The Moths of the British Isles/Chapter 14
NOCTUIDÆ.
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This extensive assemblage of moths, commonly known as noctuas, and locally as "millers," "owlets," and "buzzards," has been divided by Staudinger into five sub-families—Acronyctinæ, Trifinæ, Gonopterinæ, Quadrifinæ, and Hypeninæ. These divisions are here adopted, and the arrangement of species is adhered to pretty closely, except in the Trifinæ, where it has been considered necessary to make sundry alterations so as to fall more in line with later classification, at least so far as concerns genera.
The eggs of species in this family are round and somewhat flattened in shape, and the shell is fluted or netted. Some few examples of these have been figured.
Most of the larvæ conceal themselves during the day, in the ground, among low herbage, or in spun-together leaves, and only leave their retreat at night to feed. Most kinds change to the chrysalis state underground, but some pupate among leaves or in chinks of tree bark, etc.
With some few exceptions the moths fly only at night, by far the larger number will visit the sugar patch, and others come readily to flowers or to light.
Distribution abroad will only be referred to where this is restricted in Europe, or extends far beyond European limits.
ACRONYCTINÆ.
The Scarce Merveille du Jour (Diphtera orion).
This pretty moth has the fore wings green variegated with white stripes and black cross lines; the hind wings are greyish, marked with white at the anal angle. The spaces between the interrupted cross lines of the fore wings are often marked with black, and this is the typical form of the species; the plainer specimens—those less spotted with black—being referable to var. runica, Stephens. Stephens in 1829 notes that the species was then little known in England. It is still very local, inhabiting oak woods in Sussex (Hailsham), Hampshire (New Forest, sometimes common), Devonshire (Plymouth district), Cornwall (East Looe), Essex (Colchester), and Suffolk (Ipswich). The moth is out in June; on September 5, 1906, Mr. L. W. Newman bred a small specimen that had only been in the chrysalis seventeen days. Usually it rests by day on boughs, and sometimes on the trunks of trees (see Fig. 8, p. 9); it flies at night and then patronizes the sugar patch, but often is a late visitor. The caterpillar, which feeds upon oak in July and August, is black on the back with a yellow or whitish blotch on rings four, six, and nine; the reddish warts are crowned with tufts of brown or whitish hairs. Head black marked with yellow except on the top. It is also said to eat leaves of beech and birch. Staudinger gives alpium, Osbeck (1778), as an earlier name than orion, Esp. Hampson refers alpinum to Daseochæta, Warren.
Distribution: Central and Northern Europe, and represented by var. murrhina, Graes., in Amurland, China, and Japan.
The moth is depicted on Plate 100, Fig. 1, and the caterpillar and chrysalis on Plate 101, Figs. 2, 2a.
The Nut-tree Tussock (Demas coryli).
Usually the fore wings of this moth appear to be brownish, or reddish brown on the basal half, and whitish, more or less suffused with greyish, or sometimes reddish brown, on the outer half; the hind wings are pale brownish, or greyish, lighter towards the base. Not infrequently the fore wings are greyish white with some brownish clouding between the two blackish cross lines. The caterpillar is variable in colour, but generally of some shade of brown, ranging from dark chocolate brown to pale ochreous, covered with soft hair; the pencils of long hairs on the first ring, and the tufts of hairs on rings four, five, and eleven, may be red, greyish, or blackish; the broken stripe along the back is greyish, and the stripe low down on each side may be red, brown, or greyish. It feeds in June and July, and as a second generation in September, on the foliage of beech, birch, hazel, hornbeam, etc.: bushes growing in exposed positions such as a hedge bank or hill side are chiefly fancied. The moth flies in May and June, and again in August and September. It probably occurs in most of the English counties, but is most frequent in Berkshire, Bucks, and Devon. Not uncommon in Clydesdale, but more plentiful in Aberdeenshire, and is also obtained in Perthshire, and in other parts of Scotland. Widely distributed in Ireland.
The moth is shown on Plate 100, Fig. 2, and the early stages on Plate 101, Figs. 3, 3a, 3b.
The Miller (Acronycta leporina).
In its typical form the wings are quite white with but little in the way of marking. Most, if not all, the specimens occurring in Britain are the more or less greyish suffused and more marked, variety known as bradyporina, Treits. (Plate 100, Figs. 3 ♂, 4 ♀.) Sometimes the outer margins of the fore wings, beyond the second cross line, are shaded or dusted with blackish (var. semivirga, Tutt). In the Liverpool district a form is occasionally obtained in which the fore wings are darkly suffused, and the thorax is black (var. melanocephala, Mansbridge). A specimen with black fore wings and white fringes has been bred from a caterpillar found in Essex (Entomologist, xxxviii., 289, and xxxix., 97).
