely distributed over England, Wales, and Scotland, up to
Moray. In Ireland it is local and not plentiful, and the same is the case
in the North of England.
SMALL RIVULET (_Perizoma alchemillata_).
This species (Plate 83, Figs. 3 and 6) is exceedingly close to the last
mentioned, but in a general way it is to be distinguished by its
greyish-brown coloration. A stippled whitish stripe before the central
band, usually only faintly indicated in _affinitata_, is fairly distinct as
a rule. Although the outer edge of the central band is rather more
irregular, the middle tooth is not so prominent as in _affinitata_.
The rather plump caterpillar is purplish above and yellowish green below;
three yellow lines on the back, the central one broad; the spiracles are
black, and a little above them is another yellow line; head, black and
glossy, and there are black shining plates on the first and last rings of
the body, that on the first ring divided by the yellow central line
(adapted from Porritt). It feeds, in August and September, in the seed
capsules of hemp nettle (_Galeopsis tetrahit_), sometimes on the rarer _G.
ladanum_, and is said to eat woundwort (_Stachys_) occasionally.
The moth is out in June and July, and, as in the case of the last species,
may be stirred up from among its food plant or the surrounding vegetation,
in lanes, and around wood borders. The species is widely distributed over
the British Isles, except that it seems not to have been noticed in
Scotland, north of Moray, although it occurs in the Hebrides.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 84.
1. GRASS RIVULET: _caterpillar_.
2. WAVED CARPET: _caterpillar_.
3, 3a. YELLOW SHELL: _eggs and caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 85.
1, 2. SANDY CARPET.
3. BARRED CARPET.
4-9. YELLOW SHELL.
{207}
SANDY CARPET (_Perizoma flavofasciata_).
The pale ochreous-brown, or sandy, markings on the white fore wings of this
species readily distinguish it from either of its allies. Variable in size,
and also in the brownish tint of the markings; the central band is usually
contracted below the middle, and not infrequently it is completely severed
at this point. It is the _decolorata_ of Hubner, and although more
generally known by that name, the earlier _flavofasciata_, Thunberg, will
have to be adopted for this species. (Plate 85, Figs. 1 [male], 2
[female].)
The stoutish caterpillar is pale reddish ochreous with browner lines; head,
brown and shining, plate on first and last rings of the body brown. It
feeds on the flower buds, and on the immature seeds, of the red campion
(_Lychnis dioica_), and the white campion (_L. vespertina_), but is more
partial to the first named; in Ireland it is said to feed on bladder
campion (_Silene inflata_).
In July and August, or even later, the moth may be beaten out of hedgerows,
sandy banks, and borders of woods, and sometimes disturbed from patches of
the campion growing in thickets; in such places it is on the wing about
sundown.
Although local to some extent, it appears to be common enough in most of
the counties of England and Wales. In Scotland, it is more or less
generally common in Roxburghshire and Clydesdale, and is said to have been
an inhabitant of Perthshire (Moncrieffe Hill). It appears to be very local
in Ireland, but is recorded from Antrim, Derry, and Kerry, and noted as
common at Larne in the first-named county. {208}
GRASS RIVULET (_Perizoma albulata_).
Although some English specimens approach the larger and whiter typical
form, the species as it occurs in the British Isles is generally greyer,
var. _griseata_, Staudinger; two examples of this form are shown on Plate
83, Figs. 10 and 11. In the Shetland Isles, the species assumes a darker
coloration, and is either well marked on the fore wings, as in Fig. 14, or
almost plain, as in Fig. 13 (ab. _thules_, Weir), which is an extreme
aberration of the form _subfasciaria_, Boheman. In other examples of a deep
leaden grey, or brown tint, the central area is no darker than the rest of
the wing. In the Isle of Lewis a white form with faint markings is
prevalent, and this leads up to a clear white aberration devoid of
markings, ab. _niveata_, Stephens, = _hebudium_, Weir.
The wrinkled caterpillar, which feeds, in July and August, on the seeds of
the yellow rattle (_Rhinanthus crista-galli_), and lives in the capsule, is
whitish, inclining to greenish, dotted with black, and striped with dark
green on the back and sides; head, black and glossy; plates and first and
last rings of the body dusky. (Plate 84, Fig. 1.)
The moth is out in May and June, sometimes later. It occurs chiefly in dry
meadows where the yellow rattle flourishes, and is to be seen on the wing,
often in large numbers, in the late afternoon about sundown. Generally
abundant in suitable places, throughout the British Isles.
THE BARRED RIVULET (_Perizoma bifasciata_).
Haworth described two forms of this species, and a specimen of each is
shown on our Plate 83. Fig. 4 represents _bifasciata_ (_bifaciata_, the
Double-barred Rivulet), and Fig. 5 depicts {209} _unifasciata_ (the
Single-barred Rivulet). The chief difference appears to be that in the type
(_bifasciata_) the "rivulets" are white and distinct, thus bringing out a
dark band between the central one and the base of the wing.
The stoutish caterpillar is pale brown, inclining to ochreous on the back,
along which are three lines, the central one greyish, and the others
whitish shaded with greyish; a whitish stripe low down along the sides; the
usual dots are black, and the spiracles are black, margined with ochreous
(adapted from Fenn). In September and October it feeds in the seed capsules
of _Bartsia odontites_, and is often plentiful; Mr. G. F. Mathew records
obtaining nearly five hundred from three small bundles of the food plant
gathered in the Harwich district.
The moth is out in July and August, but is not often seen in the daytime,
and is not taken very frequently, even when flying at night, but it comes
to light, and visits flowers.
From chrysalids obtained from caterpillars reared in 1900, Mr. Robert Adkin
bred ten moths in 1901, eleven in 1902, two in 1903, five in 1904, and two
in 1905.
The species is widely distributed over England, Wales, and the south of
Scotland, but it is most frequent in the south of England. Not much is
known of it in Ireland, but it has been noted from counties Dublin, Louth,
and Derry.
HEATH RIVULET (_Perizoma minorata_).
The British form of this species (Plate 83, Figs. 9, 12) is rather smaller
and darker than typical _minorata_, Treitschke, and as Stephens has figured
and described it as _ericetata_, this name should be adopted for our native
race.
The white fore wings have a greyish basal patch and three bands of the same
colour; the outer one is traversed by a more or less distinct wavy whitish
line; the band nearest the basal patch is sometimes very faint; more rarely
the markings are {210} absent from the central area of the wings (ab.
_monticola_, Staud.), and a specimen approaching this form has been taken
in Perthshire.
The caterpillar is pale green with a dark-green edged ochreous brown stripe
along the middle of the back, and green stripes on each side; the usual
dots are black, and the plates on first and last rings are brown, as also
is the head. It feeds, in September, on the seeds of eyebright (_Euphrasia
officinalis_).
The moth is out in July and August, and is found very locally, flying in
the late afternoon among its food plant, on the moorlands and
pasture-grounds of Northumberland, Cumberland, Durham, and Westmorland; and
has been reported from Hawkshead, in Lancashire. In Scotland, it is common
in suitable parts of Roxburghshire and several localities in Clydesdale;
thence widely spread to the Orkneys. Only noted from the Mourne Mountains
in the north-east of Ireland, but probably to be found in other parts of
that country.
PRETTY PINION (_Perizoma blandiata_).
This species (Plate 83, Figs. 7, 8) is also known as _adaequata_,
Borkhausen, the name under which it is catalogued by Staudinger. As a rule
the central band on the whitish fore wings is only represented by a round,
or sometimes triangular, blackish spot on the front margin, a smaller
blackish mark on the inner margin, and some dusky clouding between these
two portions. In specimens from the Hebrides the band is more or less
complete, and in some of them it is very much narrowed, especially towards
the inner margin (ab. _coarctata_, Prout).
The caterpillar is green, with three crimson lines, the outer ones bent
inwards to the central one on the middle of each ring; two lines above and
one below the yellowish spiracular line are pink; head green, tinged and
freckled with pink. It {211} feeds in September on the flowers and seeds of
the eyebright (_Euphrasia officinalis_).
The moth is out from late May to July, and its habits are similar to those
of the last species. In Scotland it appears to be commoner than in other
parts of the British Isles, its range extending from Clydesdale to the
Hebrides, Orkneys, and Shetland; but it has been recorded from Cumberland,
and once from Durham. In Wales it has been taken at Dolgelly, in
Merionethshire. Prout states that in 1902 he secured two specimens near Cwm
Bychan, and that the species has since been captured regularly in the
locality. It is widely distributed throughout Kerry and Galway, and also
recorded from Cork and Derry, in Ireland.
THE BARRED CARPET (_Perizoma taeniata_).
This species is shown on Plate 85, Fig. 3. There are two forms of the
central band of the fore wings, which in the type as figured by Stephens is
broad, but is narrow in ab. _arctaria_, Herrich-Schaeffer =
_angustifasciata_, Staud. The colour of the bands may be greyer or browner
than in the specimen figured, and the ochreous general colour of the fore
wings is more tinged with brown in some specimens than in others.
