344. 



LEPIDOCERA BIRDELLA. 



The Liverpool Feather-horned Tinea. 



Order Lepidoptera. Fam. Tineidse. 



Type oj the Genus, Tinea Taurella Hub. 



Lepidocera Ste., Curt. — Ypsolophus Haw. — Tinea Hub. 



AntenncB inserted close to the eyes on die crown of the head, 

 composed of many short joints clothed with very long and feathery 

 scales, excepting 8 or 9 of the apical joints (1). 

 Maxillce extremely short, but slender and spiral (7). 

 Labial PaZy;j forming two large brushes in front of the head (7, 4), 

 being curved upward, divaricating and clothed (especially be- 

 neath) with long clavate scales truncated and serrated at the 

 apex almost concealing the apical joint (*4) : triarticulate, basal 

 joint globose, 2nd rather long and robust, 3rd shorter and slen- 

 derer, elongate conic (4 a). 

 Head broad and short. Eyes small and lateral remote and very promi- 

 nent, shining and irregularly granulated (7). Ocelli large and distinct. 

 Thorax rather small clothed with depressed scales. Wings rather short, 

 the superior very scaly, sublinear and truncated at the apex beyond 

 which the scales form an irregular margin, inferior wings suboval less 

 scaly and producing very long cilia. Abdomen rather long, depressed, 

 clothed with broad depressed scales, the sides margined, the apex 

 somewhat lifted. Legs robust clothed with scales, anterior short, 

 posterior long. Tibiae ; 4 posterior with long spurs at the apex ; the 

 hinder pair with two at the centre. Tarsi 5-jointed, basal joint of 

 posterior pair long. Claws distinct and curved (8, afore leg). 

 Obs. The dissections were taken from the species figured. 



BiRDELLA Curtis' s Guidc, Gen. 1034. 3. 



Rough, scaly, dull reddish ochre : antennae blackish tovvards the 

 apex : eyes black, scales on the palpi black at their tips : supe- 

 rior wings clouded Wxih. blackish scales, except at the base, 

 forming three distinct fasciae : inferior wings fuscous-cupreous, 

 pale at the base : abdomen sprinkled with fuscous and black 

 down the middle, excepting the base of the 5th annulation which 

 is ochreous : legs variegated with fuscous. 



In the Cabinets of Mr. Bird and the Author. 



No characters of this remarkable little group have yet been 

 published ; and although I have a just right to give a name 

 in such a case, I have again adopted one which has lately 

 been proposed, to prevent repetition. My only reason for 

 statinff this is,, that in numerous instances the characters that 



