Habitat: New York, Carolina, Virginia, Maryland.
Upper Side. Antennæ brown, and strongly pectinated. The head white, small, and almost hid under the shoulders and neck, having a small brown ring encircling it. Thorax pale yellow, having a chocolate or dark brown line crossing it, parallel with the margins of the anterior wings. All the wings are of a beautiful pea-green colour; the nerves being of a pale red brown. Along the anterior margin of the anterior wings runs a chocolate line, which is narrowed towards the tips. About an inch from the shoulders springs from this line a small curved one, which, bending towards the middle of the wing, terminates in a small eye, pointed in the lower part, whose pupil is transparent like glass; the iris being partly red and partly black, within which are semicircles of white; external margin of the wings, red brown; the posterior being white. Posterior wings furnished with two broad tails, which, at their extremities, appear as if they were crimped; their external edges being red brown. In the middle of each of these wings is likewise an eye, similar to, but rather larger than those in the anterior ones. Abdomen white.
Under Side. Abdomen white, the sides being of a dark clay colour. All the wings are of the same colour as on the upper side; the nerves being browner and more conspicuous, without the brown edge on the anterior pair; the eyes themselves are the same as on that side. The anterior margin of the inferior wings is white, and the eyes strongly resemble those of an animal having them half shut.
Drury's correspondent informed him that the caterpillar of this handsome moth is red, and feeds on the leaves of the sassafras tree. When they are full-fed they inclose themselves in a strong case composed of the substance of the tree, and a glutinous matter which they secrete. They appear in June and August. The caterpillar, however, figured by Abbot is green, with short hairs scattered over the body, and with about eight small red spots on each segment, placed transversely. This author also states that it feeds upon the sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua, Linn.), different kinds of walnut, and the Persimon (Diospyros Virginiana). One of them spun up on the 31st of May, and came out on the 8th of June; another on the 23rd of June, and came out on the 10th of July; and a third, which did not spin up until the 6th of September, remained in the chrysalis till the 3rd of March. It continues breeding throughout the summer, but is not very plentiful.
DEIOPEIA ORNATRIX.
Plate [XXIV]. fig. 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Lithosiidæ.
Genus. Deiopeia, Stephens. Euchelia, Boisduval. Eyprepia p. Ochs.
Deiopeia Ornatrix. Alis convolutis albidis, anticarum margine rubro atropunctato, posticis albo nigroque variis. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) ornatrix, Linn. S. N. 2. 839. No. 110.