The rather bristly caterpillar is light brown with a pinkish tinge; the
back is marked with browner diamonds and some black dots, and there is a
yellow stripe along the sides. It feeds on moss (Hodgkinson, _Entom._
xxviii. 241) growing in damp places, hibernates when quite small, and
reappears about April, when it seems to prefer the fruit of the moss, but
will also thrive on chickweed. The moths appear from the end of June, and
may be found, but in wasted condition, up to early September.
The species is extremely local, and in its secluded haunts may be found on
the trunks of holly and yew trees, or it may {212} be disturbed from the
branches of such trees, or from hedgerows, etc.
In Britain the species seems to have been first noted in Castle Eden Dene,
Durham (1825), and subsequently in Cumberland (Flimby, near Maryport),
Westmorland, Lancashire (Arnside and Silverdale), Yorkshire (Scarborough),
Derbyshire (Dovedale), Arthog in North Wales, and Tintern in Monmouthshire.
The only English locality for it south of Monmouth is Watersmeet, near
Lynton, in North Devon. In Scotland, it has been noted from Rannoch and
Pitlochrie, in Perthshire, and from Dalmallin, in Argyllshire. It has a
wide distribution in Ireland, and is common in some parts of that country,
as at Killarney, Co. Kerry, and Rockwood, in Sligo.
Abroad, the range extends to Amurland; it is represented in Japan by
_fulvida_, Butler, and in North America by _basaliata_, Walker.
YELLOW SHELL (_Camptogramma bilineata_).
This very common and generally distributed species is subject to a good
deal of variation in the tint of ground colour, and also in the greater or
lesser amount of black marking. On Plate 85 six specimens are shown; Figs.
4, 5 represent the more frequent form in most localities, but in many
districts ab. _infuscata_, Gumppenberg (Fig. 6), is hardly less common; in
some specimens the central band is entirely blackish, and occasionally the
middle area of the band is partly or wholly whitish. Sometimes the wings
are uniformly yellow without markings, but such aberrations are scarce, or
have not been noted often. A small form occurring in the Hebrides and the
Shetlands, var. _atlantica_, Staud., has the wings generally darkened;
Figs. 7-9 depict three specimens from the Isle of Lewis. Portraits of two
very local Irish forms will be found on Plate 61; one is ab. _hibernica_,
Prout (Fig. 5), and the other approaches the dark ab. _isolata_, Kane (Fig.
6).
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 86.
1-6. JULY HIGHFLYER.
7-10. MAY HIGHFLYER.
11, 12. RUDDY HIGHFLYER.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 87.
1. JULY HIGHFLYER: _eggs and caterpillars_.
2. MAY HIGHFLYER: _caterpillar_.
{213} The eggs, which are laid loosely, are yellowish or pale straw colour
(Plate 84, Fig. 3a). Caterpillar, stoutish, green inclining to yellowish;
three lines on the back, the central one dark green, and the others
yellowish, as also are the ring divisions; a pale wavy line low down along
the sides. In some examples the general colour is pale greyish-brown,
inclining to reddish brown. It feeds on grass, dock, chickweed, and various
low-growing plants, from August to May, and is often abundant in hay
meadows (Fig. 3, Plate 84, is from a coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich). The
moth occurs throughout the summer, and is very plentiful (often a pest) in
almost every hedgerow and most bushy places.
JULY HIGHFLYER (_Hydriomena furcata_).
Some idea of the variable character of this species (_sordidata_, Fab., and
_elutata_, Hubner) may be formed from the selection of half a dozen
examples shown on Plate 86. The typical form has the fore wings greyish,
with dark bands as in Fig. 1, and a modification without the dark bands
seems to be ab. _cinereata_, Prout. In the form _sordidata_, Fabricius, the
general colour of the fore wings is greenish, and the bands are dark; ab.
_obliterata_, Prout, is of the same colour, but the bands are absent. Ab.
_fusco-undata_, Donovan, has the general colour reddish, with dark bands;
without dark bands it becomes _testaceata_, Prout. Blackish or sooty forms
are referable to _infuscata_, Staud. (Fig. 4). Frequently in the green
forms, and less often in the reddish, there is a broad whitish central
stripe, and a narrow one on the basal area; in the green form again the
basal and central areas are occasionally crossed by red bands, and this is
one of the prettiest forms of the species and, so far as I know, occurs
only in the large sallow-feeding race; {214} it possibly represents ab.
_fusco-undata_, which is most frequent in the smaller moorland race.
The egg (Plate 87, Fig. 1b) when figured, February 8, 1908, was whitish as
regards the shell, but the interior was dark greenish. In April the
caterpillar appeared to be formed, but it did not leave the shell until
early in May.
The full-grown caterpillar (Plate 87, Figs. 1, 1a) is brownish, inclining
to blackish; whitish between the rings, white lines along the back and
sides, and tinged with red along the spiracular region. It feeds, in May
and June, on sallow, willow, poplar, hazel, bilberry, and heather. The moth
is out in July and August, but I have seen the small bilberry-feeding form
(Plate 86, Figs. 5, 6) on a corner of Exmoor, North Devon, in great
profusion in late June, whilst in the same district the sallow-feeding,
larger form appeared about a fortnight later, at which time specimens among
bilberry were not numerous, and rather shabby in appearance.
Except perhaps in the Shetlands, this species is to be found in all parts
of the British Isles. It is very common in hedgerows, and around the
margins of woods; the smaller race frequents woods where bilberry is
established, and also occurs on mountains and moors.
Abroad, the range extends to Amurland, China, Japan, and also to North
America.
MAY HIGHFLYER (_Hydriomena impluviata_).
The typical and commoner form of this species is shown on Plate 86, Figs. 7
and 8. The ground colour, usually pale green, is sometimes almost white,
but more frequently it is tinged with greyish brown, thus leading up to the
blackish ab. _infuscata_, Prout (Figs. 9, 10).
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 88.
1. ROYAL MANTLE.
2-4. SHOULDER-STRIPE.
5, 6. BARBERRY CARPET.
7, 8. THE STREAMER.
9, 10. THE FLAME.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 89.
1, 1a. SHOULDER-STRIPE: _caterpillar and chrysalis_.
2, 2a. STREAMER: _eggs and caterpillars_.
{215} The caterpillar is brownish grey, or purplish grey, dotted with black
and dappled with dark brown; of the three lines along the back, the central
one is black and swells out on the middle of each ring, the others are
pale; a clear stripe of the ground colour below the black spiracles, and a
slender line above them. The general colour is sometimes pale pinky brown
or ochreous. It feeds on alder throughout the summer and autumn, and may be
found in its domicile of spun-together dry leaves even in November, and
sometimes later. Occasionally, a few caterpillars will feed up quickly, and
attain the moth state in July or August, but the bulk do not become
chrysalids until later in the year, and the moths emerge therefrom in May
and early June. (Plate 87, Fig. 2.)
The species seems to occur, more or less freely, wherever there are alders
throughout the greater part of the British Isles.
Abroad, the range extends to Eastern Siberia and Amurland.
RUDDY HIGHFLYER (_Hydriomena ruberata_).
This species is most readily distinguished from the last by the short
oblique black streak on the tips of the rather narrower fore wings; there
are also black streaks between the veins and below the tips of the wings,
as in the last species, but they are generally shorter and often hardly
traceable.
The ground colour ranges from pale grey (sometimes with a green tinge),
through brownish grey to reddish brown; usually central and outer marginal
bands of a darker shade are present, but these characters may be very
indistinct or entirely lost in the general coloration. (Plate 86, Figs. 11
and 12.)
The caterpillar is pale brown, dappled with grey; three dark greyish lines
along the back; spiracles and the usual dots black, the latter with fine
hairs; head, reddish brown, plates on first and last rings of the body
light brown. It feeds, at night, during the summer and autumn, on sallow
and willow, spinning together the leaves at the top of a twig to form a
retreat during the day. {216}
The moth is found in hedges, woods, and on heaths, in May and June; it may
be occasionally beaten out of sallow bushes, but flies in the early
evening, and is then more readily obtained. The species is widely
distributed, but not generally common, in England and Wales, and in
Scotland to Perthshire and probably further north, as it is found in
Orkney, where specimens are numerous but rather small in size, and the
caterpillars, according to McArthur, feed on heather as well as on sallow.
Decidedly uncommon in Ireland, but it has been met with, in most instances
singly, in Armagh, Tyrone, Westmeath, Kerry, Galway, and Sligo.
ROYAL MANTLE (_Anticlea cucullata_).
This species (Plate 88, Fig. 1) is also known as _sinuata_, Hubner. The
white fore wings have a blackish patch at the base and a blackish mark on
the front margins beyond the middle; the former is separated into two parts
by a pale reddish-brown band, and there is a reddish band, most distinct on
the front area, beyond the black mark; in some specimens these bands are
greyish.
The caterpillar is green, sometimes inclining to yellowish, with two black
or purplish stripes, enclosing a broader pale yellow one, along the back;
head, green, freckled with black. It feeds on the flowers of bedstraw
(_Galium mollugo_, and _G. verum_), in July and August, or later in some
seasons.
