Plate XXIII. fig. 1, 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia? Family: Uraniidæ.
Genus. Urania, Fabr. (Syst. Gloss.) Latr. Cydimon, Dalm. (Prodr. Mon. Castniæ.) Leilus & Rhipheus, Swainson Zool. Illustr.
Urania Rhipheus. Alis nigris, anticis utrinque lineolis transversis fasciâque mediâ bifidâ aureo viridibus, posticis areâ anali cupreâ violaceo micanti nigroque maculatâ. (Expans. Alar. 4 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Papilio (Eq. Troj.) Rhipheus, Drury, App. vol. 2. Esper. Pap. Exot. t. 21. f. 1. 2.
Rhipheus dasycephalus, Swainson Zool. Illust. N. Ser. pl. 131.
Habitat: China (Drury). Bengal (Cramer). Coromandel (Fabricius). Madagascar (Enc. Méth.).
Upper Side. "The antennæ are black, and knobbed at their extremities." Eyes dark brown. Thorax and abdomen black. The ground of the anterior wings is a lovely deep green, marked or striped all over with irregular streaks of a deep black, almost all of which run in a direction from the anterior to the posterior edges. Posterior wings, next the body, black; but towards the anterior edges are of a fine light blue green, clouded with black. The other parts, next the abdominal and external edges, are of a curious, deep, blood-red, shining with gold, and spotted with black.
Under Side. Palpi grey. Breast and abdomen ash-coloured. Wings light sea-green, clouded or marked as on the upper side with black. Posterior wings, next the body, of a most brilliant golden green, with small spots of black, which green softens into a fine purple, from that into a crimson, then into a blood-red, and lastly to an orange; which colours occupy the greater part of these wings: that part which lies next the upper corners being of a fine blue green, clouded with black; all the colours on this side have a rich glow of gold, and appear changeable, according to the position in which the light strikes on them; from the abdominal corner runs a narrow black border along the external edge, the width of three membranes, stopping at the angle, and communicating with a large black spot situated near the abdominal edge. "The whole exhibiting the most beautiful colours I ever saw united in one insect."
The splendid insect, from which these figures were taken, has been considered by most Lepidopterists to have been in a mutilated and mended state; having the head, concealed palpi, and clavate antennæ of a true Papilio, and the posterior wings nearly truncated at the lower part. These authors have supposed that the insect was a specimen of the Papilio Rhipheus of Cramer (pl. 385. fig. A. B. Leilus orientalis, Swainson Zool. Illustr. N. Ser. pl. 130.), in which the head and antennæ are similar to those of Nyctalemon Orontes, figured in the first volume of this work, and the posterior wings are terminated by three tails. Mr. Swainson has however adopted a different opinion, figuring Drury's insect under the name of Rhipheus Dasycephalus, and Cramer's under that of Leilus Orientalis; considering that this view of the subject "will clear up one of the most intricate and perplexing questions that has hitherto impeded the natural arrangement of the Linnæan Papiliones and even the entire Lepidoptera." Drury's insect exhibiting the nervures of Urania, and the head, &c. of Papilio, is thus considered as establishing as close an affinity as can possibly be imagined between Papilio and Leilus (i. e. the Rhipheus of Cramer). It is true that there are many Lepidopterous insects which, on a casual glance, appear identical, but which belong to distinct groups, especially distinguished by the neuration of their wings, but when we consider the almost perfect identity, in the very peculiar markings and colours, of these two supposed distinct insects, the identity in the nerves of their wings;[4] the slight scruple which the old collectors had in patching up their insects, and the truncation of the hind wings in Drury's figure, which may be exactly imitated by placing a slip of paper over the tails of perfect tailed specimens of Rhipheus, I think we are authorised in rejecting, without hesitation, the views of Mr. Swainson.
