Richard South

Name: The Moths of the British Isles Second Series — Acidaliinæ
Author: Richard South

The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

Summary

“The Moths of the British Isles Second Series — Acidaliinæ”, published in 1909, is a work by Richard South. It explores elements such as moth, caterpillar and fore wings.

Quotes from The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (Richard South)

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ In colour the moth is whity brown, more or less dusted or clouded with dark grey; except in the darker forms, three irregular black lines on the fore wings, and two on the hind wings, are clearly seen. It flies at dusk in June and July, and sits by day on lichen-covered rocks.
The caterpillar is pale ochreous brown, with irregular dark brown lines. It feeds on ling (Calluna) and crowberry (Empetrum) from September to May; but when eggs are obtained, the caterpillar hatching from them may be kept on chickweed, knotgrass, etc., and the moth be reared the same year. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ The caterpillar is brownish grey, with three whitish lines on the back, the central one intersecting a series of four dark lozenges. It feeds on various low-growing plants, such as persicaria, orach, sorrel, etc., but dock seems to be the most frequently selected pabulum. July to May, sometimes feeding up and appearing as a second generation of the moth in August.
Weedy ditches, hedge banks, or moist waste places, are the favourite resorts of the moth; and when one example is flushed from its lurking place, others are almost certain to be hiding in the immediate vicinity. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ In Wales, it has been found in the North; in Scotland, it occurs locally from Berwick to Aberdeen; and it is doubtfully recorded from Ireland. The long, thin caterpillar is ochreous-brown, with a pale stripe on each side. It feeds on the leaves of various low plants, and seems, at times, to like its food best when withered. Some that I reared from eggs deposited in September, 1904, fed for a time on fresh dandelion, but on the approach of winter they apparently ceased feeding, and were allowed to remain in the box with the food last supplied. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ In the open, its food probably consists of decaying or withered leaves, but when treated in captivity it will eat and thrive upon growing knotgrass, groundsel, dandelion, etc. August to May. Mr. Mera mentions that some caterpillars he reared on dandelion produced moths that were larger in size than most captured specimens.
The moth is out in July, and specimens have been bred in September from eggs laid in July of the same year. To obtain this species, a journey will have to be made to one or other of its special haunts in Kent, lying between Greenhithe and Sheerness. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ The caterpillar is ridged along the sides of the roughened body, and tapers towards the slightly notched, blackish marked head; the general colour is reddish-ochreous, darker on the back of the middle rings, along which are three interrupted pale greyish ochreous lines, and dark V-shaped marks. The natural food plant is not known, but it may be reared from the egg on bramble, traveller's joy (Clematis) , and, of course, knotgrass and dandelion, both of these plants being generally acceptable to larvæ of the Acidaliinæ, as well as to those of many other species of Geometridæ. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ How far there may have been confusion of the two species in the records of the present one, I have no means of ascertaining, but probably all but two should properly refer to ochrata. The only two known British specimens of perochraria therefore appear to have been captured in the Redhill district of Surrey, one in 1865 and one in 1869. As will be seen on reference to Plate 50, where a portrait of a Continental specimen will be found (Fig. 6) , the general colour is much brighter than that of ochrata. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ Instead of hibernating, which is no doubt the normal habit in the species, some larvæ reared from the egg in confinement and subjected to fostering warmth will grow very quickly and produce moths the same year. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ In coloration it is whiter and more silky than the last, and when fresh is delicately tinged with pink; the first and second lines are dotted or represented by dots, and the greyish central shade is obliquely inclined in the direction of the tips of the wings. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ The eggs (Plate 47, Fig. 3a) are laid in strings of from 6-20; at least this is so in captivity. Like the eggs of other species in this genus that I have seen, they are at first whitish bone colour, changing to reddish. They were laid in July, and most of the caterpillars that hatched from them attained the moth state in September; about one-third hibernated, but died off during the winter.
The much-wrinkled and rough-looking caterpillar is pale reddish brown, varying to greyish ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard South, The Moths of the British Isles Second Series… (1909)

“ Enclosed in a suitable receptacle, such as a roomy glass cylinder, with some twigs of privet plugged in a bottle of water, the caterpillars may be left in any odd corner until spring, when fresh twigs should be introduced from time to time. ”

Richard South

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