The moth is out in late June and in July, and occasionally may be disturbed
from its food plant or the surrounding herbage. About dusk it is on the
wing, and later is attracted by light. It seems to occur in most of the
English counties from Kent to Cornwall; also in Berks., Oxon., Herts, and
the eastern counties. Always local, and except in the east, where it is
found in the Breck-sand area, most frequent in chalky localities. Barrett
notes a specimen from Knowle, Warwickshire, and there are at {217} least
two records from Scotland (Perthshire). In Ireland, Mr. W. F. de V. Kane
took one example from a wall in co. Clare, and another has been recorded
from Galway.
The range of the species abroad extends to Siberia and Amurland; and it is
represented in Corea and Japan by _A. yokohamae_, Butler.
THE SHOULDER STRIPE (_Anticlea badiata_).
The ground colour of the fore wings is pale ochreous brown, inclining to
whitish; there are three dark-edged black cross-lines, the first of them
sharply bent below the front margin, the second is rather oblique, and the
third is wavy and often not clearly defined towards the inner margin; the
outer marginal area is broadly bordered with pale reddish brown or dark
purplish brown, there is a black streak from the more or less indistinct,
whitish submarginal line to the tips of the wings, and a white mark about
the middle of the line; the ground colour is most in evidence on the
central area of the wings, but even here it is frequently reduced to a
slender band, or occasionally only a patch near the front margin of the
wing. (Plate 88, Figs. 2-4.)
The caterpillar (Plate 89, Fig. 1) is green, inclining to yellow between
the rings; the spiracles are black, and there is sometimes a pinkish brown
or purplish stripe along their area. Varies in general colour, and also in
marking. It feeds, at night, on wild rose, and may be beaten from the
bushes from May to July. When full grown it forms an oval cocoon in the
earth, and therein changes to a chrysalis (Plate 89, Fig. 1a), which is
dark reddish brown, inclining to blackish on the thorax, wing-cases, and
the front edges of the body rings.
The moth appears in March and April, and may be obtained from almost any
hedgerow, where wild rose is plentiful, throughout the British Isles,
except that it seems not to extend north of Moray in Scotland. {218}
BARBERRY CARPET (_Anticlea berberata_).
The fore wings are greyish or whitish, tinged with grey; there are two
dark-edged black lines on the basal half, and a black line beyond the
middle of the wings; the latter has a conspicuous tooth in its upper half,
but the lower wavy half is indistinct; there is a black streak in the tip
of the wing. (Plate 88, Figs. 5, 6.)
The stout and roughened caterpillar is brown, with indistinct darker
stripes along the back; the head is brown, checkered with darker brown. It
feeds, in June and July, on barberry (_Berberis vulgaris_); there is a
second brood in late August and September.
The moth is out in May and early June, and again in August. Although it
certainly has been noted from other parts of England, the species seems at
present to be confined to the eastern counties. Barrett gives Somerset
also.
THE FLAME (_Anticlea rubidata_).
The markings on the reddish fore wings of this species (Plate 88, Figs. 9
and 10) are somewhat similar to those of the last mentioned, but there is
no black streak in the tips of the wings, and the upper part of the outer
black line is not toothed. The lower central area is often greyish, and the
reddish ground colour is sometimes obscured.
The caterpillar is pale brown, sometimes greyish or greenish tinged, with
obscure darker diamond-shaped marks on the back; a black central line,
indistinct on the middle rings; under side striped and lined with pale and
dark brown; head, with a black V-shaped mark. It feeds, in July and early
August, on bedstraw (_Galium mollugo_ and _G. verum_), and will eat
cleavers or goosegrass (_G. aparine_) in confinement.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 90.
1. BLOMER'S RIVULET: _caterpillar_.
2. SMALL WHITE WAVE: _caterpillar_.
3. HAWORTH'S PUG: _caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 91.
1, 3. DINGY SHELL.
2, 4. SMALL YELLOW WAVE.
5, 6. SMALL WHITE WAVE.
7, 9. WAVED CARPET.
8, 10. BLOMER'S RIVULET.
{219}
The moth flies in June and July, and in the daytime may be readily
disturbed from hedges in localities on the chalk in the southern half of
England and Wales, especially in the seaboard counties from Kent to
Cornwall. It has been recorded from Derbyshire and Yorkshire, and once from
the Isle of Arran (_Entom._ xv. 250).
THE STREAMER (_Anticlea nigrofasciaria_).
The two examples of this species depicted on Plate 88 show the ordinary
form with the central area of the fore wings greyish brown (Fig. 7, Essex),
and a New Forest specimen in which the central area is whitish (Fig. 8).
The long caterpillar is green, inclining to yellowish between the rings; a
purplish, or reddish-brown, stripe along the back is broken up into spots
on the middle rings. It feeds on the flowers and leaves of wild rose, and
can be found or beaten out in May and June. (Plate 89, Figs. 2, larva, 2a,
ova.)
The moth is out in April and early May, and is often seen at rest on
palings, etc., but it occurs chiefly in hedgerows, along which it flies at
dusk.
This species (also known as _derivata_, Borkhausen) is pretty well
distributed over England, Wales, and Scotland up to Sutherlandshire. In
Ireland it seems to be local.
DINGY SHELL (_Euchoeca obliterata_).
This pale ochreous brown species (Plate 91) is in the male (Fig. 1) more or
less sprinkled and shaded with darker brown, and the three brown cross
lines are consequently often obscure, and rarely as distinct as in the
female (Fig. 3).
The green caterpillar has a yellow line running down the middle of a black
stripe along the back, and this stripe is {220} bordered on each side with
yellow, and broken up by the yellow ring divisions; head, with a black spot
on each side. It feeds, in July and August, on alder.
The moth is out in June and early July, and will be found in almost every
locality in England where the alder flourishes, most plentifully, perhaps,
on the eastern and western sides. It has been recorded from North and South
Wales, but it does not seem to have been noted from Ireland or Scotland.
The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
SMALL WHITE WAVE (_Asthena candidata_).
The delicately lined white moth shown on Plate 91, Figs. 5 [male] and 6
[female], is chiefly a woodland species. It is generally common in the
south of England, occurs more or less frequently throughout the northern
half, and is widely distributed in Wales. In Scotland, it is said to be
locally common in Clydesdale, and to be found in Arran and in Perthshire.
It is plentiful at Dromoland, co. Clare, Ireland, not uncommon in parts of
Galway, and once recorded from Wicklow.
The caterpillar is found, in July and August, on birch, hazel, and wild
rose. In general colour it is green, inclining to bluish at each end, and
tinged with yellowish along the ridge on the sides; the back is marked with
crimson. (Plate 90, Fig. 2, after Hofmann.)
The moth is out in May and June, and sometimes July, and individuals of a
second generation occasionally appear in August or September.
SMALL YELLOW WAVE (_Asthena luteata_).
This pretty little species (Plate 91, Figs. 2 and 4) has the pale yellowish
wings marked with ochreous brown lines, which vary in thickness, and a dash
of the same colour on the fore wings, from the central pair of lines to the
middle of the outer margin.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 92.
1. GREY PUG: _egg and caterpillar_.
2. LIME SPECK PUG: _caterpillars_.
3. COMMON PUG: _caterpillar_.
4. NETTED PUG: _caterpillar_.
5. WHITE-SPOTTED PUG: _caterpillar_.
6. CURRANT PUG: _caterpillar_.
7. BORDERED PUG: _chrysalids_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 93.
1, 4. LIME SPECK PUG.
2, 5, 8, 11. NETTED PUG.
7, 10. FOXGLOVE PUG.
3, 6. TOADFLAX PUG.
9. MARBLED PUG.
12. DWARF PUG.
{221} The caterpillar, which feeds in August and September, on maple, and
in the northern counties on alder, is green, inclining to whitish between
the rings.
The moth is out in June and early July, sometimes from mid May in warm
localities. It is widely distributed over England and Wales, and in the
southern counties of England it occurs in hedges wherever the maple grows,
but in the midlands and northwards it is chiefly found among alder. In
Scotland it is local and rare in Clydesdale, and is known to occur in
Perthshire.
Abroad, the range extends to Amurland and Japan.
WAVED CARPET (_Asthena testaceata_).
The typical, greyish-dusted, white form is depicted on Plate 91, Figs. 7
[male] and 9 [female]. Mr. E. R. Bankes states (_Entom._, xl. 33) that in
one restricted area in mid-Kent this species varies in the direction of
melanism, and he describes two forms as under: ab. _intermedia_ has the
usual coloration, but the wings are thickly dusted with dusky brown,
chiefly along the front edge of the fore wings, and the cross lines are
more distinct than in the type. In ab. _goodwini_ all the wings have the
whitish ground colour largely obscured by dusky brown powdering.
The rather spindle-shaped caterpillar is purplish brown, inclining to
greenish on the sides and below at each end; on the back of the middle
rings are whitish V-marks, and the last three rings incline to purplish red
above (adapted from Fenn). It feeds on the young leaves of alder, birch,
and sallow, in July and August. The moth is out in June, and hides by day
among the bushes, but may be seen occasionally {222} on tree-trunks. Its
haunts are in damp woods and plantations, and it occurs in most of the
English and Welsh counties, although it is rarely common, except in the
south of England. In Ireland it has been noted as scarce in counties
Wicklow, Kerry, Galway, and Sligo.
The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
BLOMER'S RIVULET (_Asthena blomeri_).
