National Academy of Sciences
Published: 2015-08-04
Total Pages: 390
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Excerpt from Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 9 The species of this group are all more or less protectively colored. Their grayish, brownish hues, with yellowish or sometimes greenish markings, harmonize with the tints of the bark of the trunk or branches of trees, whether grown over with lichens or not. In their shape and size, whether at rest or flying, they closely resemble the species of Noctuidae. They differ as a rule, however, in their slower flight, and in resting on the bark or among the leaves of trees, not nestling in grass or low heritage. There are almost no observations yet made on the protective attitudes of notodontian moths, and the subject needs to be carefully studied. Long and close observations in the field with the aid of the camera are needed before we shall have a satisfactory body of facts, and it is to be hoped that this line of study will be taken up by lepidopterists of future generations. Many observations have doubtless been made by breeders of moths, but not published. What we have to say is mainly in the line of suggestion. The colors and attitudes of the more typical members of the family, as the species of Notodonta, Pheosia, Lophodonta, etc., when at rest, with their tufts and the consequent production of angles and points, assimilate them with the bark of trees or twigs wich salient parts, buds, and other projecting points. Those who have seen species of geometrids, Ingura, etc., at rest, with their tails curled up and their wings partly spread out, will readily understand how the species of Apatelodes, Melanopha, etc., with their tufted abdominal tips, angulated wings, and bars and spots, would tend to conceal them from the prying eyes of birds. The species of Melalopha (M. inclusa and strigosa) sit with the wings folded sharply over the back, with the fore legs held straight out in front, and the tufted tail upcurved. (Monogr. Bombycine Moths, 1, p. 181.) The pale yellowish hues of Datana and Nadata, the latter with its high dorsal thoracic tuft, assimilate them with yellow and brown leaves. Here reference might be made to Professor Poulton's statement that the shape and color of Scoliopteryx lihatrix "forcibly suggest the appearance of a red leaf spotted with a few white bosses of fungoid growth." (Trans. Ent. Soc. London. 1887, p. 308.) Hyparpax aurora may be found, like Rhodophora florida, to frequent pink and yellow flowers. How the very unusual and conspicuous markings of Edema albifrous and of Nerice bidentata may mimic the dentate edges of leaves or projections of other objects will doubtless be eventually cleared up. The ground shades and tints of the species of Schizura and Heteroeampa, with their green and yellowish spots and streaks would, when the moths are resting on lichen-covered bark of their food trees, amply protect them from the observation of birds. This has been pointed out by Riley in the case of Schizura unicornis. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."