PLATE XXVI.

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SPHINX FICUS.

Plate XXVI. fig. 1.

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

Genus. Sphinx, Auct.

Sphinx Ficus. Alis anticis cinereo fuscoque nebulosis, macul apicali albidÂ; posticis nigris basi fasciÂque medi 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.

SMERINTHUS ASTYLUS.

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 coerulescenti. (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.

SPHINX HYLÆUS.

Plate XXVI. fig. 3.

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

Genus. Sphinx, Auct.

Sphinx HylÆus. Alis anticis fuscis margine interno apiceque variegatis; posticis nigris macul basali fasciÂque medi transvers 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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