Exotic moths. Series no. 3

EXOTIC MOTHS

(a) Agarista agricola (b & c) Eusckirropterus poeyi (d) Hecatesia fenestrata
(e) Anaxita sannionis
Natural size

British Museum (Natural History)

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EXOTIC MOTHS

(a) Altha ansorgei (b) Taetia frrnsina (c) Parasa charopa
(d) /’arasa euchlora

Natural size

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EXOTIC MOTHS

(a! Stommotirs flwsi (b) AricAanna flavinigm (c) Dasrochaeta (•allitia
(<l) llerntonassa lineata

IlKlIISH Ml SKI M (NaTI RAI. HlSTORV)

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(a) i'izaga min

KXOTIC MOTHS

'Its (b) Erytktoecia rhadop/urra (c) i’liniola nigrislriata
(d) Camptoloma interiorata
Natural size

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EXOTIC MOTHS

(a) Krateinn staudingeri (b) Lobocraspcda coeruleostriga.

(c) Hettcopage hintndinalis
Natural size

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British Museum (Natural History).

EXOTIC MOTHS.

SERIES No. 3.

Most of the moths in this series are found
in the tropics. Various families are repre¬
sented. One card shows a moth, the two
sexes of which are remarkably different, and
a small Australian moth known as the
“Whistling-moth.” Another card shows four
beautiful moths taken during the Mount
Everest Expeditions, 1921-1922. Four beauti¬
ful members of the family Limacodidae are
shown ; only two tiny, sombre-coloured repre¬
sentatives of this family occur in the British
Islands. Some of the moths shown exhibit
curious modifications in wing-form, and one
resembles a small swallow-tailed butterfly.

E 76 (a). A gar is/a agricola.

This moth is known in Australia as the Painted Day Moth.
Its size, brilliant coloration, and dav-flying habits brought
it early to the notice of one of the older naturalists, Donovan,
who figured it in his “ Insects of New Holland ” published
in 1805. The caterpillar is as beautiful as the moth : it is
white with a narrow black band on each segment, except on
the one following the thoracic segments, which has a white-
streaked orange band ; its head, legs, prolegs and a large
dorsal patch on the last segment but one, are orange, and
each segment bears about eight long black bristles, each
flattened and expanding towards its extremity. The food-
plant is Vitis heterophylla. The insect has a wide range in
Australia from Sydney northward, and is represented by a
race in New Guinea and another in Dutch Timor.

E 76 (b, c). Euschirropterus poeyi.

This moth is remarkable for the difference between the
sexes. It belongs to the family Agaristidae, most members
of which fly by day. It is found in the West Indies and
Central America, and appears to be common, though nothing
seems to be known of its earlier stages.

E 76 (d). Hecalesia fenestrata.

This is one of the curious “whistling moths” of Australia.
'I'h .-se moths fly at dusk, and the males make a curious con¬
tinued sharp note resembling that of a Cicada. It is sup¬
posed that the noise is made by the moth rubbing his tarsal
spines on a transparent ribbed patch in each fore-wing. H.
fenestrata occurs from South Australia to New South Wales,
and the other two known species are described from the
West Coast. The genus belongs to the family Agaristidae.
Nothing is known of the early stages.

E 76 (e). Anaxifa sannionis.

This brilliantly coloured moth belongs to the family Peri-
copidae, which is peculiar to the New World. The distribu¬
tion of the genus Anaxita ranges from Mexico to Peru, from
which latter country comes the species here shown. The
early stages are unknown.

E 77 (a). Siam nodes elwesi.

This beautiful moth belongs to the family Geometrklae,
the caterpillars of which are commonly known as “l.oopers.”
The specimen shown was taken during the Mount Everest
Expedition, 1922, in the Kama Valley, Tibet, at an altitude
of 11,500 feet.

E 77 (b). Arickamia Jtavinigra.

This strikingly coloured moth from the Himalaya Moun¬
tains belongs to the family Geometridae. The specimen
figured was taken during the Mount Everest Expedition, 1921,
in the Kama Valley, Tibet, at an altitude of 10,000 feet.

