f6 



332. 



PSYCHE RADIELLA. 



The Woolly Case-bearer. 



Order Lepicloptera. Fam. Arctiidae Leach. 

 Type of the Genus, Titiea nitidella Hiib. 

 Psyche Schr., Lat., Och., Goda, Steph. — Fumea Haw., Steph. — 

 Nudaria Haw. — Tinea Hiib. — Bombyx Fab., Esp. 

 AntenncB of the male inserted on the crown of the head, rather 

 short, composed of about 20 joints, each (excepting the 3 basal 

 and terminal joints) producing at the base 2 hairy rays, the basal 

 joint the most robust, 2nd and 3rd very small (1) : very short 

 and simple in the female. 

 Maxilla none. 



Labial ? Palpi forming 2 fleshy globular lobes clothed with long 

 hairs (4). 

 Male very hairy. Head small. Eyefi globular and granulated {7 a) . 

 Thorax subglobose. Abdomen rather short and obtuse. Wings sub- 

 hyaline, not very thickly clothed with longish hairs : the nervures 

 distinct ; the cilia generally long and thick ; superior obtuse and 

 rounded. Female apterous. Thighs rather slender. Tibiae ; ante- 

 rior simple, posterior (3 f) more robust and hairy than the others, 

 with a pair of spurs at, and another pair a little above the apex. 

 Tarsi 5-jointed, basal joint the longest, especially in the anterior pair. 

 Claws and Pulvilli minute. 

 Caterpillars livi)ig in cases formed of pieces of straw or leaves, in which 

 the metamorphosis takes place ; the 6 pectoral feet only perfect (A). 

 Obs. The dissections were taken from a male of the species figured. 



Radiella Curtis'" s Guide, Gen.S27 . n. 3. 



Male black, with a glossy purple tinge, completely clothed with 

 soft hairy pubescence. Antennae with 18 joints, 14 only pecti- 

 nated, the rachis rather whitish ; head, thorax and body black ; 

 wings very thin, the nervures not strongly marked ; superior 

 with the costa black ; the cilia long and dark ; tarsi pale, in- 

 clining to testaceous. 



In the Author's and other Cabinets. 



It is a very extraordinary fact that the group of moths to 

 which Psyche belongs, makes, in more than one respect, a 

 near approach to the Phryganidae ; and I think they will be 

 made eventually to connect the orders of Trichoptera and 

 Lepidoptera; for whether we consider the larvae and their 

 remarkable economy, or the form of the perfect insects and 

 the substance with which they are clothed, the resemblance is 

 most striking. It will, however, require considerable additions 

 of the Trichoptera to our cabinets, as well as a better know- 

 ledge of the structure of those we already possess, before this 

 change can be safely attempted. 



