The Moths of the British Isles Volume I Part 25

This little moth, known also as the "Grisette," seems confined, as a British species, to the country around Cambridge; but it has been twice recorded from Norfolk, two specimens have been reported from Worcesters.h.i.+re, and one from Gloucesters.h.i.+re; the latter at sugar in June, 1897. The latest records that I have seen refer to a moth taken at sugar near Chatteris {195} in 1904, two caterpillars beaten out of hawthorn in August, 1905, and a moth on an ash tree, Wicken, July 31, 1907. (Plate 100, Fig. 7).

The caterpillar is yellowish green, with a red brown stripe along the back; two small elevations on ring four, and one on ring eleven; the hairs are blackish on the back, one of each tuft longer than the others. It feeds on hawthorn in August and early September. The moth is out in July. This species is found abroad in Central Europe and Southern France; also in Amurland, Corea, and j.a.pan.

THE DARK DAGGER (_Acronycta tridens_).

The English name of this moth is not very suitable, as in general colour it is often really paler than many examples of the next species. Specimens with a blackish cloud at the base, and a dark band-like suffusion on the outer margin of the fore wings are referable to var. _virga_, Tutt. It is widely distributed in England and Wales, but apparently not common; rare in Scotland and in Ireland. I am unable to indicate any character that will serve to distinguish this moth from the Grey Dagger. The moth flies in June; a second brood sometimes occurs in confinement in October. The caterpillars of the two species are very distinct. That of the present species is black, with a broad reddish stripe along the back, and one on each side; the first is interrupted with white, and the others with black; there is a black hump on the fourth ring, and a broader one on the eleventh ring. It feeds from August to October on hawthorn, sloe, plum, pear, and apple; also on birch and sallow.

The moth is shown on Plate 100, Fig. 10; and the caterpillar on Plate 101, Fig. 4.

THE GREY DAGGER (_Acronycta psi_).

The ground colour varies from whitish to blackish grey, Var. _bivirgae_, Tutt, is similar to var. _virga_ of the last species. {196} In var.

_bidens_, Chapman, the first cross line is double, enclosing a pale stripe; the upper part of second cross line is more angled, and the dagger mark at the a.n.a.l angle is much shortened.

The caterpillar has a taller and more slender hump on ring four, and the stripe along the back is clear yellow, with black edged red spots on each side of it. Generally distributed, and often common.

The moth is shown on Plate 100, Fig. 11; and the caterpillar and chrysalis on Plate 101, Figs. 5 and 5a.

THE LIGHT KNOT GRa.s.s (_Acronycta menyanthidis_).

Portraits of this moth will be found on Plate 103, Figs. 1[male], 2[female]. Several modifications have been named, the most important of these are var. _scotica_, Tutt, which is larger and brighter than the type, with the markings clear and distinct; var. _suffusa_, Tutt, is much suffused with black. The former is chiefly found in Scotland, and the latter in Yorks.h.i.+re.

The caterpillar is black or sooty-brown, with a red stripe, or blotches, low down along the sides; hairs black or red-brown. In August and September feeding by day on sweet-gale or bog myrtle (_Myrica gale_), bilberry, heather, dwarf sallow, etc. The moth flies in June and July, and may be found on the mosses and moorlands of North England and Scotland. It rests by day on rocks, stones, and, where they are handy, on posts and rails. I found several on Danes Moss, Ches.h.i.+re, sitting on a derelict tub. Also occurring in Ireland, but not common.

THE SCARCE DAGGER (_Acronycta auricoma_).

The pale grey, darker-mottled moth depicted on Plate 103, Fig. 3, is very local, and only occurs in some of the woods of {197} Kent and Suss.e.x; the districts mentioned being those of Rochester, Canterbury, Hailsham, and Hastings.

