PLATE XXVIII.

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SPHINX VITIS.

Plate XXVIII. fig. 1.

Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: SphingidÆ, Leach.

Genus. Sphinx, Auct.

Sphinx Vitis. Alis anticis olivaceo-fuscis, fasciÂ, vitt lineisque pallidis; posticis cinereis fasci nigr margineque roseo. (Expans. Alar. 4 unc.)

Syn. Sphinx Vitis, Linn. Syst. Nat. 2. 801. No. 16. Merian Surin. tab. 47. f. 1. Cram. Ins. tab. 267. fig. C. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 369. No. 41. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2380. 16. Abbot and Smith, Ins. Georgia, 1, t. 40.

Habitat: Antigua, Jamaica, St. Christopher's (Drury). "In vitÆ Americes" (Linn.). "Magnolia glauca" (Fabr.). "JussiÆa erecta" (Abbot and Smith).

Upper Side. Head and thorax dark flesh-coloured; on the latter, near the neck, is a long spot of olive brown, with another on each side. Abdomen dark flesh-coloured, having two olive brown streaks above, extending from the base to the extremity, being intersected by narrow flesh-coloured annuli or rings. The ground of the anterior wings is a fine olive brown; a flesh-coloured bar begins at the tips, and running parallel with the anterior margin at the middle of the wing, divides into two branches, one continues to the shoulder margin, the other terminates at the middle of the posterior margin; on the upper part of the bar is placed a small flesh-coloured mark, discoidal, the middle being black; near the tips arises also from the upper side a second smaller branch, which runs to the anterior edge, which, with the external margin, has a narrow border of a rusty clay colour. Posterior wings with their external edges bordered with red; above which is a black bar, extending from the anterior edge to the anal angle, where it is much fainter; the inner margin also red, with a large black patch thereon. The upper parts of the wings are of a blueish ash colour. Nerves pale.

Under Side. Breast, thighs, and abdomen dark flesh-coloured. The colours of all the wings on this side are faint, being principally of a clay colour; the inferior ones, next the abdominal edges, being tinged with red.

The caterpillar of this beautiful Sphinx is remarkable for having only a slight protuberance at the extremity of the body in place of the erect spine or tail, which is possessed by the majority of the caterpillars of the SphingidÆ. It is of a pale yellowish colour, with numerous slender transverse black lines, and white oblique lateral marks directed towards the head. Its food is very various. One, observed by Abbot, went into the ground on the 14th of August, and came out on the 7th of September; whilst another which went in on the 29th of September, did not come out until the 18th of July following. The moth is rare; but may occasionally be seen sucking the gourd blossoms in the evening. The chrysalis has a pointed tail, but is destitute of a porrected tongue-case.

THYREUS LUGUBRIS.

Plate XXVIII. fig. 2.

Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: SphingidÆ, Leach.

Genus. Thyreus, Swains. Zool. Illustr. vol. 1.

Thyreus Lugubris. Alis brunneis, anticis strigis undatis parallelis punctoque subocellari atris. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 9 lin.)

Syn. Sphinx Lugubris, Linn. Mant. 2. 537.Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 356. No. 5. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2372. 50. Abbot and Smith Ins. Georg. 1. t. 30. Swainson Zool. Illustr. 1st Series, vol. 1.

Habitat: Antigua (Drury). Georgia (Abbot).

Upper Side. AntennÆ, head, thorax, and abdomen dark brown. The tail very broad and hairy. All the wings dark brown chesnut; having very few distinct marks or lines, except the anterior pair, which have a small black discoidal spot, and a very narrow line next the shoulders of a lighter brown, crossing them from the anterior to the posterior edges. The posterior wings are slightly, the anterior deeply, dentated.

Under Side. Thorax, legs, abdomen, upper and lower wings rather paler than on the upper side. On the anterior wings are two very faint brown lines, crossing them from the anterior to the posterior edges, situated between the middle and the external margin. On the posterior wings also are two small faint waved lines of a darker colour, beginning at the anterior edges and ending a little above the abdominal corners.