The earliest British specimens of this species (Plate 91, Figs. 8 [male]
and 10 [female]) were taken in Castle Eden Dean, Durham, and among the
first to detect these was Captain Blomer, after whom Curtis named the
species in 1832. It is still found in that locality, but is also known to
occur in Cumberland, Lancs., Yorks., Derby, Staffs., Merionethshire,
Worcester, Hereford, Glamorgan, Gloucester, Somerset, Devon, Wilts.,
Oxford, and Bucks.
The slender caterpillar is yellowish green, generally marked with
pinkish-brown on the back, but most or all such markings may be absent. It
feeds, on wych elm (_Ulmus montana_) (Plate 90, Fig. 1), in August and
September. The moth is out in June and July, earlier or later in some
seasons. As a rule, it sits on the trunks of beech trees, but I have seen
it on the stems of cherry and fir, though hardly ever on wych-elm.
Occasionally, newly emerged specimens have been noted on the leaves of
dog's mercury (_Mercurialis perennis_).
The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
LIME-SPECK PUG (_Eupithecia oblongata_).
The characteristic features of this white, or greyish white, species (Plate
93, Figs. 1 and 4) is the bluish grey blotch on the front margin, in the
lower end of which is the black discal {223} spot. Occasionally, the blotch
is much reduced in size, but it is usually large, and sometimes there are
indications of a dusky stripe from it to the inner margin.
When freshly laid, the egg is whitish, but changes to pale orange. The
caterpillar (Plate 92, Figs. 2, 2a) is greenish, with more or less
connected reddish marks on the back, or green inclining to yellowish, or
bluish, without markings. It feeds through the summer on flowers of
ragwort, knapweed, scabious, yarrow, golden rod, etc.
The moth, which is often common in gardens, is out from May to August, and
specimens of a second brood occur in September and October.
It is widely distributed over the British Islands, but in Scotland it does
not, apparently, extend north of Perthshire.
FOXGLOVE PUG (_Eupithecia pulchellata_).
The fore wings are pale ochreous brown with a dusky basal patch limited by
a black line; a greyish central band inclining to blackish near the costa,
and clouded with ochreous below the middle; the black-and-white edges are
wavy; a reddish stripe across the wing before the central band, and a
similar, but more irregular, one beyond the band. The hind wings are
whitish grey, with several dark-grey bands (Plate 93, Figs. 7 [male], 10
[female]).
In var. _hebudium_, Sheldon, from the Hebrides, the usual reddish stripes
are replaced by narrower dark-brown ones; the space left by the reduction
in width is white, giving the insect a decidedly grey appearance.
The caterpillar lives in the flowers of the foxglove (_Digitalis purpurea_)
and feeds therein upon the stamens and the immature seeds. It enters by
boring through the side walls, and then secures the longer lobe of the
blossom to the shorter upper one with a few silken threads. Tenanted
flowers have {224} a rather faded look and are easily detected. July is the
best month, but the caterpillar may be found earlier as well as later.
The moth is out in May and June, and is found in almost every part of the
British Isles where the foxglove is common.
TOADFLAX PUG (_Eupithecia linariata_).
Very similar to the last species, but generally smaller, neater and more
glossy looking. The central band of the fore wing is blacker, without
ochreous clouding below the middle, and the edges are not wavy. The hind
wings are darker, and the only distinct band is a whitish one beyond the
middle (Plate 93, Figs. 3, 6).
The caterpillar is yellowish green, with a series of dull olive or rust
coloured spots or bars along the back, bordered on each side by a dusky
olive line; in some examples the markings are absent (Crewe). It feeds in
the flowers of yellow toadflax (_Linaria vulgaris_), and may be reared on
flowers of the snapdragon (_Antirrhinum_). It is hardly necessary to
examine each blossom separately to find the caterpillar, except, perhaps,
to make sure when doubtful about the quarry being there. Probably, a
handful of the flower sprays gathered in August or September in any
locality in the southern half of England where the food plant abounds would
furnish moths in the following May or June. The _Linaria_ should be secured
on a dry day for choice, but when brought home it need not be put in water;
just throw it into an airy breeding cage, and hopefully await emergence of
the perfect insects in due course. Sometimes caterpillars attain the moth
state the same year.
The range of the species in England extends to Durham, but it seems to be
rather uncommon from the Midlands northwards. It is found in Wales, and has
been recorded once from Scotland (Inverurie), and once from Ireland
(Dublin). {225}
MARBLED PUG (_Eupithecia irriguata_).
The fore wings are whitish and rather shining, the discal spot is black and
very distinct, but the dark grey-brown markings, which are only well
defined on the front and outer marginal areas, vary in intensity (Plate 93,
Fig. 9).
The long, slender and roughened caterpillar is dull yellowish green; three
lines along the back, the central one reddish and expanded on the middle
rings, the others yellowish; head, reddish. It feeds on oak, in late May
and in June. The moth is out in April and May, and is sometimes found on
fences or palings in the neighbourhood of oak woods, but may be jarred from
the oak boughs, on the undersides of which it usually sits.
The New Forest in Hants is, perhaps, the best British locality for the
species, but it has been found in Dorset (Glanville's Wootton), Devon
(Exeter district, Tiverton, etc.), Sussex (Abbots Wood, St. Leonard's
Forest, etc.), Wilts. (Savernake Forest); also oak woods in Surrey, Berks.,
Gloucester, Hereford and Glamorgan. On the eastern side it occurs in
Suffolk (Bury and Needham), and Norfolk.
DWARF PUG (_Eupithecia pusillata_).
The fore wings of this species (Plate 93, Fig. 12) are pale greyish white,
discal spot black, cross lines irregular dark grey inclining to brownish,
usually most distinct on the front margin.
The long, slender caterpillar is orange-red or dull ochreous green; three
dusky olive lines along the back, the central one often only distinct on
the front rings; a yellow line low down along the sides. It feeds, in June
and early July, on spruce (_Picea excelsa_). The moth is out in May and
June, and rests by day among the branches of the spruce. {226}
The species is very local, but is found in Kent (West Wickham, etc.),
Surrey (Mickleham district), Hants (New Forest), Devon (Exeter district,
Plymouth), Wilts. (Watlington district), and Suffolk.
OCHREOUS PUG (_Eupithecia indigata_).
Captured specimens of this pale greyish-ochreous-brown species nearly
always have a washed-out appearance, and even freshly emerged examples are
unattractive. In some specimens, cross lines are more or less traceable on
the fore wings; in others four or five tiny dusky dots will be noted on the
front edge; as a rule, the only clearly defined character is the black
discal spot (Plate 96, Fig. 1).
The long caterpillar is greenish-yellow or yellowish-red; three lines on
the back, the central one brownish, but often only distinct on the front
rings; the others, and also one low down along the sides, yellowish; head,
reddish (adapted from Crewe). It feeds, in June and July, on pine and
larch, or may be reared on juniper.
The moth is out in May and June, and sometimes there seems to be another
emergence in the latter part of the summer. It frequents pine-woods, where
it rests upon the trunks and branches of the trees.
Generally distributed over the whole of England; has been found in South
Wales, and occurs in Perthshire, in Scotland. In Ireland, it has been noted
from Tyrone, Derry, and Galway.
PINION-SPOTTED PUG (_Eupithecia insigniata_).
The greyish white fore wings have a blackish basal line, and three slender
double lines between this and the outer margin; three blotches on the front
margin of the wings, the middle one blackish, the others brown with dashes
of the same colour below; discal spot, black and streak-like (Plate 96,
Fig. 2).
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 94.
1. PLAIN PUG: _caterpillars_.
2. DARK SPINACH: _caterpillars_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 95.
1. PIMPINEL PUG.
4. THYME PUG.
7. BLEACHED PUG.
3, 6, 10. WORMWOOD PUG.
9. CURRANT PUG.
2, 12. LING PUG.
5. CAMPANULA PUG.
8, 11. JASIONE PUG.
{227} The long, slightly roughened caterpillar is green, inclining to
yellowish, especially between the rings; reddish marks on the back
connected by a slender line of the same colour; head, green, flecked with
reddish. It feeds, on apple, eating flowers and leaves, in May and June.
Also said to eat hawthorn and sloe. The moth is out in April and May, but
it is rarely met with in the open. If, however, one is lucky enough to
capture a female, and fertile eggs are obtained, moths should hardly fail
to result. From these the stock might go on increasing year by year for
quite a long period. Ten specimens presented to the National Collection of
British Lepidoptera in 1904, by the late Mrs. Hutchinson, were bred in
April of the previous year, and were the direct descendants of a female
captured in 1874, at Grantsfield, Herefordshire.
Other counties in England from which the species has been recorded
are--Worcester (Birchwood), Gloucester, Somerset, Wilts., Hants (Hayling
Island), Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Berks., Bucks., Huntingdon, Cambridge (once
bred from mixed larvae beaten from hawthorn on the "Gogs"), Suffolk (beaten
from hawthorn at Brandon, Tuddenham, etc.), and Norfolk.
As _insigniata_, Hubner, is claimed to be at least two years older than
_consignata_, Borkhausen, the former name will have to be adopted for this
species.
NETTED PUG (_Eupithecia venosata_).
This moth has also been named by the old authors "the Pretty Widow Moth."
