Exotic moths. Series no. 8

EXOTIC MOTHS

(a) Odo nest is />runi (b) Odoncstis erect i tinea

(c) Odoncstis bheroba

Natural size

British Museum (Natural History)

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EXOTIC MOTHS

(a, b) Perophora sanguinolenta (c) Perophora traili
(d) Perophora lucara
Natural size

Hritish Musbum (Natural History}

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EXOTIC MOTHS

(a) Desmocraera ncavei (6, c) Desmocracra varia
(ei, e) Desmocraera. trifiuncta
Natural size

British Museum (Natural History)

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EXOTIC MOTHS

(a) Mapeta xant home!as (6) Macna hatnpsoni

(c) Galleria mellonella
Natural size

British Museum (Natural History)

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EXOTIC MOTHS

(a) Cercopha.net venusta (b) Apoprogenes hespcristis
(c) Ratarda marmorata
Natural size

British Museum (Natural History)

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EXOTIC MOTHS.

Series No. ^

The moths shown in this series belong to a
number of very different families, and include
representatives from widely separated regions.
The first card shows three species of the genus
Odonestis (family Lasiocampidce). On the second
card are displayed three dissimilar members of the
family Pyralidce, each belonging to a different sub¬
family. The third card exhibits three species of
the family Perophoridce, whilst the fourth shows
three species of Notodontidce. The last card in the
series shows examples of three little known families,
the Cercophanidoe, the Apoprogenida, and the
Ratardidce.

B 176 (a). Odonestis pruni. The generic name
Odonestis has been used for a variety of different
Lasiocampidce, but this species and the two
shown with it exhibit the type of moth to which
the name is rightly applicable. Odonestis pruni
does not occur in the British Isles, but is found
throughout the greater part of Central and
Southern Burope, and is known from Assam and
J apan. The larva is bluish-grey, spotted with
whitish, with yellowish longitudinal lines, a
reddish-yellow transverse spot on the fourth
segment, and a hairy tubercle on the last segment
but one. It lives from autumn to May on forest
and fruit trees.

B 176 (b). Odonestis erectilinea. A species
closely related to the above, but the margins of
the wings are not crenulate. It occurs in
Singapore.

E 176 (c). Odonestis bheroba. An Indian species
of which only the female is at present known.
It is possible that the males are the Assamese
examples of O.pruni, as the two species (or sub¬
species) are very' closely related. Nothing is
known of the early stages.

E 177 (a). Mapeta xanthomelas. A brightly
coloured Pyralid of the sub-family Pyralince,
inhabiting Central America between Mexico and
the northern part of South America. It bears a
general resemblance to Central American moths
belonging to one or two other families. Early
stages unknown.

E 177 (b). Macna hampsoni. A Pyralid of
striking form and colour belonging to the sub¬
family Chrysaugince, and one of the few species
of that group found in Africa, the majority
inhabiting the New’ World. Many of the
Chrysaugince have the wings modified into
curious shapes.

E 177 (c). Galleria mellonella. This interesting
moth is often called the Bee Moth, on account
of its habit of living in bee-hives. The larva
feeds on the comb, and spins a cocoon in the
autumn, but remains in the resting state through¬
out the winter, becominga pupa only in the spring.
The cocoons are usually spun together, and are
very tough.

E 178 (aandb). Perophora sanguinolenta. One
of the most remarkable moths of the family
Perophoridce, the members of which in the larval
stage five in little case-dwellings, often formed
by fastening together two leaves. In the case of
P. sanguinolenta, the Hammock Moth, the cater¬
pillar constructs its portable habitation out of

its own excrement, which is of peculiar form,
specially adapted for building purposes. The
curious case is shown in figure (b). The whole
group is peculiar to the New World.

E 178 (c). Perophoratraili. A fine and strikingly
marked species of this interesting genus, found
in Brazil. Nothing is known of its earlier stages.

E 178 (d). Perophora lucara. A pretty little
species occurring in French Guiana, known only
in the imaginal stage. These moths bear a dis¬
tinct resemblance to the Silkworm moth and its
allies.

E 179 (a). Desmocrcera neavi. A very beautiful
moth of the family -N otodonttdce, commonly
known as the “ Prominents.” This species
is a native of Nyasaland. Its caterpillar has not
yet been described, but the cocoon is formed of
particles of earth spun together with silk, and
resembles a nutmeg in size and shape.

E 179 (b and c). Desmocrcera varia. A green
Notodontid closely related to the preceding,
and even more closely related to the one shown
below it. The caterpillar is shown (Fig c), for
comparison with that of D. tripuncta. The home
of this moth is South Africa.

E 179 (dande). Desmocrcera tripuncta. Another
South African species with its larva, the finding
of which, with its three red points, evidently
gave rise to the discovery that there were two
species very much alike, and to the name
tripuncta. A curious characteristic of these
species and their allies is that the ring-like
markings in the disc of the fore wing stand out
in relief, consisting as they do, of rings of raised
scales.

3

E 180 (a). Cevcophana venusta. A remarkable moth
met with in the coastal districts of Chili, and origin¬
ally placed with the Saturniidce (EmperorMoths),
but recently separated, together with some other
forms, into the family Cercophanidce. The cater¬
pillar is pale green, with a raised side-line pale
blue above and white beneath on the thorax,
replaced by three lines (blue, black, orange) on
the first abdominal segment, and pale yellow
above and rose-colour beneath on the other
segments ; there is a dorsal line paler green than
the rest of the body. The caterpillar is of a
remarkable shape, having a caudal horn directed
backwards, and a conical thoracic horn directed
forwards and almost hiding the first two thoracic
segments and the head when the larva is at rest.

E 180 (b). Apoprogenes hesperistis. A rare and
remarkable butterfly-like moth found in South
Africa. Nothing is known of the early stages of
this interesting insect, which has antennse like
those of the Hesperiidce, but possesses a wing¬
coupling apparatus in the shape of a well-marked
frenulum and retinaculum,

E 180 (c). Ratarda marmovata. The small
family Ratavdidce , to which this rare and remark¬
able moth belongs, contains very few known
species, and is possibly an aberrant development
of one of the larger families, but its true affinities
have not yet been discovered, as much on account
of the lack of material as of its unusual struc¬
ture . The two known species of the genus Ratarda
occur in northern India, and it is strange that
they do not occur in greater numbers in the many
collections that have come from that region.

Set E 3 2 -

December, 1925.