Butterflies and Moths Part 32

The larva is a most interesting creature. It is dark reddish brown on the back, and flesh colour beneath; and its head is intensely black. It feeds on the solid wood of the willow, poplar, oak, elm, and other trees. The infected trees are often so riddled with the burrows of these larvae that they are completely destroyed, and the presence of the intruders is frequently indicated by a heap of small chips of wood lying on the ground near the roots. The odour of the larvae, too, is so powerful, that there is generally no difficulty in ascertaining their whereabouts by it alone.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 118.--THE GOAT MOTH.]

It is not always in living trees, however, that we find these creatures, for they often feed on rotting wood, such as the remains of old palings and posts, that lie on the ground in damp places.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 119.--THE LARVA OF LIGNIPERDA (LESS THAN HALF FULL SIZE).]

When fully grown they construct a strong coc.o.o.n of chips of wood, bound together by silk, and within this they change to the chrysalis.

The moth emerges in June or July, and is commonly found resting on the bark of willows and poplars during the daytime.

_The Leopard Moth_ (_Zeuzera pyrina_)

The wings of this species are white and semi-transparent, and marked with numerous bluish-black spots in such a way as to remind one of the skin of the leopard. Its body is very long, and the antennae of the male are doubly fringed for about half their length from the base.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 120.--THE LEOPARD MOTH.]

The caterpillar feeds on the wood of various trees--elm, apple, pear, ash, alder, poplar, horse chestnut, birch, lilac, and several others. It is yellowish, with black shiny spots, and a black plate on the second segment.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 121.--THE LARVA OF PYRINA (ONLY PARTLY GROWN).]

The moth appears in July, and is widely distributed. It is attracted by bright lights, but the best way to obtain it is to search the trunks and branches of trees that are known to harbour the larvae early in the morning, and so obtain newly emerged specimens.

Family--LIPARIDae

Pa.s.sing over the two small species which are the only British representatives of the family _Cochliopodidae_, we come to the interesting _Liparidae_, the remarkable feature of which is that most of the caterpillars are adorned with brush-like tufts of hair, and even the chrysalides are hairy.

The perfect insects are not brilliantly coloured, but generally display very pale tints; and the antennae of the males are pectinated or feathered.

_The Brown Tail_ (_Porthesia chrysorrh[oe]a_)

The family contains two moths--the Brown Tail and the Yellow Tail--that are very similar in appearance and habits. Both have white wings, and their bodies also are white with the exception of the tuft of coloured hair at the tip of the abdomen, which gives the names to the species.

Their larvae may both be found feeding on the same trees (whitethorn), and both change to a brown hairy chrysalis within a loose coc.o.o.n among the leaves.

The larva of _Chrysorrh[oe]a_ is black, with four rows of little wart-like projections on each side, from which proceed little tufts of hairs. These hairs are reddish with the exception of one row on each side, which is white. The tenth and eleventh segments have each a scarlet tubercle, and there are also other small spots of the same colour on some of the front segments.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 122.--THE BROWN TAIL.]

The larva feeds on the blackthorn in addition to the tree mentioned above, and is full grown in June. The moth flies in August.

_The Gipsy_ (_Ocneria dispar_)

The fore wings of the male are smoky brown, with darker markings, including a V-shaped black mark near the centre. The hind wings are brown, darker near the margin. The female is dingy yellowish white, with darker markings arranged as in the male. The male is much inferior in size, and its antennae are very strongly pectinated.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 123.--THE GIPSY--MALE.]

The larva is brownish black, finely dotted with yellowish grey. There is a grey stripe down the middle of the back, and six tubercles on each segment give rise to tufts of long hair. It feeds on the whitethorn (_Crataegus oxyacantha_), blackthorn (_Prunus spinosa_), and various fruit trees.

The caterpillar is full grown in June, and the moth appears in August.

_The Black Arches_ (_Psilura Monacha_)

The fore wings of the Black Arches are white, marked with zigzag black lines as shown in our ill.u.s.tration. The hind wings are smoky grey. The hinder segments of the abdomen are banded with black and rose-pink. The male is much smaller than the female, and has the antennae strongly pectinated.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 124.--THE BLACK ARCHES--MALE.]

The caterpillar is hairy, and of a greyish-white colour. A brown stripe runs down the back. On the top of the second segment are two blue tubercles; and there is also a tubercle, of a reddish colour, on each of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh segments. It feeds on the oak, birch, fir, and the apple; and is full grown in June or July.

The moth flies during July and August.

_The Vapourer Moth_ (_Orgyia antiqua_)

During the hottest summer months, and particularly in August and September, a rather small brown moth may be seen almost everywhere, flying rapidly and in a very erratic manner in the bright rays of the midday sun. This is the common Vapourer Moth, which may be known at once by its bright chestnut colour, with darker transverse markings, and a white crescent-shaped spot in the a.n.a.l angle of the fore wings. It seems somewhat partial to civilised life, for it frequents the streets of our metropolis, even in the very densely populated parts; and the larva is one of the commonest of the insect forms infesting our gardens and squares.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 125.--THE VAPOURER MOTH--MALE.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 126.--THE FEMALE VAPOURER.]

The caterpillar is variously coloured; but the prevailing tints are dark brown, grey, and pink. On the second segment are two long tufts of hair directed forward, and on the twelfth segment a similar tuft directed backward. On each of the segments five to eight inclusive is a brush-like tuft of yellowish hairs. It feeds on almost every tree usually to be found in parks and gardens.

When fully grown it spins a web on the bark of a tree, or on a wall or fence, and changes to a hairy chrysalis.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 127.--LARVA OF THE VAPOURER MOTH.]

The female of this species is wingless, and never moves away from the coc.o.o.n out of which she has crawled, but lays her eggs on the outside of the silken web, and there remains to die.

The cl.u.s.ters of eggs may be found in abundance throughout the winter months.

Family--BOMBYCIDae

This family contains eleven thick-bodied moths, mostly of large size, in which the predominating colours are greys and browns. Their hind wings are generally paler than the front pair, and less distinctly marked; and the antennae of the males are pectinated.

The caterpillars are very hairy, but the hairs are uniformly distributed, and not arranged in tufts as in the larvae of the last family.

The chrysalides are inclosed in silken coc.o.o.ns, but are not hairy.

We shall briefly examine three of the members of this family.

_The Oak Eggar_ (_Bombyx Quercus_)

The male of this species is shown on Plate X (fig. 5). The female is much larger, and of a pale tawny colour.