On Plate 93 are shown four examples; the typical form (Fig. 2), in which
the fore wings are pale greyish, with black cross lines, two of which are
edged with whitish; var. _fumosae_, Gregson = _nubilata_, Bohatsch (Fig.
5)--the Shetland race--is brownish grey, with the markings obscure; Fig. 8
{228} represents a variegated modification of the last form, for which the
name _bandanae_ was proposed by Gregson; Fig. 11 depicts another specimen,
which in its light-brown colour closely approaches the Orkney form var.
_ochracae_, Gregson = _orcadensis_, Prout.
Specimens from North Devon have a rather darker tone of the typical
coloration, and those from North Wales and from Ireland incline to
brownish.
The rather stumpy caterpillar is greyish brown above, and pale greenish or
yellowish below; three darker brown lines along the back; head, blackish.
It is found from late June to early August, in the seed capsules of
catchfly (_Silene inflate_, _S. maritima_, etc.). Plate 92, Fig. 4, from a
coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich.
The moth is out in May and June, and is widely distributed over the British
Isles.
PIMPINEL PUG (_Eupithecia pimpinellata_).
A portrait of this species, which, as a British insect, was first noted in
Suffolk nearly sixty years ago, will be found on Plate 95, Fig. 1. The fore
wings are pale brownish, except on the front edge, which is greyish; the
black discal spot is distinct and rather long; the median vein and its
branches are dotted with black, and most of the cross lines are only
distinct on the front margin, where they are blackish; the rather wavy
whitish submarginal line is sometimes marked with blackish. In some
specimens the costal half of the fore wings is greyish, and the other
portion only tinged with pale brownish.
The long caterpillar is green, with three purplish lines along the back,
the central one wider and more distinct than the others; the head is
purple. Sometimes purple, with two lines of a deeper shade on each side of
the back (Crewe). It feeds, in the autumn, on flowers of burnet-saxifrage
(_Pimpinella_). {229} The moth is out in June and July, and in the late
afternoon is occasionally put up from among its food plant or the herbage
around, but such specimens are rarely worth keeping, unless of the female
sex, when eggs may be obtained.
The species has a wide distribution in England, especially in the southern
half; it occurs in Wales, and also in Ireland, but not in Scotland.
THYME PUG (_Eupithecia distinctaria_).
This delicately marked species, better known, perhaps, as _constrictata_,
Guenee (Plate 95, Fig. 4), has the fore wings whitish grey, with three
slender blackish curved cross lines, and some less distinct greyish ones;
the outer margin is slightly darker, and traversed by a wavy whitish line;
discal spot black and conspicuous.
I have not seen specimens from the Hebrides, but, according to Barrett,
these have a more decided grey tint.
The rather long, wrinkled caterpillar is dark green, inclining to yellowish
between the rings, with a broad purplish red line along the back. It feeds
on the flowers of wild thyme (_Thymus serpyllum_), in August and September.
The moth is out in June and July, and inhabits dry places where there is an
abundant growth of wild thyme. It is easily alarmed, and quickly rises on
the wing from its hiding-place among the herbage.
The species is, or has been, found in most of the southern counties of
England, from Sussex to Cornwall, on the western side from Somerset to
Westmorland, including North Wales and the Isle of Man; also recorded from
Buckinghamshire, Yorkshire (Richmond), and Northumberland. In Scotland it
occurs chiefly on the west to Ross, and in the Hebrides; in Ireland it is
widely spread, but most frequently met with on the coast. {230}
BLEACHED PUG (_Eupithecia expallidata_).
The ample wings light brown in colour, with large black discal spot, and
smaller black marks on the front edge of the fore wings, distinguish this
species (Plate 95, Fig. 7) from its closest British allies.
The caterpillar feeds, in September and October, on flowers of golden rod
(_Solidago virgaurea_), but it will thrive on those of michaelmas daisy,
and probably the asters of the garden. It varies in ground colour, but this
is usually some shade of green, and there are brownish spots and lines on
the back.
The moth is out from late June until August, and may be put up from among
golden rod during the day, or netted as it flies about the plant in the
gloaming.
It is rather local, but occurs in most of the southern counties of England,
from Kent to Devonshire, and westward from Somerset to Hereford and South
Wales; also recorded from North Lancashire. Rare in Scotland, and only
noted from Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. Reported from a few localities on
the coast in Ireland.
CURRANT PUG (_Eupithecia assimilata_).
This species (Plate 95, Fig. 9) is similar in marking to that next
mentioned, but the wings are shorter and rounder; the fore wings are a
trifle redder in tint, and the white mark at the termination of the
submarginal line is usually more conspicuous.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 96.
1. OCHREOUS PUG.
2. PINION-SPOTTED PUG.
3, 4. EDINBURGH PUG.
5-8. SATYR PUG.
9. WHITE-SPOTTED PUG, VAR. _ANGELICATA_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 97.
1. WHITE-SPOTTED PUG.
2, 5. BORDERED PUG.
3. LARCH PUG.
4, 7. COMMON PUG.
6. GREY PUG.
8, 11. TAWNY SPECKLED PUG.
9. PLAIN PUG.
10. GOLDEN-ROD PUG.
12. SCARCE PUG.
13. TRIPLE-SPOTTED PUG.
14. SHADED PUG.
{231} The rather slender caterpillar, figured on Plate 92, Fig. 6, from a
coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich, is yellowish green, inclining to yellow
between the rings; three darker green lines on the back, the central one
most distinct, the others rather broad and not well defined; sometimes the
central line is tinged with brown, as also is the front edge of each ring.
It feeds on currant and hop, and is said to eat the leaves of gooseberry
also. The first brood is in June and July, and the second in the autumn.
The moth is out in May and June and in August. It frequents gardens, and
hides among the foliage, or occasionally sits on walls or palings; from
hedges where the wild hop grows freely it may be beaten out in the daytime,
but it flies in the twilight, sometimes in numbers, around the hop bines.
Widely distributed over England, Wales, and Scotland up to Ross; in Ireland
it has been noted from Tyrone, Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Sligo.
WORMWOOD PUG (_Eupithecia absinthiata_).
The fore wings are reddish or purplish brown; cross lines indistinct, but
represented on the front edge by black marks; discal dot black, submarginal
line whitish interrupted, often indistinct, except above the inner margin
(Plate 95, Figs. 3, 6, 10). The short, stout, and roughened caterpillar
varies in colour, and may be yellowish green, deep rose colour, or dirty
reddish brown; a series of lozenge-shaped reddish spots on the back, faint
towards each end (often absent in green forms); oblique yellow stripes on
the sides form borders to the marks on the back (adapted from Crewe). It
feeds, in the autumn, on the flowers of ragwort, golden rod, aster, yarrow,
hemp agrimony, etc. The moth is out in June and July.
The species is generally common in the south of England, and is widely
distributed over the rest of that country, Wales, and Ireland. In Scotland
its range extends to Moray.
Abroad, the distribution spreads to Amurland.
LING PUG (_Eupithecia goossensiata_).
The fore wings are rather narrower and more pointed at the tips than those
of the last species; the ground colour of the fore wings is of a paler
reddish brown, and frequently tinged {232} with greyish; the hind wings are
usually greyish-brown (Plate 95, Figs. 2, 12). The caterpillar, which feeds
in August and September on the flowers of heath (_Erica_), and ling
(_Calluna_), is pinkish with dusky marks on the back, most distinct on the
middle rings; a yellowish line low down along the side has dusky marks upon
it; head, dusky olive, marked with white (adapted from Crewe).
It may be mentioned here, that _knautiata_, Gregson, which was described as
a distinct species, is by some authorities considered to be a form of this
species, whilst others refer it to _absinthiata_. The caterpillar is
stouter than that of _goossensiata_, varies in colour from whitish to
green, and even purplish-brown, but not to pinkish; it feeds on the flowers
and seeds of _Knautia arvensis_. The moth is out in June and July, and
occurs on heaths and moors throughout England, Wales, and Ireland. In
Scotland, it is obtained freely in some parts of the south, and its range
extends to the Orkneys.
This species is the minutata of Guenee and other authors, but this name,
being a synonym of _absinthiata_, will have to be discarded in favour of
_goossensiata_, Mabille (1869).
CAMPANULA PUG (_Eupithecia denotata_).
The faint reddish tinged pale-brown fore wings distinguish this species
(Plate 95, Fig. 5). The blackish marks on the front edge are minute, the
cross lines are usually indistinct and often absent; the discal spot,
however, is black and conspicuous, and the whitish submarginal line is very
wavy. In general colour, the caterpillar is pale brownish; lines and marks
on the back, dark brown or blackish. It feeds on the seeds of the
nettle-leaved bell-flower (_Campanula trachelium_), and may be reared on
the flowers of the various kinds of _Campanula_ grown in gardens: August
and early September. {233} The moth is out in July, but is rarely seen in a
state of nature. Caterpillars, however, are not uncommon, where the food
plant is plentiful, in several of the English counties from Worcestershire
southwards to Kent and Cornwall; also in Norfolk.
This species is the _campanulata_ of most British authors.
JASIONE PUG (_Eupithecia jasioneata_).
