The Moths of the British Isles Volume Ii Part 32

{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}

GRa.s.s 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 a.s.sumes 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 odont.i.tes_, 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, c.u.mberland, 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 c.u.mberland, 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 c.u.mberland (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 j.a.pan by _fulvida_, Butler, and in North America by _basaliata_, Walker.

YELLOW Sh.e.l.l (_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).

[Ill.u.s.tration]

2 Pl. 86.

1-6. JULY HIGHFLYER.

7-10. MAY HIGHFLYER.

11, 12. RUDDY HIGHFLYER.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

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 gra.s.s, 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 sh.e.l.l, but the interior was dark greenish. In April the caterpillar appeared to be formed, but it did not leave the sh.e.l.l 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, j.a.pan, and also to North America.