That this group of insects is one of the most interesting amongst the Lepidoptera, and at the same time exceedingly difficult, with respect to its natural relations, cannot be denied. Modern authors, Mr. Swainson observes, have been unfortunate in their location of this group, of course alluding to its being placed by Latreille in the family Hesperiidæ. Mr. Swainson, however, is not less unfortunate in his introduction of it into the family Papilionidæ, with which the structure of the fore legs is said peculiarly to rank it. This character, nevertheless, together with its day-flying habits and brilliant colours, are the only points in which an affinity can be traced between the Papilionidæ and Uraniidæ. But the structure of the hind legs (having spurs in the middle, as well as at the tips of the tibiæ), and of the nerves of the wings, antennæ, and palpi, all exhibit a very slight degree of relationship with Papilio. Mr. Swainson has, indeed, endeavoured to make the affinity more evident by introducing Papilio Curius, Fabr. as a subgenus (Leptocircus) in the genus Leilus (or Urania), but the relationship between these is of the slightest and most unsatisfactory kind. Mr. Newman has suggested another view of the affinities of this group. In his sketch of the circular distribution of the Lepidoptera,[5] he has introduced into the Butterfly circle, the genera Coronis and Urania, the last forming the connecting link with the Geometridæ, by Leach's genus Ourapteryx, or the Swallow-tail Moth. The whole structure of the latter insect indicates, however, most clearly that the relation is but an analogical one. Had, indeed, the observations of M. Sganzin,[6] relative to the transformations of Urania Rhipheus been confirmed, this would certainly have been its more appropriate locality, its caterpillar being said by him to be a semi-looper, and its chrysalis to be naked, suspended by the tail, and girt round the centre. But the elaborate memoir of Mr. MacLeay,[7] upon the habits and changes of Urania Fernandinæ, prove most clearly that the larva closely resembles that of Agarista;[8] and that the pupa, as in that genus, is inclosed in a cocoon. Now this latter character exists in some species of Hesperia. In these, however, the chrysalis is still attached by its tail. Mr. MacLeay does not mention whether such is the case in Urania; but since his return from Cuba he has had the kindness to shew me the cocoon, and to inform me that the chrysalis is loose. This character, therefore, with the entire structure of the imago, removes it from the Diurnal Lepidoptera, and associates it most satisfactorily with the Hesperi-sphinges of Latreille, especially Agarista and Coronis, which last is very near Urania Lunus. Thus the situation proposed for these insects by Latreille, between Hesperia and Agarista, &c. is found to be most fortunate; Mr. Swainson himself admitting a relationship with the Hesperiidæ, by calling them the "Hesperian" type of the Papilionidæ. They also appear to have some relation with Erebus. The original specimen here figured is stated by Mr. Drury to have been in the possession of Captain May, of Hammersmith, when the drawing was made. It is now in all probability destroyed, and cannot be traced.
Plate XXIII. fig. 3, 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: Lycænidæ, Leach.
Genus. Thecla, Fabr. (Syst. Gloss.) Polyommatus p. Latr. Papilio (Pleb. rural.), Linn. &c.
Thecla Pan. Alis fuscis bicaudatis; subtus fuscescentibus, ocellis duobus anguli ani, externo nigro iride rufâ. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 3 lin.)
Syn. Papilio (Pleb. rur.) Pan, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Jamaica.
Upper Side. Antennæ black. Thorax, abdomen, and wings dark brown, or dark hair-coloured; the latter being furnished with two small tails like hairs, the extremities being white.
Under Side. Palpi white. Breast greyish. Wings nearly the same colour as on the upper side. The posterior having two eyes on each at the abdominal corners; one being black with a red iris, the other grey and faint; above them is a small indented white line, pointing to a spot of the same colour placed at the middle of the anterior edge.
Fabricius, without referring to this figure of Drury, described an Indian species of the same genus from Drury's collection, under the same specific name, which must of course be rejected. The French encyclopedists consider the latter as identical with the Fabrician Hesperia Isocrates.
Plate XXIV. fig. 1, 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Noctuidæ, Steph.
Genus. Erebus, Latr. Thysania, Dalm. Phalæna (Noctua), Drury.
Erebus Hercyna. Alis dentatis fuscis obscurè undulatis, anticarum disco (puncto nigro) posticarum strigâ mediâ undulatâ pallidè cinereis. (Expans. Alar. 4 unc. 3 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) Hercyna, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Jamaica.