The caterpillar is pale green clothed with long white, and a few black hairs; these fall downwards, and on the one side curve forwards, and on the other side backwards. Sometimes in the south of England, more frequently in the north, the ground colour and hairs are yellow, and there are more or less distinct reddish brown bands on the back and sides. It may be found from July to September, or even later, on birch or alder, rarely on oak and poplar. The moth occurs in May and June, as a rule. In 1904 I took a freshly emerged specimen on July 23, at Byfleet in Surrey, and some half-grown caterpillars were obtained on the same day, and very near the same spot. The species is found in woods, and on heaths and mosses, where birch or alder flourishes, from Devonshire in England to Sutherlandshire in Scotland. It is not common anywhere in our islands, but is perhaps most frequently met with in the south and east of England. In Ireland it appears to have been found only in the southern counties.
The Sycamore (Acronycta aceris).
The dark mottled grey moth on Plate 100, Fig. 5, is not much given to variation, but occasionally brownish suffused forms occur (var. candelisequa, Esp. = infuscata, Haworth).
The caterpillar (Plate 102, Fig. 3) feeds in August and September upon sycamore, maple, and sometimes plum and chestnut. It has some black-edged white marks along the middle of the back; the pointed tufts of long hairs are yellow or reddish. When it is at rest on the underside of a leaf, or coils in a ring on being disturbed, the hair tufts gave the creature a somewhat prickly appearance. The moth is out in June and July.
The species is more or less common pretty well through the southern and eastern counties, and fairly so in and around London. Its range extends to Warwickshire and Herefordshire; but it is scarce in both counties. The Irish localities for it are Claring Bridge and Ahascragh, Co. Galway; Glandore and Timologue, Co. Cork; Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh.
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The Poplar Grey (Acronycta megacephala).
This moth is somewhat like that last noticed, but the fore wings are darker grey; the whitish orbicular mark is margined with black, and has a dark central dot. Sometimes the fore wings are clouded with blackish, and occasionally entirely suffused with black. In several species of Acronycta newly disclosed specimens have a faint pinky tinge, but this is especially noticeable in the present species. (Plate 100, Fig. 6.)
The caterpillar is ochreous or grey brown, marked with blackish; a conspicuous character is a black-edged whitish or ochreous patch on ring ten; the hairs are whitish, those on the sides rather long. It feeds from July to September on the foliage of poplars. (Plate 101, Fig. 1).
This well-known cockney species is on the wing from late May to mid-August. Has been bred in September from a caterpillar taken in July, also in October from August larvæ. It is often abundant on poplars (especially the caterpillars) in London and suburbs. Common all over the southern parts of England, except perhaps in Devon and Cornwall; its range extends through Northern England to Ross in Scotland; and it is found in the south of Ireland.
The Alder (Acronycta alni).
Fig. 26.Caterpillar of the Alder-Moth.(Photo by W. J. Lucas.)
The sexes of this black-clouded grey moth are shown on Plate 100, Figs. 8 and 9♀. Except that the black clouding sometimes spreads over a greater area of the fore wings, there is little to note in aberration, at least in a general way. In 1906 a melanic specimen was bred from a chrysalis taken from alder in Delamere Forest, Cheshire; this is probably referable to var. steinerti, Caspari.
The caterpillar (Fig. 26) is black, marked with yellow; the curious clubbed hairs are its distinguishing feature. Although named after the alder, it feeds on the leaves of most trees and bushes in July and August, sometimes earlier or later. The moth is out in May and June, but although an occasional specimen has been taken at sugar or light, once resting on nettles, it is rarely met with. Caterpillars also are not by any means common, and any one who may obtain even a single example in a season may congratulate himself on a good find. They are perhaps most frequent in the Hampshire (New Forest) district and some of the Sussex woodlands, but have occurred now and then in almost every county of England up to Yorkshire; also in Glamorganshire, Carmarthenshire, and at Trefriw in Wales. The only Irish locality is Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow. The range abroad extends to Armenia, Amurland, and Japan.
The Marsh Dagger (Acronycta strigosa).
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 Worcestershire, and one from Gloucestershire; the latter at sugar in June, 1897. The latest records that I have seen refer to a moth taken at sugar near Chatteris 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 Japan.
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. bivirgæ, Tutt, is similar to var. virga of the last species. 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 anal 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 Grass (Acronycta menyanthidis).
Portraits of this moth will be found on Plate 103, Figs. 1♂, 2♀. 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 Yorkshire.
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, Cheshire, 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 Kent and Sussex; 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 euphorbiæ var. myricæ).
Our form of this species—var. myricæ, Guenée (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, Guenée, 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 Perthshire, in 1846, by Weaver, and it is now known to occur more or less commonly through Scotland from Ayr to Sutherlandshire. 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. myricæ. 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 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 Grass (Acronycta rumicis).
The ordinary form of this moth is shown on Plate 103, Figs. 6♂, 7♀. 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 Morayshire; also in Ireland. The var. salicis occurs northwards from Shropshire 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.
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-shire. 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.
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 Cambridgeshire.
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♂, 12♀). 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 shiny, 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♂ (typical), 11♀. 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 shining 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, Sussex, Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall; also in the Scilly Isles. Its range, according to Barrett, extends to Bath and Wells, Somersetshire, Marlborough and Chippenham in Wiltshire, and it has also occurred in Gloucestershire.
The Tree-lichen Beauty (Bryophila algæ).
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. algæ) were taken in this district last July." The district referred to was Manchester, and the note was written on September 28, 1859.