The caterpillar is figured on Plate 102, Fig. 2. It is slaty grey in colour with a black plate on the first ring; on the back of each ring is a broad black band, and four orange warts from which arise golden-yellow silky hairs; the hairs on the sides are pale drab (adapted from Buckler). It feeds in June and early July, sometimes in September, on oak, birch, various kinds of _Rubus_, such as blackberry and raspberry, and also on bilberry (_Vaccinium_). The moth is out in late April and in May; occasionally late July and in August. It is rarely seen in the day time, but has been found resting on tree trunks. The range abroad extends to Southern Russia and Siberia.

THE SWEET-GALE MOTH (_Acronycta euphorbiae_ var. _myricae_).

Our form of this species--var. _myricae_, Guenee (Plate 103, Fig. 4), is rather larger and much darker than the type; but although it is generally somewhat smaller than the Alpine var. _montivaga_, Guenee, it is not otherwise separable from that form. So far as concerns the British Isles, it is only found in Scotland and, rarely, in Ireland. It was first obtained in Perths.h.i.+re, in 1846, by Weaver, and it is now known to occur more or less commonly through Scotland from Ayr to Sutherlands.h.i.+re. In Ireland it occurs in Cork, Kerry, Galway, and Sligo, and Kane considers that specimens from Markrea, and Lough Gill in the latter county are referable rather to var. _montivaga_, than to var. _myricae_. The moth is out in April, May, and June.

The dark greyish caterpillar has a deep black, broken, stripe along the middle of the back, and a series of pale yellow marks on each side of it; along the black-margined white spiracles there is a reddish orange line, or broken stripe; pale brownish hairs arising from yellowish warts on the back, and a cross-bar of reddish orange near the head. It feeds on sweet {198} gale, heather, birch, sallow, etc., and may be found from July to September. Two figures of it, from coloured drawings by Mr. Alfred Sich, will be found on Plate 102.

THE KNOT GRa.s.s (_Acronycta rumicis_).

The ordinary form of this moth is shown on Plate 103, Figs. 6[male], 7[female]. The species varies greatly in the amount of dark mottling and clouding on the fore wings; sometimes this is much reduced, and the pale grey ground colour is then clearly seen; more often these wings are entirely clouded over with blackish or sooty brown, leaving only the white bracket-like mark above the inner margin, and the submarginal cross line, distinctly visible (var. _salicis_, Curtis). The moth flies in June and July, and sometimes in August and September.

The hairy caterpillar, which is somewhat humped on rings four and eleven, is figured in Plate 102, Fig. 1. It is dark brownish grey, marked on the back with a central series of black patches in which are reddish spots, and a row of white spots on each side; below the white spiracles is a yellowish wavy line with reddish warts upon it. Various low-growing plants, such as plantain, dock, sorrel, and also hawthorn, sallow, and bramble, afford it nourishment, and it is found in July, August, and September.

Generally distributed throughout England and Wales, its range extending into Scotland as far north as Morays.h.i.+re; also in Ireland. The var.

_salicis_ occurs northwards from Shrops.h.i.+re through northern England into Scotland, but is perhaps most common in Ireland.

THE CORONET (_Craniophora ligustri_).

This is also the Crown Moth of Moses Harris, both English names referring to a fancied resemblance of the whitish or pale greyish mark, just beyond the reniform stigma, to a crown or coronet (Plate 103, Fig. 5). The greenish or brownish-olive fore wings are subject to modification in the depth of tint; sometimes they are blackish in tone--var. _nigra_, Tutt, or dark olive-green--var. _olivacea_, Tutt. In both of these named forms the whitish markings are obscured, and in this respect they seem to be about identical with var. _sundevalli_, Lampa.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Pl. 104.

1, 3. ARCHER'S DART.

4, 6. TURNIP MOTH.

2, 5. SHUTTLE-SHAPED DART.

7, 8. DARK SWORD GRa.s.s.

9, 10. PEARLY UNDERWING.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Pl. 105.

1, 2. CRESCENT DART.

3, 4. HEART AND DART, _males_.

5, 6. HEART AND DART, _females_.

7, 8. HEART AND CLUB.