Upper Side. Antennæ filiform, brown, and thread-like. Head, thorax, abdomen, and wings greyish brown. The anterior wings having about two-thirds, next the shoulders, of a lighter brown, being separated from the darker part by a narrow, black, undulated line, similar to one which runs along the external edges from the tips to the lower corners; near the shoulders are placed two brown spots on each wing, one round, the other squarish. Posterior wings having two narrow, black, undulated lines crossing them, one next the external edges, the other about a quarter of an inch above them; the latter being edged with white.
Under Side. Palpi, breast, and sides greyish brown. Tongue spiral. Anterior wings rather lighter than on the upper side; having a dark undulated line crossing them, near the middle, from the anterior to the posterior edges; near the shoulders are two brown spots, one exactly like a comma, the other round and smaller; a white streak, edged at the top with brown, is placed near the lower corners; and along the external edges is a row of faint angulated brown spots placed over each scollop. Posterior wings greyish brown; having a small, square, brown spot near the shoulders, and a patch of a whitish colour at the upper corners. A dark brown undulated line, edged with white, begins near the middle of the anterior edges, which crossing the wings ends at the extremity of the body; and along the external edges runs a series of brown spots, placed over each scollop. All the wings are dentated.
Plate XXIV. fig. 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Bombycidæ, Leach.
Genus. Saturnia, Schrank. Attacus, Germar. Phalæna (attacus), Drury.
Saturnia Maia. Alis rotundatis nigris; fasciâ albâ, maculâ subocellari nigrâ, ano rufescenti. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 3 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Bombyx) Maia, Drury, App. vol. 2. Cramer, Ins. 2. tab. 98. fig. A.
Bombyx Proserpina, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 419. No. 40. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2407. 480. Abbot & Smith Ins. Georg. pl. 50. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 37. 48. Pal. Bauv. Ins. d'Afr. et d'Amer. Lep. pl. 24. f. 2. 3.
Habitat: New York (Drury). Georgia (Abbot).
Upper Side. Antennæ black, and strongly pectinated. Neck ash-coloured. Thorax and abdomen black, the extremity being orange. Wings pellucid. The anterior being black, with a white bar crossing them from the anterior to the posterior edges; whereon is a semi-eye placed near the former. Posterior wings black, with a broader white bar crossing them from the anterior to the abdominal edges; having near the former a black triangular spot thereon.
Under Side. Palpi and tongue indistinct. Legs and thorax black. Thighs orange. Abdomen grey, having its sides spotted with white; the extremity orange. Wings coloured as on the upper side, but rather more distinct. The thinness of the wings occasions the colours to be less distinct and clear than in most others of this kind. Margins of the wings entire.
The caterpillar of this very conspicuous moth feeds upon the red oak (Quercus rubra, Linn.), and other species of the same genus. The caterpillars represented by Abbot are considerably different in colour; one being dark-coloured, but covered over with minute yellow spots; and the other yellow, with a slender, dorsal, and two broader lateral black lines. The head is red, and each segment is furnished with a transverse series of tubercles, emitting spinose setæ. It is, I presume, by the assistance of these setæ that "the caterpillar stings very sharply," as stated by Abbot. When small the whole brood lives together, but they disperse as they grow larger. One of these larvæ, in Virginia, went into the ground on the 1st of July, and the moth came out on the 20th of October; whilst in Georgia another buried itself on the 14th of June, and the fly did not appear until the 8th of December; after which other individuals kept coming out from time to time until the 16th of February. The male appears by day, and flies very swiftly, mounting and descending. The moth is called in America the Buck-fly, from an erroneous idea that its caterpillars are bred in the heads of the buck, which blow them out of their nostrils. This opinion originates from the fly coming out in the rutting season whilst the bucks are pursuing the does; the hunters therefore take notice of the insect in order to know the proper season for their sport, which is later in Georgia than in Virginia, as is also the appearance of the moth. They are much more plentiful in the last-mentioned country. (Abbot, loc. cit.)
The specific name of Drury having the priority, I have retained it; although that subsequently proposed by Fabricius is far more expressive, recalling, as Sir J. E. Smith observes, the idea of a fair flower which had
"by gloomy Dis been gathered,"
now become as grizly as the grim monarch of the infernal regions himself.
Plate XXIV. fig. 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Noctuidæ, Leach.
Genus. Erebus, Latr. Thysania, Dalm. Phalæna (noctua), Drury.