Except that the ground colour inclines to dark greyish brown, and the cross
markings are rather more in evidence, this species is somewhat similar to
that last mentioned, pale specimens especially (Plate 95, Figs. 8, 11). The
caterpillar feeds in the seed heads of sheep's bit (_Jasione montana_), is
very like that of _denotata_ (_campanulata_), and occurs in the same
months. Possibly this insect, which is regarded as purely British, may
eventually be reduced to varietal rank. As pointed out by Mr. Prout, it is
in its paler form not easily separable from _atraria_, Herrich-Schaeffer, a
mountain form of _denotata_, Hubner. Whether species or variety, it is
equally interesting to the student of British Lepidoptera from the fact
that, up to the year 1878, it seems to have been unknown to entomologists.
From its close allies, it stands out more distinctly than do _absinthiata_
and _goossensiata_ from each other, and the latter can hardly escape a
similar fate if _jasioneata_ is degraded.
The moth is out in May and June, but it is very rarely seen at large,
though caterpillars are found locally in Devon and Somerset, England; at
Barmouth, in Merionethshire, North Wales; and in Cork and Kerry, Ireland.
Possibly, it awaits discovery in several other parts of the British Isles,
and almost certainly in the west of England. In ascertaining new localities
for the species, the best method of investigation would be to search for
the caterpillars. {234}
WHITE-SPOTTED PUG (_Eupithecia albipunctata_).
This greyish brown species (Plate 97, Fig. 1) will be recognised by the
white spot at the lower end of the whitish submarginal line on the fore
wings; not infrequently there is a second white spot placed on the line
about the middle, and sometimes a third near the front margin; the hind
wings have a white dot at the anal angle, and, occasionally, a second is
placed a little beyond. Ab. _angelicata_, Barrett, occurring with the type
in the north of England, is blackish with the discal spot and the veins
showing blacker, but without white spots. (Plate 96, Fig. 9.) The
caterpillar is pale lemon yellow, or yellowish green; three brown lines
along the back, the central one with brown marks upon it; some brownish
marks on the sides. Variable in general colour, and the markings sometimes
absent. It feeds on the flowers of angelica (_Angelica sylvestris_),
hogweed (_Heracleum sphondylium_), and other Umbelliferae. It has also been
reared on a diet of elder leaves: August, September, or even later. Our
figure (Plate 92, Fig. 5) is from a coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich. The
moth emerges in May and June, sometimes earlier in confinement, and then a
second generation has resulted in July.
Widely distributed in England, in many localities the caterpillars are not
uncommon, although the moth may never be seen at large. Also occurs in
South Wales, in Scotland to Aberdeenshire; and in Ireland it has been found
in Sligo and Cork.
COMMON PUG (_Eupithecia vulgata_).
This pug varies in colour from pale grey brown through reddish brown to
blackish. In some of the lighter coloured specimens, the darker cross lines
and the whitish submarginal lines are all well defined; more frequently,
perhaps, most of the markings are indistinct or absent, but the small black
discal dot and a white spot above the outer angle of the fore wing remain
fairly clear. (Plate 97, Figs. 4, 7, ab. _subfuscata_, Haw.) The
caterpillar (Plate 92, Fig. 3) is brownish, inclining to reddish, dotted
with white; a series of dirty green marks along the back, and a pale yellow
wavy line low down along the sides. It feeds on the leaves of sallow,
hawthorn, bramble, bilberry, ragwort, golden-rod and various other plants.
There are at least two broods in the year, one in June and July, and the
other in the autumn. The moth flies in May and June, and again in August,
and is often common, almost everywhere, over the greater part of the
British Isles.
The range abroad extends to Eastern Siberia and Amurland.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 98.
1. LEAD-COLOURED PUG.
2. HAWORTH'S PUG.
3. VALERIAN PUG.
4. MARSH PUG.
5. SLENDER PUG.
6. MAPLE PUG.
7. ANGLE-BARRED PUG.
8. ASH PUG.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 99.
1, 2. NARROW-WINGED PUG.
3. BRINDLED PUG.
4. MOTTLED PUG.
5. OAK-TREE PUG.
6, 7. JUNIPER PUG.
8-10. DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG.
11, 12. CLOAKED PUG.
{235}
GOLDEN-ROD PUG (_Eupithecia virgaureata_).
The fore wings of this obscurely marked species (Plate 97, Fig. 10) are
pale greyish brown inclining to ochreous; the discal spot is black, the
veins are marked with dark brown and white, and the whitish submarginal
line terminates in a white spot above the inner angle.
The caterpillar varies in colour from grey brown or purplish grey to
reddish brown; a series of blackish triangular spots on the back, and
yellowish oblique stripes on the sides. It feeds on the flowers of the
golden-rod (_Solidago virgaurea_), in the autumn; also on ragwort
(_Senecio_). The moth is out in May and early June, but in captivity there
is apparently a second emergence in July and early August. The caterpillars
from which these smaller and rather darker specimens result, hatch from the
egg in May and feed on the flowers of beaked parsley (_Anthriscus
sylvestris_).
Widely distributed in England, Wales and Ireland.
The range abroad extends to north-east Siberia; and the species has been
recorded from Japan. {236}
TRIPLE-SPOTTED PUG (_Eupithecia trisignaria_).
The most noticeable markings on the rather shiny, pale-brown fore wings of
this species (Plate 97, Fig. 13) are the black discal spot and two blackish
clouds above it on the front margin.
The stoutish caterpillar is green, with three darker green lines along the
back, and a wavy yellowish line low down along the sides; head, black. It
feeds, in the autumn, on flowers and seeds of angelica and cow-parsnip, but
the former is its chief food.
June and July are the months for the moth, but it is rarely met with in the
open. The only English counties in which the species has been noted are
Surrey, Sussex, Dorset and Devon in the south; from Herefordshire in the
west its range extends through Worcester, Warwick, Leicester, and Derby to
Lancashire and York. In Scotland, Renton records it as common at Hawick, in
Roxburghshire; and it was recorded from Argyllshire in 1902. Hardly known
in Ireland.
LARCH PUG (_Eupithecia lariciata_).
This species (Plate 97, Fig. 3) is very like that next referred to, but the
fore wings are rather longer, the ground colour is whiter, and the
dark-grey or blackish cross lines are rather more angled and slanting; the
hind wings are paler, and especially so on the front margins.
The long caterpillar is bright green, with a darker green line along the
back, merging into reddish on the last ring; sometimes reddish ochreous
with the line along the back brownish. It feeds, in June and July, on
larch, and will also eat spruce.
The moth is out in May and early June, and may be jarred from larch trees,
or sometimes be found at rest on their stems. {237}
As a British species, it was first met with in Surrey, in 1862, then it was
noted in Sussex, and shortly afterwards in Yorkshire. At the present time,
it will probably be found in any locality where larch is plentiful.
GREY PUG (_Eupithecia castigata_).
Although, as the English name suggests, this insect is greyish, there is
always a tinge of ochreous in the composition of its general colour (Plate
97, Fig. 6). Not infrequently the ground colour is decidedly brownish in
tint. The markings vary in clearness, but are most distinct in the paler
forms. A blackish form occurs in the north of England, and in the
Clydesdale district of Scotland, and was formerly known as the "Paisley
Pug."
The longish caterpillar (Plate 92, Fig. 1) is pale or dusky olive, varying
to reddish brown, with a series of darker marks on the back. It feeds, from
August to October, on the foliage of almost any plant.
The moth is out in May and June, and occasionally a few specimens emerge in
the autumn. Generally distributed over the British Isles, but apparently
not noted in the Orkneys and Shetlands.
Abroad, the range extends to Amurland.
PLAIN PUG (_Eupithecia subnotata_).
The fore wings of this species are pale ochreous brown, inclining to pale
reddish on the outer marginal area; the most distinct markings are a pale
cross band beyond the black discal dot, and a pale winding submarginal
line. The hind wings are smoky grey, with whitish wavy cross lines, the
most distinct being the outer (Plate 97, Fig. 9). The stoutish and somewhat
{238} stumpy caterpillar is green, or pale yellowish brown, with three
darker lines and marks on the back; a yellowish line low down on the sides.
It feeds on flowers and seeds of orache (_Atriplex_), and goosefoot
(_Chenopodium_): August and September. Figured on Plate 94, Figs. 1, 1a,
from coloured drawings by Mr. A. Sich. In July, the moth may be disturbed
from its food plant or adjacent herbage, or it may be seen resting on
palings or fences. It flies at night, and will come to light.
Not uncommon in many places in the southern half of England, and found in
the rest of the country, chiefly on the coast, to Hartlepool in Durham,
also in Wales. Once recorded from south Scotland, and only noted from the
coast near Dublin, in Ireland.
SCARCE PUG (_Eupithecia extensaria_).
The conspicuously marked insect represented on Plate 97, Fig. 12, is, so
far, only known to occur, in Britain, on the coasts of Norfolk and
Yorkshire. It was first discovered in the latter county more than thirty
years ago; about twelve years later it was found on the Norfolk coast, and
caterpillars were also obtained from the sea wormwood (_Artemisia
maritima_) in the autumn.