9, 10. LIGHT FEATHERED RUSTIC.

{199} The caterpillar is bluish green above, and yellowish green below; a slender whitish line along the middle of the back, and a yellowish line on each side; the spiracles are reddish, and the raised spots, from each of which a single black hair arises, are black. It feeds in August and September on ash, and less frequently, perhaps, on privet. It is stated to eat hazel and alder, also.

The moth flies in June and July, and its occurrence in any locality depends largely upon the presence of ash. Widely distributed throughout England, Wales, and Scotland to Ross-s.h.i.+re. In Ireland it has only been noted from a few localities in Co. Galway.

POWDERED WAINSCOT (_Simyra_ (_Arsilonche_) _albovenosa_).

In its typical form (Plate 103, Fig. 10), the fore wings are whitish ochreous with the veins showing up white more or less clearly. A form with reddish ochreous fore wings has been named var. _ochracea_, Tutt; and another with silvery-white wings var. _argentea_ by the same author. These seem to be identical with forms of this species named _flavida_ and _albida_ by Aurivillius some eight years earlier.

The hairy caterpillar is blackish or dark grey brown freckled with black; two stripes along the back and one on each side are yellow, sometimes marked with orange; the warts are orange with pale, and a few black, hairs; head black, marked with yellowish. {200}

It feeds from July to September on the leaves of reeds, at night; hiding by day under leaves low down. The moth is out in June, but an autumn brood is sometimes obtained. It only occurs in fenland, chiefly Norfolk and Cambridges.h.i.+re.

THE MARBLED BEAUTY (_Bryophila perla_).

Typically the fore wings of this species are white, marbled with slaty grey, and with the stigmata dark grey (Plate 103, Figs. 9[male], 12[female]). There is less colour variation than in the last species, but in some localities greenish, ochreous, and ochreous brown forms have been obtained. The caterpillar is pale slaty grey, with an irregular yellowish stripe on the back, with black spots forming a central line; the raised spots are black and s.h.i.+ny, as also is the head. Feeds on lichens growing on old walls from August to May. The moth, which occurs throughout England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland up to the Clyde, is to be found, commonly as a rule, on walls by day, and gas lamps at night, in July and August.

Sometimes I have found specimens on tree trunks.

MARBLED GREEN (_Bryophila muralis_ (_glandifera_)).

Two forms of this very variable little moth are represented on Plate 103, Figs. 8[male] (typical), 11[female]. The ground colour of the fore wings ranges from almost white through pale green to bluish green or to a deep olive green, or through pale ochreous to orange brown. The markings, too, vary in intensity, and are sometimes very obscure. Several forms have been named, but only the Cambridge race, known as var. _impar_, Warren, can here be referred to. In this form the colour is more often greyish or brownish white, than green; the markings are cloudy and not clearly defined.

The caterpillar is obscure greenish, with whitish and rather {201} s.h.i.+ning raised spots; there is a black plate on the first ring, and from this three broken yellowish lines run along the back. Head black and glossy. It feeds from October to May on the lichens growing on walls and rocks; during the day it hides in a chamber formed of silk and lichen, which is not easy to detect in dry weather. The moth is out in July and August, and at Eastbourne I have found it in September. It may be found generally on walls, but sometimes on rocks at various places on the coast of Kent, Suss.e.x, Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall; also in the Scilly Isles. Its range, according to Barrett, extends to Bath and Wells, Somersets.h.i.+re, Marlborough and Chippenham in Wilts.h.i.+re, and it has also occurred in Gloucesters.h.i.+re.

THE TREE-LICHEN BEAUTY (_Bryophila algae_).

The only record of this species in England that I am aware of is that by Mr. Edleston, in the _Intelligencer_ for 1860, p. 11, as follows: "Two specimens of this pretty species (_B. algae_) were taken in this district last July." The district referred to was Manchester, and the note was written on September 28, 1859.

TRIFINae.

THE TURNIP MOTH (_Agrotis_ (_Euxoa_) _segetum_).