E 77 (c). Daseochaeta pallida.

This pretty moth, which comes from the Himalayas, re¬
sembles and is . related, to one of our British Noctuidae, the
scarce Merveille du Jour, which is found in such places as
the New Forest. The specimen figure was taken during the
Mount'Everest Expedition, 1921, in the Kama Valley, Tibet';
at an altitude of 10,000 feet.

E 77 (d). Hemonassa lineata.

This is One of the less brilliantly coloured moths, of which
many*occur in the Himalayas. The specimen shown was
taken at an altitude of I2,8co feet, in the Rongsbar Valley,
Tibet, during the Mount Everest Expedition, 1921.

E 78 (ai. A//ha tins or get.

This brilliantly coloured moth belongs to the family Lima¬
codidae, the members of which generally have a glossy sheen
on the wings. The caterpillars are very curious objects,
slug-like in shape, and often bear branched spines, and some
species carry stinging hairs which render the handling of these
creatures an unpleasant process. The species here shown
comes from northern Rhodesia and Nyasalnnd, and its early
stages are unknown.

E 78 (b). Tae.da prasina.

This beautiful East African moth belongs to the family
Limacodidae. Few of these African species are known in
their early stages, in spite of the very remarkable slug-like
caterpillars, which are often beautifully coloured.

E 78 (c). Parasa charopa.

This pretty little West African moth shows a remarkable
combination of colours. A number of species in this family
Limacodidae are bright green in colour, and several are brown
and green, but this species shows quite an unusual association
of colours. The caterpillar is unknown.

E 78 (d). Parasa euchlora.

This West African moth, of great beauty, belongs to the
family Limacodidae. The caterpillar is described as being-
greenish sky-blue, with tufts of hair of the same colour. It
has regularly placed black spots on each segment, and isolated
small black hairs.in the blue hair-tufts. These hairs, on
coming in to. .contact with the human skin, cause intense irrita¬
tion. The underside is of a dirty flesh colour. The cater¬
pillar lives on Vitex, resting by day at the foot of the plant,
and feeding at night. It changes into a chrysalis in a parch¬
ment-like, barrel-shaped cocoon, the transformation taking a
long time, and it seems to suffer greatly from parasites.

E 79 (a). Vtzaga inirabilis.

This beautiful moth belongs to the sub-family Erastriina
of the family Noctuidae. This species comes from British
Central New Guinea, and the only other known species of
Vtzaga is found in Sumbawa. The early stages are unknown.
E 79 (b). Erythroecia rhodophora.

This moth is rarely seen in collections. It comes from
Mexico and Centra! America, and it appears to be related to
the Hydroecias, with their stem-boring larvae.

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E 79 (c). Pliniola nigristriata.

This curious moth has an arrestingcolour-patternand shape,
but is without bright colours. The shape of the fore-wings
is due to an unusual development of the wing-nervures. It
belongs to the family Hypsidae, and its early stages are not
yet known.

E 79 (d). Camptoloma interiorata

Shown here is a Japanese specimen of a moth belonging to
the family Hypsidae. The first specimen of this species came
from China, and another species like it comes from northern
India. The life-history is not yet known.

E 80 (a). Erateina staicdingen.

This is one of the most beautiful species of the South
American Geometridae. These moths are rare, and their
early stages are not yet known.

E 80 (b). Lobocraspeda coeruleostriga.

This is a New Guinea moth belonging to the family Geo¬
metridae. The specimen figured is a male, and shows the
curious modification of the hind-wings, a feature which does
not occur in those of the female. The life-history of this, as
of many of the New Guinea moths, is unknown.

E 80 (c). Helicopage hirundinalis.

This shows an example of the sub-family Hemitheinae
(family Geometridae). In this sub-family nearly all the
species are green, and they are also not common. The
species shown comes from the Khasia Hills, Assam. Nothing
is known of its early stages.

Set E 12. February, iqsy

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