43O ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Dec., '09 



brown above, pale ocherous beneath, eye caps shining, whitish. Thorax 

 and forewings black with purplish reflections toward the apex of the 

 wing. Just beyond the middle of the wing is a slightly curved pale 

 golden fascia, which is broadest on the dorsal margin, where a few 

 golden scales extend along the margin toward the base. Apical cilia 

 silvery, costal and dorsal cilia tinged with purple, the latter becoming 

 concolorous with the hind wing. Abdomen above and below, and anal 

 tuft, purplish black. Legs pale gray with purple and metallic reflec- 

 tions. Expanse : 4 mm. 



This is one of the numerous species of Ncpticula named from 

 mine or larva only. The mine which occurs quite commonly 

 on leaves of Sour Gum, Nyssa sylvatica Marsh, is chiefly in- 

 teresting because of its superficial resemblance in shape to that 

 of Antispila nyssaefoliella Clem., from which it differs, of 

 course, in lacking the transparency characteristic of an An- 

 tispila mine, and in the abrupt enlargement of the linear mine 

 into a blotch. 



Mine of Nepticula nyssaefoliella Chamb. 



The mine begins as a very narrow winding linear tract, 

 with a narrow line of frass through the center. A few days 

 before pupation, this abruptly enlarges into an elongate, irreg- 

 ular pale brownish yellow blotch, 2 cm. or more in length and 

 averaging 5 or 6 mm. in width, with the grains of frass scat- 

 tered throughout its area. 



The cocoon is pale greenish, somewhat oyster-shell shaped 

 with its broader anterior edge flattened. 