Erebus Edusa. Alis castaneis fusco irroratis, anticis maculis nonnullis baseos alterisque duabus majoribus apicalibus; apiceque posticarum (nigro punctato) albis. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 2 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) Edusa, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: New York.
Upper Side. Antennæ brown and filiform. Thorax, abdomen, and wings of a fine red sandy brown colour; the first ring of the abdomen with an ash-coloured spot. Anterior wings with two whitish oblong spots on the external edges of each; one near the tips, the other at the lower corners. A small whitish bar crosses these wings about a quarter of an inch from the body; and next the shoulders is a spot of the same whitish colour. Posterior wings brown, with an oblong whitish spot placed along the external edges, reaching from the abdominal almost to the upper corners. Cilia brown.
Under Side. Palpi brown. Tongue short. Breast, sides, and legs paler than on the upper side. Wings pale sandy-coloured, except a few small, round, dark spots dispersed over them, but scarcely discernible. Margins of all the wings dentated.
Plate XXV. fig. 1.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Sphinx, Auct.
Sphinx Antæus. Alis anticis cinereis nigro undatis, posticis nigris basi rufis fasciâque fenestratâ, capite bicorni. (Expans. Alar. ♂. 6 unc.—♀. 7 unc. 3 lin.)
Syn. Sphinx Antæus, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Sphinx Hydaspes, Cram. Ins. tab. 118. fig. A.
Sphinx Jatrophæ, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 362. No. 22. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2376. 63. Merian Ins. Surinam, tab. 38.
Habitat: Jamaica (Drury). "In Americæ Jatropha gossypifolia." Fabr.
Upper Side. Antennæ white underneath, and brown above. Head and thorax dark rusty brown. Abdomen the same on the upper part, but on each side of the second, third, and fourth rings are three yellow spots. Anterior wings dark rusty brown, with several black, waved, and indented lines placed in different parts; and in the middle, near the anterior edges, are two small, round, white spots placed on each wing. The middle of the posterior wings transparent like glass; with a deep brown or black border running along the external edges from the abdominal to the upper corners; the part next the body being yellow.
Under Side. Breast and abdomen cream-coloured. Legs white and brown. Anterior wings, next the body, with two yellow longitudinal streaks; the remaining parts being red brown (differing from the colour on the upper side) without any other marks or clouds on them. Posterior wings coloured as on the upper side, except in the black border, which on this side is red brown.
Plate XXV. fig. 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Smerinthus, Latr. Laothoë, Fabr. (Syst. Gloss.) Sphinx, Linn.
Smerinthus Jamaicensis. Alis anticis fusco, griseo, olivaceoque variis, posticis roseis ocello cœruleo nigro marginato. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 5 lin.)
Syn. Sphinx ocellatus Jamaicensis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Sphinx ocellatus, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 355. No. 1. Gmel. Linn. Syst. N. 2371. 1.
Habitat: Jamaica (Drury). "In Europæ Americæ Spiræâ, Salice, Pomonâ." Fabr.
Upper Side. Antennæ pectinated and brown. Head and thorax soft dun-coloured, but dark brown above. Abdomen dun. Anterior wings delicate fine greyish, light brown next the shoulders and tips; the remaining parts being clouded with dark olive brown colours. Posterior wings red in the middle, but along the external edges dun-coloured; having a large black spot placed near the abdominal corners, the middle of which is blue, and imperfectly resembling an eye. All the wings are angulated.
Under Side. Breast and abdomen dun. Anterior wings red in the middle; but along the anterior edges ash-coloured, which runs to the tips where it forms a crescent, the inner part being dark olive brown; the external edges are olive brown, but lighter than the crescent. Posterior wings clouded with olive brown and ash-colour; having a double ash-coloured bar crossing them, which rises at the anterior edges of the anterior wings, and, running circularly, ends at the abdominal edges of the posterior.
Fabricius cites the present figure amongst his synonyms of the common English Eyed-hawk moth (Smerinthus ocellatus), notwithstanding its very different habitat. It is evident, however, from the diversity in the outline of the wings of this insect and other English species, and from the circumstance of several species very closely allied to this being found in America (two of which are figured by Abbot and Smith in "the Insects of Georgia," pl. 25. and 26.), that Fabricius overlooked the minute characters which distinguish these species, and confounded them under the name of Ocellatus. Drury's insect very nearly approaches Sphinx Myops of Smith, but differs in the markings, especially of the posterior edge of the wings, and the colour of the posterior pair.
