The Moths of the British Isles Volume Ii Part 5

Its range abroad extends to Amurland and j.a.pan.

THE GOLDEN-ROD BRINDLE (_Lith.o.m.oia solidaginis_).

On Plate 12, Fig. 8 represents a Lancas.h.i.+re specimen, whilst Fig. 9 is taken from an Aberdeen example. The first, having the central area suffused with brown, is more nearly typical, and the other varies in the direction of ab. _virgata_, Tutt, in which form the central shade is black. Other named forms are--ab. _cinerascens_, Staud. = _pallida_, Tutt (pale ashy-grey, central shade almost or quite obsolete), ab. _suffusa_, Tutt (similar to _virgata_, but the basal area also black or blackish).

The caterpillar is brown, with a purplish or violet tinge, and freckled with grey; an indistinct line along the middle of the back and a creamy stripe along the sides, the latter is edged above with black; head, s.h.i.+ning reddish-brown, freckled with darker brown. It feeds on bilberry, bearberry (_Arctostaphylos uva-ursi_), heather, sallow, birch, and hawthorn, and is to be found from May to July.

The moth is out in August and September, and in its woodland and moorland haunts is to be seen sitting about on the dead stems of bracken, charred twigs and stems of heather, or on birch trunks, rocks, walls, etc. When thus resting, however, they very closely resemble twisted birch bark, grouse droppings, and other common objects occurring in the haunts of the species, so that its detection is not easy at first. {33}

In England this species is found from Shrops.h.i.+re and Staffords.h.i.+re northwards to c.u.mberland; thence through Scotland to Aberdeen and Sutherland. In Wales it has been obtained commonly near Rhos in the north.

Abroad its range spreads to Amurland; and it occurs in North America, where it is known as _germana_, Morrison.

THE EARLY GREY (_Xylocampa areola_).

A typical specimen of this widely distributed and, at least in the southern half of England, rather common species, is shown on Plate 12, Fig. 7. A dark form has been named ab. _suffusa_, Tutt, and one with the fore wings of the typical grey colour, but with a pinkish flush, is ab. _rosea_, Tutt.

The caterpillar (figured from a skin, on Plate 8, Fig. 2) is yellowish-brown, with a fine pale central line along the back, often only distinct on rings 1, 11, and 12, and always obscured by dark brown patches on 7 and 8; a blackish line low down along the sides. The body tapers towards each end, and especially so towards the small head. It lives upon honey-suckle, and feeds on the leaves at night, during May and June, or sometimes later.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.

EARLY GREY AT REST.

(Photo by W. J. Lucas.)]

The moth appears in March and April, and, in the daytime, is often met with at rest on posts, fences, and the trunks of trees; also upon stone walls, but seemingly less frequently, probably owing to the moth being then less easy to detect. At night it flies around sallow bushes and sometimes settles on the catkins, but is always on the alert. {34}

THE SWORD-GRa.s.s (_Calocampa exoleta_).

Except that the pale grey brown fore wings are more clouded with blackish in some specimens than in others, there is little of importance to note.

Usually there are two black wedges pointing inwards from the indistinct submarginal line, but occasionally one, or more rarely both, may be absent.

(Plate 14, Figs. 3 [male] and 4 [female].)

The caterpillar is green, with two series of white spotted black marks, the line below these is yellow, and that lower down on the side is bright red; the spots between the lines are white, encircled with black. From April to May it feeds, often in the suns.h.i.+ne, as well as at night, on restharrow, thistles, stonecrop, groundsel, dock, in fact on almost all low-growing plants, as well as the foliage of some trees. The caterpillars of this and the next species are exceedingly pretty creatures, and are sure to attract attention whenever met with. Dr. Chapman notes that the caterpillar will feed on stale leaves.

The moth emerges in the autumn, and seems to be on the wing until quite late in the year, and is seen again as early as March, and thence on until May. One male and two females captured at sugar, March 12 and 13, were placed in a gla.s.s cylinder with various food plants, and a sprig of sallow catkins, moistened occasionally with syrup, afforded nourishment for the moths every evening. On April 13, two batches of eggs were noted on nettle, but these were not fertile. On April 15 and 20 pairing took place; and by May 3 over three thousand eggs had been deposited. On May 13 the two females, being still alive, were set at liberty (Goodwin).

Although it certainly appears to be less frequently seen in the south than northwards, the species is known to occur pretty well all over England and Wales. In Scotland, where it is generally commoner than in England, except perhaps in the {35} northern counties of the latter, its range extends to the Orkneys.

Abroad, it is found throughout Europe (except the most northern parts); Asia to j.a.pan; and the Canaries.

THE RED SWORD-GRa.s.s (_Calocampa vetusta_).

In this species the ground colour of the fore wings varies from whity brown to ochreous brown with a slight reddish tinge. A greyish shade spreads from the base along the median vein to below the reniform stigma in the paler and more typical specimens; the inner area is dark brown, but widely broken below the reniform by the grey suffusion. The specimens figured on Plate 14 (Figs. 1 [male], 2 [female]) are from Sligo, Ireland, and are referable to var. _brunnea_, Tutt. The inner area in this form is red-brown, or inclining to blackish brown.

The caterpillar is green, with three yellow lines along the back, and a reddish orange stripe along the area of the spiracles; a series of black-circled white dots on each side of the central line; in the form figured (from a skin) on Plate 8, Fig. 3, the lines on the back are white, and the s.p.a.ces between them black, dotted with white; the stripe along the reddish spiracles also white, edged above with black; head, s.h.i.+ning light reddish brown. It feeds, from May to July, on various low herbage, such as dock, persicaria, knotgra.s.s, etc., also sedges and yellow flag.

