Page:Jardine Naturalist's Library Exotic Moths.djvu/214

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ARCTIA OCULATISSIMA.

and sides with orange-yellow; legs white, the extremities with black rings.

The caterpillar feeds on the wild sun-flower (Polymnia tetragonotheca?), wild cherry, persimmon (Diospyros Virginiana), and several other plants. When young, it is one-half orange-coloured and the other black. At its full growth it becomes brownish-black, with an orange-red band along each side; the incisures of the segments and legs likewise of that colour. The hairs are placed on tubercles alternately nearer the anterior edges of each segment, so that they form a pretty broad band, and leave the rest of the body naked. When about to change to a chrysalis, it spins a thin gummy yellow web, something like that constructed on the same occasion by our common tiger-moth. Some observed by Abbot spun on the 14th March, and came out on the 18th of April; others spun on the 15th of June, and appeared on the wing July 7th.

It might be supposed from the general appearance of this moth that it would be a Spilosoma, but the caterpillar and chrysalis indicate a closer relation to Arctia. The species figured by Cramer under the name of Cunigunda is closely allied to it; but the latter is of smaller size, has the annular spots tinged with brown in the centre, and the abdomen is variegated with brown. It is a native of Surinam, Cayenne, &c.