Butterflies and Moths

Lepidoptera The Light Arches Moth – Xylophasia Lithoxylea Fig. 148.-The Light Arches. The fore wings of this species are very light ochreous, with a light brown patch on the middle of the costa, and patches of the same colour along the hind margin; also a row of small black dots parallel with the same margin. […]

Lepidoptera The Dun-bar Moth – Calymnia Trapezina Our example of this family is the Dun-bar, common everywhere during July and August. Fig. 166.-The Dun-bar. Its fore wings are greyish ochreous, with a darker band across the middle. On each side of this band is a white line margined with dark grey, and there is a […]

Lepidoptera Harpella Geoffrella Moth Fig. 238.-Geoffrella. The same extensive family contains the moth Geoffrella, represented in the accompanying cut. This is an exceedingly pretty insect. The basal portion of its fore wings is yellow, with two longitudinal dark streaks, the outer one of which is bent towards the inner margin near the middle of the […]

Lepidoptera Family Bombycoida Moths In this family there are sixteen British moths, several of which are exceedingly common. They are much larger than the Bryophilida, and of a much stouter build. The larva are covered with little hair-bearing warts, and are, indeed, often so hairy that they may be mistaken for the caterpillars of the […]

Lepidoptera The Black Arches Moth – Psilura Monacha Fig. 124.-The Black Arches-Male. The fore wings of the Black Arches are white, marked with zigzag black lines as shown in our illustration. The hind wings are smoky grey. The hinder segments of the abdomen are banded with black and rose-pink. The male is much smaller than […]

Lepidoptera Crambus Tristellus Moth The same family contains the species Tristellus, which, unlike the preceding insect, is abundant everywhere. Fig. 221.-Tristellus. Its fore wings are generally yellowish brown, but exceedingly variable. A pale streak runs from the base to just beyond the middle of the wing, and is then forked. Near the hind margin is […]

Lepidoptera The Chocolate Tip Moth – Pygara Curtula This species is not nearly so common as the last, but is to be met with more or less in most of the English counties in the month of May. Fig. 135.-The Chocolate Tip. Its fore wings are light greyish brown, crossed with four transverse paler streaks, […]

Lepidoptera The Scalloped Oak Moth – Crocallis Elinguaria This species is common and widely distributed, and may be seen flying at dusk towards the end of July and throughout August. It is represented in fig. 4 of Plate XII. The antenna of the male are strongly pectinated; those of the female are simple. The caterpillar […]

Lepidoptera The Large Emerald Moth – Geometra Papilionaria Fig. 181.-The Large Emerald. This species is the largest of the family, and measures over two inches when its wings are expanded. The colour is dull green, with whitish bands and spots, the arrangement of which may be seen in our engraving. The moth is out in […]

Lepidoptera Facts Rearing Butterfly And Moth Larva The main point in connection with the rearing of larva is certainly the selection and construction of the cages or their substitutes. For newly hatched and all very small caterpillars a small bottle with a wide mouth makes a very fair abode. Put a layer of sand or […]