The moth appears in September and October, and again in March and April, but seems to have been noted at various times both earlier and later.

Mathew records that a female captured at sugar on June 11, deposited 36 eggs during the following week. These were laid in a chip box, and the caterpillars hatched out on June 24, fed up quickly on knotgra.s.s, attained full growth by July 24, and pupated about that date. {36} One moth emerged September 29, and five others, including three cripples, later.

This species is most frequent in Ireland and Scotland, being distributed throughout the latter country to Orkney and Shetland. It has been noted from almost every part of England, but does not seem to be plentiful generally in the country.

The distribution abroad ranges to East Siberia and to North America.

THE MULLEIN (_Cucullia verbasci_).

Two specimens, representing both s.e.xes, of this species are shown on Plate 15, Figs. 1 [male], 2 [female]. Sometimes the darker colour on the marginal areas, especially the inner, inclines to blackish; while in some specimens the whole of the fore wings is suffused with brownish.

The caterpillar is white with a greenish tinge, each ring of the body is banded with yellow, has four black spots on the back, and some black dots and lines on the sides; the head is yellowish, dotted with black. It may be found in June and July quite exposed on mullein (_Verbasc.u.m thapsus_, and _V. pulverulentum_); also figwort (_Scrophularia nodosa_, and _S.

aquatica_). Barrett states that it has been noted on _Buddlaea globosa_, an American plant sometimes grown in gardens. These caterpillars are certainly attacked by parasitical flies, but do not seem to be quite so frequently "stung" as those of some other species of the "Sharks." The caterpillar figured on Plate 18, Fig. 1, was obtained at Box Hill by Mr. Norman Riley.

The moth is out in late April and in May, and, except an occasional capture at light, is rarely seen in the open. The caterpillars are probably obtainable in most English and Welsh counties, especially the southern ones of both countries, wherever there is an abundance of its food plants.

Except that McArthur found the species in the Isle of Lewis, in 1901, there is no record from Scotland. In Ireland it has been recorded from Dublin by Birchall; and in 1901 three moths were taken at Timoleague, Co. Cork, and caterpillars later on were plentiful in the district.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

2 Pl. 14.

1, 2. RED SWORD-GRa.s.s, _male and female_.

3, 4. THE SWORD-GRa.s.s, " " "

[Ill.u.s.tration]

2 Pl. 15.

1, 2. THE MULLEIN MOTH.

4, 5. THE STRIPED LYCHNIS.

3. THE WATER BETONY.

6. THE STARWORT.

{37}

THE WATER BETONY (_Cucullia scrophulariae_).

A good deal of confusion exists both in Britain and on the Continent as to the ident.i.ty of the _Cucullia_ figured and described by Capieux in 1789, and by most authors since that time. I have received over twenty specimens from Austria, Germany, and other parts of Europe, sent to me as _scrophulariae_. As I have been unable to separate the majority of these specimens from _C. lychnitis_, and the others from _C. verbasci_, Mr. F. N.

Pierce has been good enough to examine the genitalia of six of the males, and of these he reports four are _C. lychnitis_, and two are _C. verbasci_.

In England we certainly have a _Cucullia_ sometimes appearing in the moth state rather later than _C. verbasci_ and always earlier than _C.

lychnitis;_ the caterpillar producing it feeds on _Scrophularia nodosa_ in July. It is, however, very local, and is found chiefly in North Kent, and occasionally in the Eastern Counties. Mr. Pierce finds that the male genitalia of a North Kent _scrophulariae_ sent to him do not differ from these parts in _C. verbasci_, but Dr. Chapman informs me that he detects a slight difference in one that he examined.

It must be admitted that the ident.i.ty of the North Kent and East Anglian _Cucullia_ with the _scrophulariae_ of Capieux is very doubtful, but we evidently shall not be greatly opposed to Continental methods if we continue to allow April and May moths resulting from Scrophularia nodosa caterpillars to do duty for _C. scrophulariae_. I have therefore figured as this species a specimen that was reared, with others, in April and May, 1877, from larvae obtained in the Dartford marshes. (Plate 15, Fig. 3.) {38}

The caterpillar is of a whitish-grey colour; along the middle of the back is a series of broad deep yellow triangles pointing backwards, each edged on both sides by large confluent deep black spots, usually forming a somewhat C-shaped marking, which encloses another yellow spot, and below is followed by several black spots; behind all these, on each segment, is a deep green transverse spotless band. The forms of the black markings, composed of united spots, vary in the degree of union of these spots; each anterior spot is confluent with the posterior one below it, but does not unite transversely with the others; in one variety they resemble tadpole forms united by the tails, in another these tails are as thick as the spots and form blotched curves; and in still another they are so thick and confluent as to include some of the side spots, thus completely edging two sides of the yellow triangle with a blotched black border. (Adapted from Buckler.)

THE STRIPED LYCHNIS (_Cucullia lychnitis_).

An example of each s.e.x of this species is shown on Plate 15, Figs. 4 and 5.

The general colour of the fore wings is paler, and the streaks along the front and inner margins are darker than in _C. verbasci_; and the outer margins of the wings are less jagged.

The caterpillar (figured on Plate 18, Fig. 2, from a photo by Mr. H. Main) is greenish white or yellow; the rings are cross banded with yellow and spotted with black; usually the spots are united as in the figure, sometimes they are smaller and well separated, and occasionally all but those low down along the sides are absent. Coupled with decrease in size and number of the black spots, there is variation in the width of the yellow bands. _Verbasc.u.m nigrum_ is the more usual food plant in Britain, but it will also eat _V. lychnitis_. It feeds, in July and August, on the flowers and unripe seed capsules in preference to the foliage. {39}