Sir J. E. Smith notices the very slight difference which exists between the caterpillars of nearly allied species of Sphingidæ, compared with the diversity in the larvæ of the genus Papilio of Linnæus.
Plate XXVI. fig. 1.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Sphinx, Auct.
Sphinx Ficus. Alis anticis cinereo fuscoque nebulosis, maculâ apicali albidâ; posticis nigris basi fasciâque mediâ luteis angulo ani albo. (Expans. Alar. ♂. 5 unc.—♀. 6 unc.)
Syn. Linn. Syst. Nat. 2. 800. 15. Cramer, tab. 246. fig. E. Merian Ins. Surin. t. 33. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 366. No. 31. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2380. 15.
Habitat: Jamaica.
Upper Side. Antennæ ash-coloured. Head, thorax, abdomen, and anterior wings dark olive; the extremities of the latter ending in a point, where is situated a cream-coloured spot, close to the anterior edges, whose extremity runs to the tips; a patch of a dark cream colour is also placed on the external edges, joining to the lower corners. Posterior wings, next the body, dark cream-coloured; below this is a black bar, and another at the external edges, with a dark cream bar between them. The abdominal corners terminate in a point, which is of a fine white silvery hue.
Under Side. Breast, abdomen, legs, and wings pale olive brown, with three faint indistinct lines crossing them from the anterior to the abdominal edges. The anterior wings having a faint whitish streak placed at the tips.
Plate XXVI. fig. 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Smerinthus, Latr. Laothoë, Fabr. (Syst. Gloss.) Sphinx, Linn.
Smerinthus Astylus. Alis subangulatis cinnamoneo-roseis, anticarum apice strigisque subapicalibus fuscis, posticarum ocello cœrulescenti. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 10 lin.)
Syn. Sphinx Astylus, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: New York.
Upper Side. Antennæ reddish. Thorax and abdomen reddish cinnamon; having a dark line running from the head along the back to the tail. Anterior wings reddish cinnamon; having a dark apical margin, and a paler streak running circularly from the tips to the lower corners; where, at each of those places, is a yellowish indistinct mark. Posterior wings reddish cinnamon, paler at the base; near the abdominal corners is a round black spot, with an indistinct centre.
Under Side. Breast, thighs, and abdomen cinnamon. Legs black. Wings nearly coloured as on the upper side; the pale streaks and yellow marks, at the tips and lower corners, being more distinct and plain on this side; the black spots on the posterior wings being wanting. Drury considered it as a distinct species from that in the foregoing plate.
Plate XXVI. fig. 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ.
Genus. Sphinx, Auct.
Sphinx Hylæus. Alis anticis fuscis margine interno apiceque variegatis; posticis nigris maculâ basali fasciâque mediâ transversâ cinereis. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 6 lin.)
Syn. Sphinx Hylæus, Drury, App. vol. 2. Cramer Ins. pl. 107. fig. C? Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 373. No. 53. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2383. 81.
Sphinx Prini, Abbott & Smith Ins. Georg. tab. 35.
Habitat: New York.
Upper Side. Antennæ white within, brown without. Head, thorax, and abdomen rusty grey brown; the latter having on the sides of each ring a narrow white streak, and two small white spots on the upper part. Anterior wings rusty grey brown; having several dappled white marks dispersed on different parts, particularly at the shoulders and external edges; a narrow black line rises near the lower corners, running from thence to the anterior edges, and ending near the tips; cilia brown, spotted with white. Posterior wings black; cilia white, having some whitish marks thereon, particularly near the abdominal corners.
Under Side. Breast and abdomen white. Legs brown. Wings brown; having two faint indented lines crossing them, near the tips and lower corners. Posterior wings brown, with some faint undulated dark lines crossing them from the anterior edges to the abdominal corners.