The long caterpillar, which feeds on the flowers and foliage of its food
plant, is green, with three lines along the back, the central one dusky and
the others whitish; a white stripe low down along the sides is edged below
with rosy brown. It will thrive on the cultivated southernwood or "lad's
love" (_Artemisia abrotanum_).
The moth is out in June and July, and may be found in its haunts among the
sea wormwood, not only on the coast of Norfolk, but quite possibly, here
and there, in suitable places on the east coast from Essex to the Humber.
Caterpillars may be obtained in August and September. [Illustration]
2 Pl. 100.
1. V. PUG.
2-6. GREEN PUG, _and vars_.
7, 8. BILBERRY PUG.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 101.
1. MAGPIE: _caterpillars and chrysalis_.
2. CLOUDED MAGPIE: _eggs, natural size and enlarged, and caterpillars_.
{239}
EDINBURGH PUG (_Eupithecia helveticaria_).
The two examples of this species on Plate 96, Figs. 3, 4, are from the
Pentland Hills, Scotland, and are referable to _anglicata_, Milliere. In
this form, which is smaller than the type, the fore wings are grey brown,
more or less tinged with reddish, and sometimes inclining to purplish; the
whitish edged dark cross lines, especially the basal first and second, are
usually distinct, and the veins are often marked with black and white. Ab.
_arceuthata_, Freyer, a paler grey form, occurs in Buckinghamshire, and has
also been reported from Surrey. The specimens from the latter county, at
least those from the Dorking district, were subsequently referred to _E.
satyrata_.
The stoutish and rather rough caterpillar is green, with three lines along
the back, the central one dark green, and the others white; a broad
yellowish stripe low down along the sides. It feeds on juniper, in June and
July, and sometimes again in September and October. The moth is out in
April, May, and June, and a second brood may appear in August and
September. The species seems to occur among juniper, in Scotland, from
Roxburghshire to Sutherland. It is local in North Lancashire, has been
reported from near Llandudno, North Wales, and, as adverted to above,
occurs in Bucks.
SATYR PUG (_Eupithecia satyrata_).
Four specimens are depicted on Plate 96. Fig. 5 represents the typical pale
brownish grey form, in which the cross lines are indistinct, and the veins
are marked with white and dusky. Fig. 6 shows the rather browner, moorland
ab. _callunaria_, Doubleday, and Figs. 7 and 8 depict two forms of the
Shetland race, known as var. _curzoni_, Gregson. A much rarer form than
{240} any of the above is the pale brownish ab. _pernotata_, Guenee
(_cauchyata_, Meyrick).
The caterpillar is greenish with a series of purplish-brown edged, dusky
green, Y-shaped marks along the back; above the yellow spiracular line is a
row of slanting purplish blotches; sometimes the general colour is paler,
and the markings on the back and sides rosy; occasionally, the whole of the
back is rosy (adapted from Crewe). It feeds on the flowers of knapweed
(_Centaurea nigra_), scabious, hawkweed (_Hieracium_), heath, sallow, etc.,
etc.: August and September.
The moth is out in May and June, and is found in woodlands, and on heaths
and moors. It is widely distributed over the British Isles.
BORDERED PUG (_Eupithecia succenturiata_).
The fore wings are white, clouded and suffused with dark grey on all the
margins. The greyish clouding sometimes covers the whole area of the wings,
except a very limited space under the black discal spot (ab. _disparata_,
Hubner). Plate 97, Figs. 2, a specimen from Lancs., 5, one from Surrey.
The caterpillar is reddish brown, paler in some specimens than in others; a
series of blackish spear-head marks along the back, connected by a blackish
line, and a dusky line on each side; a whitish line along the spiracles. It
feeds, in September and October, on mugwort (_Artemisia vulgaris_), tansy
(_Tanacetum vulgare_), and yarrow (_Achillea_). It may be reared on garden
Chrysanthemum. Chrysalis, dark buff, inclining to brown; wing cases olive
green; figure 7 on Plate 92 is from a photo by Mr. Main, and is enlarged to
twice the natural size.
The moth is out in July and early August; it is not readily put up from its
hiding-place among herbage, but at night, when on the wing, it will come to
light. {241}
The species is most frequent, perhaps, on the coast, but it is widely
distributed over England and Wales. Rare in Ireland, and only noted from
counties Armagh, Louth, and Dublin; Kane states that he met with it in some
numbers on Lambay Island. Once reported from Ayrshire, Scotland.
The Surrey specimen (Fig. 5) appears to be referable to _exalbidata_,
Staudinger, a form occurring chiefly in Asia, but occasionally found in
Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
TAWNY SPECKLED PUG (_Eupithecia subfulvata_).
Two forms of this species are shown on Plate 97. Fig. 8 represents the
reddish typical form, and Fig. 11 (from Lancs. coast) the dark ab.
_oxydata_, Treitschke. Between these two extremes, there are various
intermediate forms, showing more or less distinct cross lines.
The caterpillar is reddish brown, with a chain of oval, olive-brown spots
along the back; there are also two brownish interrupted lines; the
spiracular line is white. Sometimes the general colour is ochreous brown,
or grey brown. It feeds, in September and October, on yarrow, and will
thrive on tansy, and the flowers of garden chrysanthemum.
The chrysalis of this species is said to differ from that of _E.
succenturiata_ in being of a rich red colour, inclining to buff on the wing
cases.
In July and August, the moth may sometimes be seen resting on fences, but
it is more frequently hidden away among herbage. At night it will visit
flowers, especially those of the ragwort.
The species is widely distributed over England and Wales, and in Scotland
up to Moray. In Ireland, it is found on the coast from Louth to Cork.
By some entomologists, _subfulvata_, Haworth, and its variety, _oxydata_,
are set down as forms of the preceding species. {242}
SHADED PUG (_Eupithecia scabiosata_).
The grey, or greyish-brown lined, whitish species shown on Plate 97, Fig.
14, has been known by three names in Britain. It was named and described by
Stephens, in 1831, as _piperata_ (The Speckled Pug), from a specimen, or
specimens, taken at Riddlesdown, near Croydon, Surrey; later, it was
supposed to be the _subumbrata_, of the _Vienna Catalogue_ (1776), and
certainly of Guenee. The name given to it by Borkhausen, in 1794, appears
to be the correct one, and is here adopted.
Crewe describes the caterpillar as yellowish green, with three dark lines
on the back, the outer one not clearly defined; a yellow line on each side
of the head, and of the last ring of the body.
It feeds on flowers of one of the hawkbits (_Leontodon hispidus_), and
hawk's-beard (_Crepis taraxacifolia_), etc., from July to September. In
June and early July, the moth may be started up from the herbage, as the
collector walks over rough ground inland, or more frequently on the coast.
It also occurs in fens, marshy places in woods, etc.
The species occurs in Bucks., Berks., Surrey, and in the seaboard counties
from Norfolk in the east to Gloucestershire in the west, also in South
Wales; in the north it is found in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, and
Northumberland. It is not common in Scotland, but has been reported from
various parts, extending from Wigtown to Argyll and Aberdeen. In Ireland it
is also a coast insect, from Donegal to Cork.
HAWORTH'S PUG (_Eupithecia haworthiata_).
The fore wings of this species (Plate 98. Fig. 2) are pale greyish, with
dark cross lines, and still darker narrow bands; hind wings, similar, but
markings less distinct. Resembles {243} the last species in size, but the
wings are somewhat rounder, darker, and not so silky in appearance; the
body, near the thorax, is ochreous brown. Also known as _isogrammaria_,
Herrich-Schaeffer, but _haworthiata_, Doubleday, is stated by Prout to be
the older name.
In July and August the caterpillar (Plate 90, Fig. 3) may be found in the
flower-buds of the traveller's joy or old man's beard (_Clematis vitalba_).
It is green, with a bluish or pinkish tinge, and there are generally three
darker stripes along the back, but these are sometimes absent; occasionally
the ground colour is yellowish.
The moth is out in June and July, and may be seen flying about clematis in
the sunshine, but such specimens are not often worth taking. It is easily
reared from caterpillars, which will thrive on flowers of garden
_Clematis_, and may be obtained by the score, either by beating, or by
searching for discoloured or black-specked flower buds of the traveller's
joy.
The species is most frequent in the south of England, but it occurs in all
the eastern, some of the midland, and also in the northern counties to
Lancashire and Yorkshire; in the last-named county, Porritt states that the
caterpillars were found in profusion on _Clematis_ near Wadworth,
Doncaster, in 1901, It inhabits South Wales and Ireland.
Abroad, the species ranges to Amurland and China.
VALERIAN PUG (_Eupithecia valerianata_).
The fore wings of this species (Plate 98, Fig. 3) are brownish grey, with
indistinct darker cross lines, and a wavy whitish submarginal line; the
latter is sometimes not clear, except towards the inner angle.
Caterpillar, rather short, bright green, with three darker green lines
along the back; a whitish line low down along the sides, and the
ring-divisions are yellow. It feeds, in July {244} and August, on flowers
and seeds of all-heal, or cat's valerian (_Valeriana officinalis_).
The moth is out in May and June; its haunts are in fens, marshes, and damp
spots affected by its food plant, but, as a rule, is only found in the
caterpillar state. A local, but widely distributed species in England;
occurs also in Wales and in Ireland.