The caterpillar of this hawk-moth was found by Abbot on the Virginian Creeper. It went into the ground on the 18th of August, and the fly came out on the 11th of September. The tail of the male spreads like a fan. This is a very rare species; one was caught in the evening on a gourd blossom. It flew exceedingly swift, making a noise like a humble bee. The caterpillar is of a very pale greenish colour, with two dark dorsal lines, terminating at the base of the straight tail; the sides of the body are also ornamented with pale yellow oblique stripes, margined with brown. The chrysalis is chesnut, with a short point at the extremity of the body, and without any tongue-case.

DEILEPHILA TERSA.

Plate XXVIII. fig. 3.

Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: SphingidÆ, Leach.

Genus. Deilephila, Ochs. EumorphÆ p. HÜbn. Sphinx p. Fabr.

Deilephila Tersa. Alis anticis griseis, lineis nonnullis obliquis parallelis nigris; posticis nigris fasci maculari luteo-albÂ. (Expans. Alar. 3 unc.)

Syn. Sphinx Tersa, Linn. Mant. p. 538. Drury, App. vol. 2. Cramer, tab. 397. fig. C. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 378. No. 69. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2379. No. 71. Abbot and Smith Ins. Georg. 1. tab. 38.

Habitat: Maryland, Jamaica, St. Christopher, Antigua (Drury). South America (Fabricius). Georgia (Abbot).

Upper Side. Head flesh-coloured; which colour, separating at the neck, runs on each side of the thorax to the abdomen. Thorax and abdomen dark clay colour. Abdomen pointed; the sides being of a yellower colour than the top. Anterior wings greyish olive brown; from the tips to the middle of the posterior margin run several narrow lines of lighter and darker colours, parallel with each other. Posterior wings, at the base, black; but along the external margin brown; having a row of narrow angular marks of a cream colour running from the anal angle to the anterior edges. Cilia white.

Under Side. Thorax and abdomen clay-coloured; paler on the middle than the sides. Wings red clay-coloured; the anterior brown in the middle, and the posterior having some faint waved lines crossing them; each wing having a row of faint small spots along their external margin.

The caterpillar of this insect, figured by Abbot and Smith, is of a pale green colour, with the three anterior segments elongated and attenuated in front, having seven beautiful white eye-like spots on each side, with a red pupil, and margined with black; the anterior ocellus being the largest. These ocelli are united by a lateral white line, terminating at the base of the straight red tail. It feeds upon the wild thyme (Spermacoce Hyssopifolia, Sm.) Some of them are stated by Abbot to be brown. One was observed by the same author to spin itself up on the 31st of July, from which the moth appeared on the 15th of August; whilst another which spun up on the 11th of September, remained in the chrysalis state until the 9th of May. When disturbed, the caterpillar contracts the anterior segments of the body.[22] The chrysalis is of a pale brown colour, freckled with darker marks. It is not provided with a porrected tongue-case.

SPHINX STRIGILES.

Plate XXVIII. fig. 4.

Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: SphingidÆ, Leach.

Genus. Sphinx, Auct.

Sphinx Strigiles. Alis integerrimis griseis, margine externo anticarum obscuro; posticis fulvis strigis tribus transversis fuscis. (Expans. Alar. 5 unc. 3 lin.)

Syn. Sphinx Strigiles, Linn. Mant. p. 538. Cramer, tab. 106. f. B. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 364. No. 26. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2377. No. 66.

Habitat: Jamaica.

Upper Side. Head, thorax, and abdomen fawn-coloured; having on each abdominal segment a semicircle of a paler colour. A brown red spot is placed on each side the thorax, near the base of the upper wings, which are fawn-coloured; having a round spot of olive brown on each near the shoulders, and another on the middle of the posterior margin, between which and the anterior angle is a patch of a blueish brown; from this angle to the tip runs a small narrow border of yellow brown, with several short, faint, brown circular marks placed on different parts of the wing. Posterior wings pale orange; having three brown, narrow, waved lines crossing them in the middle, and with a narrow brown border.

Under Side. The mouth, thorax, thighs, abdomen, superior and inferior wings are all of a red clay colour. The border, along the external margin of the anterior wing, is of a much paler colour. Several reddish brown lines and marks are also placed on different parts of the wings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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