1897.1 



101 



The late Mr. Hodgkiuson knew of this spot, and of two others 

 M'hich have unfortunately been destroyed since. I am confident that 

 the insect does not occur in the other half dozen places where I have 

 carefully searched. No doubt it has other localities if energetically 

 pursued, for which I have neither time nor opportunity. 



26, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead : 

 March, 1897. 



OX THE DISTRIBUTION OF GELECHIA SUPPELIELLA, Wlsm., 

 AND PELIELLA, Tr. 



BY EUSTACE K. BANKES, M.A., F.E.S. 



Lord Walsingliam, when writing his very interesting paper (Ent. IMo. Mag., Ser. 

 2, vii, pp. 250-1) on Oelechia suppeliella, was evidently not aware that this species 

 had occurred out of England ; it may therefore be useful to record some further 

 facts as to the distribution of it and its close ally. In the Stainton continental 

 collection the series standing as " peliella " consists of ten specimens, of which three, 

 labelled respectively " Zeller, 11/50," " Soutli G-ermany, Staudinger, 1/76," and 

 "Germany, Staudinger, 12/77," are suppeliella, while the remaining seven are 

 peliella and are labelled as follows, one " e. I. 3/7/59, R. acetosella, Soden, Schmid," 

 two " Heyne, 3/73," one " South Germany, Staudinger, 1/76," one " Germany, 

 Staudinger, 12/77," two " Silesia, Staudinger, 7/1/90." The note-books contain no 

 furtlier details of any consequence about them. In the Frey collection tlie series 

 labelled " O. peliella, Tr." is composed of three specimens only, of which the first 

 and second are from " Breslau," while the third is from " Frankfixrt" : all three are 

 fine suppeliella. Next below follows a set of four specimens of which the first alone 

 bears a label, which reads " G. alacella, Dii^., Z., H.-S., Frankfiirt :" this means that 

 Frey identified them all as alacella and that they all came from Frankfiirt, but, as a 

 matter of fact, the two first only are alacella while the last two are very fine peliella, 

 Tr. ! Frey recognised the distinctions between the latter species and suppeliella, but 

 was deceived as to their real identity. Since Zeller sent Stainton suppeliella in 1850, 

 his own collection will most likely reveal other spots for it, and doubtless some of 

 the many continental localities recorded by Stainton, Sorhagen, and others, for peliella 

 really refer to its ally : in any case the above facts serve to show that both insects 

 are widely distributed in Germany. In his note in Ent. Mo. Mag., XXV, 161, Mr. 

 Warren does not mention the locality where he collected the larvae which now prove 

 to have been suppeliella, so it may prevent future uncertainty to state that it was 

 near West Wickham, where Messrs. Douglas and Stainton had already taken the 

 imago many years before. The species also occurs at Sandy, in Bedfoi'dshire, where 

 two examples in my collection were taken by the Rev. G. H. Raynor on June 29th, 

 1883. 



I regret to say that my efforts to find British examples of peliella have so far been 

 in vain, nor do I know any reason for supposing that it occurs in this country. The 