LEAD-COLOURED PUG (_Eupithecia plumbeolata_).
The small, obscurely marked species, represented on Plate 98, Fig. 1, has
the fore wings whitish grey, sometimes assuming a yellowish tinge; a number
of rather wavy, darker cross lines, and a more or less clearly defined pale
band beyond the middle; discal spot always tiny and rarely distinct.
The stumpy caterpillar is yellowish green, with three purplish-red lines
along the back, the central one swollen on each ring, and the others
irregular; sometimes the back is suffused with purplish-red. It feeds on
the flowers of cow-wheat (_Melampyrum_) in July and August.
The moth is out in May and June, and is readily induced to fly out from
among cow-wheat, or the other herbage around. It may be found in most of
the English counties, wherever its food plant abounds; in South Wales; in
Scotland to Argyll and Aberdeen, and in Ireland from Cork to Donegal.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
MARSH PUG (_Eupithecia pygmaeata_).
This species (Plate 98, Fig. 4) may be distinguished from _haworthiata_,
which it approaches in size and general appearance, by its more pointed
fore wings and the white dot at the inner angle of these wings. {245}
The long, thin caterpillar is yellowish green; a pale olive line along the
middle of the back, connecting a series of urn-shaped blotches of the same
colour; two pale olive, irregular lines on each side. It feeds, in June and
July, on flowers of stitchwort (_Stellaria holostea_).
The moth is out in May and June, sometimes later; examples of a second
brood have been obtained in August and September. It flies in the
afternoon, but only when the sun shines, and where the food plant grows
freely.
The species occurs in all the eastern counties of England, in Bucks., and
in the northern counties to Cumberland and Northumberland. In Wales it has
been recorded from Colwyn, Denbighshire; in Scotland it is widely spread to
Perthshire; it is local and scarce in Ireland.
SLENDER PUG (_Eupithecia tenuiata_).
The fore wings are rather rounded; grey, more or less tinged with brownish,
and with ochreous or reddish brown along the front edge; the latter with
dusky clouds upon it; the cross lines are dark grey brown and fairly
distinct, and the discal spot is black (Plate 98, Fig. 5). A large grey
form from Moray, in Scotland, has been named _cinerae_, Gregson.
Caterpillar, rather stumpy, and dingy yellowish green in colour, the sides
and middle of the back rosy; a series of dusky spots, edged by black lines
or short streaks, along the back; and a row of pinkish oblique stripes on
the sides. It feeds, in the spring, in sallow catkins, and the moths may
often be bred in numbers, in June and July, from those catkins which fall
most readily from the bushes when we go "a sallowing." Moths frequently
rest on the stems, and where there is a clump of well-grown sallows, a good
series may be obtained.
The species is partial to fens and marshy places, and is found in such
situations over the greater part of the British Isles. {246}
MAPLE PUG (_Eupithecia inturbata_).
The fore wings are greyish brown, with many darker cross lines; the outer
margin is darker and traversed by a pale line; discal dot, dark grey and
not very distinct (Plate 98, Fig. 6). This species was long known as
_subciliata_, Guenee, but is now referred to _inturbata_, Hubner.
In May and June the caterpillars may be beaten from maple, which is
apparently the only food plant, and of which they have a decided preference
for the flowers. When full grown the larva is yellowish green with a
purplish stripe along the back, and whitish lines along the sides.
The moth may be jarred from the branches of the maple in July and August;
it is occasionally seen resting on fences, etc. It seems to be found in
England and Wales, in most places where there is a mature growth of maple.
THE ANGLE-BARRED PUG (_Eupithecia innotata_).
The greyish-brown fore wings of this species (Plate 98, Fig. 7) are crossed
by darker oblique lines, which are angled on the front margin; the
submarginal line is white and irregular, especially at each end.
Caterpillar, ochreous grey, inclining to pinkish, marked on the back with
white-edged, purplish- or reddish-brown blotches, and on the sides with
reddish or purple spots; a whitish line low down along the sides. It feeds
on the flowers of wormwood and mugwort (_Artemisia_), from August to
October.
The moth, which is uncommon and very local in England, is out in July. It
occurs in Devonshire (Exeter district), Kent (Wye), Essex (Shoeburyness),
Lincolnshire (Skegness, etc.), Worcestershire (Malvern), Lancashire and
Cheshire (coast sand-hills, Macclesfield, etc.), and Durham (Hartlepool).
{247}
ASH PUG (_Eupithecia fraxinata_).
Very similar to the last mentioned, but smaller, and the markings are less
distinct (Plate 98, Fig. 8).
The caterpillar is variable, but generally some shade of green,
occasionally purplish red; lines on the sides yellowish, and sometimes
there are dusky purplish marks on the back. It feeds, in August and
September, on ash, and is said to eat _Artemisia_, _Laurustinus_, and the
flowers of scabious. The moth is out in late June and July, and sometimes a
second generation appears in the autumn.
This species, which by some entomologists is considered to be a form of _E.
innotata_, is widely distributed over England, south Scotland, and Ireland.
_Tamarisciata_, Freyer, is also considered by some authorities to be a form
of _E. innotata_.
Some moths reared from larvae obtained, in 1905, from Tamarisk, in
Cornwall, have been referred to _tamarisciata_.
NARROW-WINGED PUG (_Eupithecia nanata_).
The rather variable species represented on Plate 99, Figs. 1 and 2, will
easily be recognised by its long pointed fore wings, which in colour are
whitish grey, darkened by brownish cross-stripes; a whitish spot before the
small, black discal dot.
The long, thin, caterpillar, which feeds on ling or heather in the autumn,
is whitish with a greenish tinge: the sides are marked with red, and there
are some reddish spots on the back.
On almost all heather-clad ground throughout the British Isles, this pretty
little moth will be found, more or less commonly, during the months of May
and early June, and sometimes there is a second flight in July and August.
{248}
BRINDLED PUG (_Eupithecia abbreviata_).
The ochreous grey fore wings of this species (Plate 99, Fig. 3) are crossed
by dark, bent lines, and marked with black on the veins; the central area
is sometimes whitish, and generally paler than the ground colour.
Caterpillar, slender, ochreous brown in colour, with browner lines and
redder V-shaped marks on the back. It feeds on oak, in June and July. The
moth is not uncommon in oak woods, in April and May, and may be beaten from
the boughs in the daytime, and not infrequently found resting on the
trunks. Generally distributed, but in Scotland not noted north of
Perthshire.
OAK-TREE PUG (_Eupithecia dodoneata_).
This species (Plate 99, Fig. 5) differs from the last in being smaller,
paler in colour, more distinctly marked, and with a rather larger and more
conspicuous discal spot.
The caterpillar feeds, in June and July, on young leaves of oak, the
flowers of the evergreen oak (_Quercus ilex_), and hawthorn. It is orange,
or ochreous red, with blackish marks connected by a line of the same colour
along the back, and yellowish stripes and lines on the sides.
The moth is out in May and early June, and occurs in some of the woods in
most of the southern counties of England, and on the west to
Worcestershire. It has been recorded from Yorks. and Cumberland; from
Glamorganshire, South Wales; and from counties Armagh, Dublin, Wicklow, and
Sligo, in Ireland.
MOTTLED PUG (_Eupithecia exiguata_).
In some respects this species (Plate 99, Fig. 4) is not unlike _E.
abbreviata_, but the general colour of the fore wings is pale grey
inclining to brownish; a good character is the blackish {249} band before
the submarginal line, which is interrupted by patches of the ground colour,
one above, and the other below, the middle; the submarginal line is whitish
towards the inner margin.
Caterpillar, long and thin; dark green; a series of yellow dotted reddish
marks on the back, and a yellow-edged reddish line low down along the
sides. It feeds, in the autumn, on hawthorn, sloe, currant, sallow, ash,
etc.
The moth is out in May and June, and is sometimes seen at rest on the stems
and branches of trees, fences, etc., and may be beaten out of hedgerows.
Widely distributed throughout England, Wales, Scotland to Perthshire, and
Ireland.
JUNIPER PUG (_Eupithecia sobrinata_).
Two specimens are shown on Plate 99: Fig. 6 represents a more or less
typical example from the Surrey downs, and Fig. 7 a pale form from Forres
in Scotland. The species varies in tint of ground colour, and in the
strength of marking, in all its localities; but in Scotland there is a
greater tendency to pale forms than in England. Mr. H. McArthur, during the
present year, obtained an extensive and most variable series from heather,
at Aviemore, in Inverness. A pale-brownish tinged white pug found in Kent
and the Isle of Wight, at one time referred to _E. ultimaria_, Boisduval,
and afterwards known as _stevensata_, Webb, is really, according to Prout,
_anglicata_, Herrich-Schaeffer. Whether this is a form of the present
species or specifically distinct is still left in doubt, but personally I
believe it to be a variety.
The dark-green, sometimes reddish marked, caterpillars may be beaten from
juniper bushes, from April to early June. The moth is out from late July to
early October, and may be found {250} in nearly all parts of the British
Isles where the food plant occurs, and occasionally in localities from
which juniper appears to be absent.
DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG (_Gymnoscelis_ (_Eupithecia_) _pumilata_).
[Illustration: FIG. 5.