The Moths of the British Isles Volume I Part 39

4. THE WHITE SPECK.

5. THE WHITE POINT.

6. THE COSMOPOLITAN.

{305} In the typical form the fore wings are of a smooth soft honey colour, or colour of the honeycomb, having the nervures faintly perceptible, but not paler; a black discal dot, and two more dots with some faint blackish dashes indicate the usual second line. Tutt has named several forms, the most important being ab. _lutea_, bright yellow buff with discal dot and two dots beyond; and ab. _rufa_, deep reddish with discal dot and two others beyond. Besides these there are ab. _aenea_, Mathew, deep orange, with only one dot representing second line; and ab. _obscura_, Mathew, cinnamon-brown, with smoky shading between some of the nervures. The hind wings vary from whitish with darker nervures, to smoky grey; but the fringes always remain whitish.

The caterpillar is a warm putty colour, or pinkish brown, mottled and shaded with darker shades; three pale whitish brown lines on the back, the central one bordered on each side by a darker shade, and the outer ones shaded inwardly with darker and edged below by a darker line; a brown or pinkish stripe above the spiracles, and a pinkish yellow stripe below them; head yellowish-brown, shining, and dotted with darker colour. It feeds on gra.s.ses from July to April (adapted from Mathew). The moth flies in June and July, and frequents the flowers of the large gra.s.ses growing on salt marshes. Sometimes specimens of a second brood appear in August or September.

THE SMOKY WAINSCOT (_Leucania impura_).

The range of this common species (Plate 147, Figs. 3[male], 4[female]), in the British Isles is almost the same as that of _L. pallens_, but it does not extend further north than Moray in Scotland. The hind wings are greyish or blackish grey. A form with reddish {306} fore wings is var. _punctina_, Haw., which sometimes has a row of black dots on the outer margin. The caterpillar is greyish ochreous above, greenish tinged beneath; a brown stripe along the middle of the back is intersected by a very fine white line; above the reddish black-edged spiracles is a brownish stripe; usual dots black; head pale brown, shining, netted with brown and lined with blackish. It feeds on gra.s.ses from August to May. The moth is out in July and August; rather later in the north. Distribution abroad extends to Amurland and j.a.pan.

THE SOUTHERN WAINSCOT (_Leucania straminea_).

In its more usual form this species (Plate 147, Fig. 5) has pale whity-brown or pale straw-coloured fore wings, and the black dots forming the second line not infrequently absent, at least as regards some of them.

Var. _rufolinea_, Tutt, has the fore wings reddish ochreous, the rays whitish, and the shade under the median nervure reddish. Var.

_nigrostriata_, Tutt, has the ground colour of the fore wings obscured by a thick powdering of black scales. The hind wings in all forms are whitish, sometimes greyish tinged. Generally there is a central black dot, and a more or less complete series of black dots beyond it; but some, or all, of these dots may be absent. The caterpillar, which feeds on the leaves of reeds, _Phalaris_, and other coa.r.s.e gra.s.ses from October to May, is ochreous with an orange tinge, and dusted with grey; three white lines on the back are broadly shaded with bluish grey; on the sides are two grey shaded white lines; head shining brownish ochreous (Fenn). The moth flies in July and August, sometimes earlier.

Hammersmith Marshes, a once noted locality for this, the Obscure Wainscot, and other good species, have long since been built over; but the present insect, and perhaps some of the other ancient inhabitants of the said marshes, possibly still occur along the banks of the Thames. Anyhow, it does lower {307} down in the Kentish marshes. It is found in most of the eastern counties from Ess.e.x to Huntington and Lincoln, and also, but less frequent, in Suss.e.x, Devon, and Cornwall. Kane gives Dromoland, Co. Clare, and Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Ireland.

THE STRIPED WAINSCOT (_Leucania impudens_).

This is a rather larger insect than either of the last four species. The fore wings are whitish ochreous, powdered with blackish scales, and often tinged with pinkish. The black shading along the median nervure is sometimes very conspicuous. The caterpillar is ochreous brown, with three blackish-edged whitish lines on the back and dark stripes along the sides; head pale brown marked with darker. It feeds on the leaves of the reed (_Phragmites_) in June. The moth flies in July and August in fens, boggy heaths, and marshy ground, and is found in such places in most of the eastern counties, in Yorkshire, and from Berkshire and Kent to Devon, also in South Wales and in Galway, Cork, and Kerry, Ireland. Abroad the range extends to Siberia and Amurland. (Plate 147, Fig. 6.)

THE OBSCURE WAINSCOT (_Leucania obsoleta_).

This species (Plate 147, Figs. 7[male], 8[female]) will be recognized by the fine blackish lines on the fore wings, the white dot at lower end of the cell, and the row of black dots representing the second cross line. It is a very local species, chiefly found among reeds in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and may also occur in marshy places along the banks of the Thames from Bucks to Kent. The caterpillar is greyish ochreous above and paler beneath; three white lines on the back, the central one edged with greenish on each side, and the others edged with brownish; the line along the black-edged spiracles is greyish; head pale {308} brown striped with darker. It feeds from August to October on the leaves of the reed (_Phragmites_), hiding by day in the stems. It also hibernates in the reeds when full grown, but does not change to the chrysalis state until the spring. The moth flies in June and July.