The caterpillar of this insect, observed by Abbot, feeds upon the evergreen winter-berry, or gall-berry (Prinos glaber, Linn.), whence Sir J. E. Smith altered the name of the species from Hylæus to Prini. It is of a pale green colour, with six lateral oblique pink lines, the last of which extends to the base of the nearly straight tail, which is of the same colour; the chrysalis is chesnut, without any porrected tongue-case. One of these caterpillars, observed by Abbot, went into the ground on the 17th of May, and appeared as a moth on the 19th of June; whilst another buried itself on the 25th of August, and remained in the earth until the 26th of April. The caterpillar is subject to the attacks of a small Ichneumon, the larvæ of which, when full grown, eat their way out of its body and spin themselves up on the outside. The moth is occasionally seen sucking the blossoms of gourds in the twilight, but is not common.
Plate XXVII. fig. 1.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Deilephila, Ochs. Spectrum P. Scop. Sphinx P. Linn.
Deilephila Nessus. Alis anticis cinerascentibus apice externo albido, posticis nigris fasciâ fulvâ, abdominis lateribus fulvis. (Expans. Alar. fere 5 unc.)
Syn. Sphinx Nessus, Drury, App. vol. 2. Cramer Ins. tab. 226. fig. D.
Sphinx equestris, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 365. No. 29.
Habitat: Madras.
Upper Side. Antennæ white above, and brown beneath. Head, neck, and thorax olive brown, with an ash-coloured streak running on each side thereof. Abdomen, next the thorax, very dark, from whence a brown list runs along the upper part to the extremity; the sides being of a golden yellow. Anterior wings dark green next the shoulders, softening to a nut brown as it runs along the anterior edges; the tips cream-coloured, from whence run two faint lines to the middle of the posterior edges; and also a lightish bar running in the same direction. Along the external edges they are of a delicate, soft, nut brown colour, and near the middle of each is a small black spot, placed near the anterior edge. Posterior wings black next the body, but nut brown along the external edges (about half way); the abdominal corners and adjoining parts being cream colour, as are the cilia and anterior edges.
Under Side. Breast, sides, and abdomen deep golden yellow; the middle of which and the legs are ash-coloured. Wings deep yellow. The anterior, next the body, greenish black, and cream-coloured next the tips. The posterior having several faint, dark, and undulated lines crossing them from the anterior to the abdominal edges.
Plate XXVII. fig. 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia? Family: Ægeriidæ, Steph.
Genus. Glaucopis, Fabricius. (syst. Gloss.) Zygæna, Fabr. Olim. Sphinx P. Drury.
Glaucopis Coarctata. Alis flavo-hyalinis, marginibus maculâque anticarum fuscis, abdomine basi coarctato, maculis aureo-cœrulescentibus. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Sphinx coarctata, Drury, App. vol. 2. Cramer Ins. tab. 4. f. F. G.
Zygæna caudata, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 403. No. 58. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2398. 147. Pallas Spicel. Zool. 1. tab. 2. fig. 8. ♂.
Habitat: Bay of Honduras (Drury). "In America meridionali" (Fabr.).
Upper Side. Antennæ pectinated, and thickest in the middle. Head black, with a blue spot in front. Neck blue. Thorax black, with an orange spot on each shoulder. Abdomen black; smallest next the thorax, with a row of golden blue spots on each side, and another at top; at the extremity is placed a hairy bristle, about a quarter the length of the abdomen. Wings yellowish, and transparent. The anterior having a black narrow border running round all their edges, except the anterior ones; and in the middle of each is an oblong black spot, joining to the anterior edge, which reaches almost half across the wing. Posterior wings with a black border along the abdominal edges and the upper corners; the anterior and external edges having none.
Under Side. Palpi externally white, but internally black. Tongue curled up. Breast black, the sides being blue. Legs black. Thighs white within, and blue without. Abdomen, next the thorax, white; the remainder being black, with four white spots on each side; that next the anus being the smallest. Wings as on the upper side; except the anterior, which have a yellowish border running along the posterior edges.
The extremity of the body of the male is furnished with a villose tail, as long as the body.
Plate XXVII. fig. 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia? Family: Ægeriidæ, Steph.
Genus. Aglaope, Latr. Sphinx, Drury.
Aglaope Plumipes. Nigricans, thorace maculis abdomineque fasciis albis, alis immaculatis, tibiis posticis plumosis. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Sphinx plumipes, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Bay of Honduras.
