Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Arctiidæ, Steph.
Genus. Spilosoma, Steph. Arctia, Latr. Eyprepia, p. Ochs. Phalæna (Noctua), Drury.
Spilosoma Arge. Alis albidis, nigro-maculatis et lineatis, posticis incarnatis lineâ marginali fulvâ; abdomine concolori maculis nigris. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) Arge, Drury, App. v. 2. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 92. 232.
Bombyx Dione, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 442. No. 106. Abbot and Smith, Ins. Georg. t. 63.
Habitat: New York; taken on the 20th day of May.
Upper Side. Antennæ filiform, and cream-coloured at the base, but black at their extremities. The tongue is small, and curled up. The neck red, having two small black streaks above it. The thorax and abdomen cream-coloured. On the former are three black streaks. On each annulus of the abdomen is a black spot, and another on each side. Anterior wings cream-coloured, with many black spots and marks thereon, of different forms and sizes, and varying very greatly in different specimens. The anterior margin red. Posterior wings almost transparent, dirty cream-coloured, tinged with red, whereon are many oblong sooty spots. Ciliæ cream-coloured, within which is a narrow red line.
Under Side. The colours are more faint and dirty than those on the upper. Anterior femora red, with two black spots thereon, close to the head. Tarsi black and cream-coloured.
The caterpillar of this insect is brown, with five pale longitudinal lines, and with long hairs arising from fulvous tubercles. It feeds, according to Abbot, upon plantain, corn, peas, and many other plants. A specimen observed by this author was hatched on the 23d of July, spun up on the 28th of August, and the moth appeared on the 9th of September. It is said occasionally to make great devastation among Indian corn. Sir J. E. Smith ascertained the specific identity of this insect from Dr. Hunter's Museum, examined by Fabricius, who has neglected to cite Drury's figure.