THE Sh.o.r.e WAINSCOT (_Leucania littoralis_).

The white line running through the pale ochreous brown fore wings is the chief character of this species. (Plate 150, Figs. 4, 5.) The caterpillar (Plate 152, Fig. 2) is whity-brown with three lines on the back, the central one is whitish, shaded with dusky on each side, the others brown edged with whitish; the spiracles are whitish, outlined in blackish; head, and plate on first ring of the body, bone colour, shining. It feeds from August to May on marram gra.s.s (_Psamma arenaria_), but will eat meadow gra.s.s (_Poa_) and other kinds in confinement. The moth is out in June and July, sometimes earlier or later. It is a coast species, occurring only on sandhills where the marram gra.s.s flourishes, and in such localities is found all round England and Wales; on the east coast of Scotland to Forfarshire, and on the west to Clydesdale and Arran; and in Ireland on the north, south, and east coasts.

FENN'S WAINSCOT (_Leucania brevilinea_).

On Plate 144, Fig. 9 represents the type of this specimen, and Fig. 10 ab.

_sinelinea_, Farn. This form, which has also been referred to as "_alinea_," is without the typical black streak at the base of the fore wings. The caterpillar is pale pinkish grey; dorsal line pale yellow or bone colour; subdorsal stripes of the same colour, edged on each side by a grey line, and each divided down the middle by a slender pale brown line; spiracular stripe of a dull opaque yellowish white edged above with grey; head, and plate on the first ring of the body, pale brown, the latter striped with pale yellow (Barrett). It feeds in the upper part of reed stems until nearly full grown, and then upon the leaves. April to July.

Barrett states that it prefers the reeds near small trees or bushes to those growing in ma.s.ses. The moth is out in July and August, and may be netted as it flies at dusk along the edges of the reed beds, etc.; later on it resorts to the honeydew-covered leaves of sallow and alder, and also visits light. This species was first taken in 1864 at Ranworth in Norfolk; it is now obtained in Barton Broad and several other localities in the Norfolk fens, but not in any other part of the British Isles. It does not appear to occur abroad.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Pl. 150.

1, 2. BROWN-LINE BRIGHT-EYE MOTH.

3, 6. DOUBLE-LINE MOTH.

4, 5. Sh.o.r.e WAINSCOT.

7, 8. CLAY MOTH.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Pl. 151.

1, 2, 3. TREBLE LINES MOTH.

4. ANOMALOUS MOTH.

5. MOTTLED RUSTIC.

6. UNCERTAIN MOTH.

7. RUSTIC MOTH.

8. VINE'S RUSTIC.

9, 10. PALE MOTTLED WILLOW.

11. SMALL-MOTTLED WILLOW.

{309} THE SHOULDER-STRIPED WAINSCOT (_Leucania_ (_Cirphis_) _comma_).

The striking features of this moth (Plate 147, Fig. 10) are the white median nervure, and the black streak below it, of the fore wings; there are also black marks on the veins before the outer margin. The caterpillar is very like that of _L. impura_, but there is a dark line on the back between the central and outer whitish lines. It feeds on c.o.c.ksfoot and other gra.s.ses from June to August. The moth flies in June and July, and is not uncommon in meadows and gra.s.sy places, even by the roadside. Except that it does not, apparently, extend beyond Perthshire in Scotland, it seems to be widely, or even generally, distributed over the British Isles. Abroad it ranges to Siberia and Amurland.

_Leucania l-alb.u.m._--Barrett, "Lepidoptera of the British Islands," vol.

ix. p. 450 (1904), remarks: "This species now seems to have made its way to this country, though it is still doubtful whether it has established itself. Mr. Eustace R. Bankes has captured a female specimen in South Devon, and he mentions the occurrence of one or two other specimens. It is a very pretty species, and widely distributed abroad." {310}

THE DEVONSHIRE WAINSCOT (_Leucania_ (_Cirphis_) _putrescens_).

So far as the British distribution of this species (Plate 147, Fig. 9) is known, it seems to be confined to the coasts of South Devon and South Wales. It was first noted at Torquay in the year 1859, and about twelve years later was detected in Carmarthenshire. Abroad it occurs somewhat locally in France, Italy, Dalmatia, and in North-west Africa.

The caterpillar is pale brown with three whitish lines on the back, the central one edged on each side with blackish, the others shaded above with blackish with black dots in the shading, and edged below by a blackish line; all these lines become faint on the last three rings of the body; the usual dots are black; head rather paler, somewhat shiny, the lobes conspicuously edged with black, and the jaws marked with blackish. It feeds on gra.s.ses from September to January. The figure on Plate 148, Fig. 7, is from one of a few caterpillars kindly sent by Mr. J. Walker, of Torquay. He writes: "They are full fed by the beginning of January as a rule, and although they go down, they do not turn until the beginning of June." Mine unfortunately died in the coc.o.o.n. The moth flies in July and August, and favours particular coves and banks by the sea. It visits sugar, and also the flowers of wild sage.