Upper Side. Antennæ black, but whitish at the tips; being thickest in the middle. Head black, with a white spot in front between the antennæ. Neck black, with three white spots on it. Thorax black, with several white spots thereon. Abdomen black, with several narrow white rings. Wings dark brown, immaculate.
Under Side. Palpi white. Tongue spiral. Breast black, spotted with white on its sides. Abdomen black, having one broad white ring on it, and several narrow ones. Legs long and black. Thighs white. Hinder legs furnished with tufts of hairs of a black colour, placed in such manner as to resemble the shaft of an arrow; the legs, above and below these tufts, being white. Wings coloured as on the upper side.
Plate XXVII. fig. 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Deilephila, Ochs. Spectrum P. Scop. Sphinx P. Linn.
Deilephila Alecto. Alis anticis griseis, strigis nonnullis obliquis apicalibus obscurioribus; posticis rubris basi margineque atris. (Expans. Alar. 3 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Sphinx Alecto, Linn. Syst. Nat. 2. 802. No. 20. Cramer, tab. 137. fig. D. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 376. No. 59. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2384. 20.
Habitat: Madras.
Upper Side. Antennæ white above, brown underneath; hooked at the extremities. Head and thorax olive brown, with a white stripe running on each side from the front to the shoulders. Abdomen greyish brown; having a black spot on each side, near the thorax. Anterior wings soft olive brown; having a dark line running from the tips to the posterior edges, near the middle. Posterior wings, next the shoulders, black; the remainder being red, except the abdominal edges and corners, which are cream-coloured; and a brown margin running along the external edges.
Under Side. Breast, sides, legs, and abdomen yellowish clay-coloured. Wings dark orange, margined with faint brown.
Plate XXVIII. fig. 1.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Deilephila, Ochs. Spectrum P. Scop. Sphinx P. Linn.
Deilephila Clotho. Alis cinereo-olivaceis, lineâ rectâ e margine postico ad apicem ductâ nigrâ; posticis nigris externè fuscis, angulo ani pallidiori. (Expans. Alar. 4 unc.)
Syn. Sphinx Clotho. Drury, App. vol. 2.
Sphinx Butus, Cram. tab. 152. A.
Sphinx Gnoma, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 376. No. 61. (nec Clotho, Fabr. loc. cit. No. 60.)
Habitat: Madras.
Upper Side. Antennæ cream-coloured. Head brown olive, with a cream-coloured stripe running on each side to the abdomen. Thorax brown olive. Abdomen paler, having a black spot on each side near the thorax. Anterior wings light olive brown, with a line running from the tips to the middle of the posterior edges, and a small black spot next the shoulders. Posterior wings, next the body, black; but along the external edges brown, and palest at the abdominal corners.
Under Side. Tongue curled up. Breast and sides cream-coloured. Abdomen darker. Wings yellowish clay-coloured and freckled. The anterior having a dark cloud in the middle of each, near the shoulders; and the posterior having a faint indented line crossing them from the anterior to the abdominal edges.
Plate XXVIII. fig. 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia? Family: Ægeriidæ, Steph.
Genus. Ægeria, Fabr. Sesia, Latr. Sphinx, Drury. Zygæna, Fabr.
Ægeria Tibialis. Alis anticis fuscis immaculatis, posticis hyalinis; tibiis posticis plumosis testaceis. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 1½ lin.)
Syn. Sphinx tibialis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Zygæna tibialis, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 404. No. 62. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2399. 151.
Habitat: Sierra Leone.
Upper Side. Antennæ black, slightly pectinated; being thickest towards the extremities, and ending in a point; where, by the assistance of a microscope, may be observed a small tuft of hairs. Head ash-coloured. Thorax and abdomen dark hair colour; the latter being encircled with small white rings. Anterior wings narrow, and of a dark hair colour, without any marks or spots. Posterior hyaline. Cilia dark brown.
Under Side. Palpi yellowish. Tongue curled up. Breast and abdomen yellowish, having some grey hairs placed between them. Fore and middle legs dark brown. Hinder legs remarkably hairy; being scarlet on the out sides, and black on the inner and under sides, with some white tufts intermixed. Wings as on the upper side.