THE WHITE-SPECK OR AMERICAN WAINSCOT (_Leucania_ (_Cirphis_) _unipuncta_).

This moth (Plate 149, Fig. 4) is known in America, where it is exceedingly abundant and destructive, as the "Army Worm." It ranges through India, China, and j.a.pan, and occurs in many other parts of the world, including Madeira and the Canary Isles. It is rare in Europe, and appears to have been noted in parts of Spain, Portugal, and France. Since Haworth described and {311} named it _unipuncta_ in 1803 it has been renamed many times, and was long known in England as _extranea_, Guenee. About a score have been recorded as taken in the British Isles altogether, and of these two only in Ireland; the others were captured in England and Wales, and nearly all on the south or south-west coast, chiefly in the month of September. The most recent being one in the New Forest, Hampshire, 1896, one in Devon, 1903, one in 1907, and one in 1911. Also in Isle of Wight, 1912.

THE COSMOPOLITAN (_Leucania_ (_Cirphis_) _loreyi_).

Barrett accepted this species as British, chiefly on the strength of two specimens captured at sugar by a sedgy ditch, nearer to Worthing than to Brighton in Suss.e.x; the date was 1862. More recent records are one specimen at Torquay on September 27, 1900, and another, also in South Devon, September 6, 1903. The former taken at sugar, and the latter netted when "flying wildly over rough herbage at dusk." Ireland in 1908.

The species has a wide range through Southern and Eastern Asia, etc., but in Europe it is only found in the south and along the Mediterranean. The specimen shown on Plate 149, Fig. 6, is from India.

THE DELICATE (_Leucania_ (_Sideridis_) _vitellina_).

The first recorded British specimen of this species (Plate 149, Fig. 3) was captured at Brighton, Suss.e.x, some fifty odd years ago. The species has occurred in and around that locality several times since, but seems to have been found more frequently at Torquay and other places on the Devonshire coast. It has also been recorded from the Scilly Isles, Cornwall, the Isle of Wight, the New Forest, and Chichester; Kent, on the coast, and inland at Canterbury, Suss.e.x. In 1902, a year in which several specimens were obtained on the south coast, {312} one example was taken at Navestock, in Ess.e.x. August and September are the months during which it is seen in this country, but abroad it occurs also in June and July. The caterpillar, which feeds on gra.s.ses in the spring, is described by Hofmann as pinkish ochreous with three white lines on the back and black dots between them, two on each ring; below the black spiracles is a yellowish stripe; head brown with black dots.

THE WHITE-POINT (_Leucania_ (_Sideridis_) _albipuncta_).

This species (Plate 149, Fig. 5) appears to have been confused with the following one. It may be distinguished by its generally smaller size and the pure white spot on the fore wings. The colour of the fore wings is brownish red, rather than rusty tinged as in some reddish forms of _L.

lithargyria_; the second cross line is more distinct, and the series of black marks beyond less so. The hind wings are paler than those of the next species. The caterpillar is yellowish wainscot brown above, inclining to flesh-colour on the sides and beneath; three white lines on the back, the central one edged on each side by a wavy blackish line, the outer ones edged above by a blackish line and below by a brownish line; a pale stripe low down along the sides; head ochreous, shining, and lined on the face with greyish. It feeds from autumn to spring on gra.s.ses. The moth is out from August to October. It occurs more or less frequently, and chiefly on the coast, in Kent (first taken at Folkestone, in 1868), Suss.e.x, Hants, Isle of Wight, South Devon, and Ess.e.x (s...o...b..ryness).

THE CLAY (_Leucania_ (_Sideridis_) _lithargyria_).

Two specimens of this species are shown on Plate 150, Figs. 7 [male], 8 [female]. The colour of the fore wings varies from pale ochreous brown, often with a pink tinge, to a deep rusty red; the reniform stigma is generally represented by a pale crescent with a white or whitish dot at its lower end; the cross lines are rarely distinct, but a series of black dots before the outer margin are usually well in evidence. The caterpillar is pale brown tinged with pinkish or yellowish; central line white edged with dark brown, and on each side of this is an interrupted broad blackish line edged below with white; a whitish line below the blackish spiracles; head and plate on the first ring of the body, pale brown, rather shining, the former freckled with blackish. It is found in April and May on gra.s.ses, probably after hibernation, The moth is out from late June to early August and is common in woods, and woody places throughout the greater part of the British Isles.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Pl. 152.

1. COMMON WAINSCOT: _caterpillar_.

2. Sh.o.r.e WAINSCOT: _caterpillar_.

3. CLAY MOTH: _caterpillar_.