171 [August, 



Stephens' citation of 1834 was anterior to Zeller's paper of 1843, 

 it was obvious that if the synonymy were correct, Curtis's name 

 was entitled to precedence over Zeller's. The name maculipennis was 

 first used by Curtis in the first edition of his " Guide" in 1831, but 

 being unaccompanied by description or citation cannot be regarded as 

 the correction of a known error, and must be treated as merely a MS. 

 name. On the second page of the explanation of Plate 420 in the 

 British Entomology (1832), however, the species was amply described 

 under the name Cerostoma maculipennis, and it is obvious that Curtis's 

 type was a $ of Plutella cruciferarum, which must therefore sink as a 

 synonym of maculipennis, at least until authority can be shown for 

 the use of an earlier name if such exist. A careful search has so far 

 failed to disclose any evidence that the species was known (as distinct 

 from the honeysuckle feeding xylostella') to any entomological author 

 preceding Curtis. Under Curtis's name Stephens, in his '' 111 ustrations," 

 described the same species, but Wood, while correctly referring to 

 annulateUa and maculipennis in the text of his Index, p. 223, Nos. 

 1547 and 1548, unfortunately transposed his figures on the plate, so 

 that maculipennis, Wd., text, = *annulatellus, Wd., fig. 1547, and annu- 

 latellus, Wd., text, = *maculipennis, Wd., fig. 1548. Stainton, in the 

 List of Specimens of British Animals in the British Museum, XVI, 

 Lepidoptera on pp. 43-5 (1854), gives the correct synonymy (as above), 

 but omits to sink cruciferarum as a synonym of maculipennis. He 

 quotes the date of Curtis's PI. 420 as 1835, but this cannot be correct, 

 for this plate and its accompanying letter-press is cited by Stephens 

 in the part of his Illustrations dated 31-XII-1834 (vol. IV, p. 342), 

 and the explanation of Plate 4GI is quoted in the Magazine of Nat. 

 Hist., IV, 437 (IX, 1833), in a letter dated by Prof. Babington 

 2-VIII-1833, showing that Curtis's plate was probably correctly dated 

 1832. 



The following is the synonymy of the Diamond-back moth, 

 omitting references which have no bearing on the nomenclature of 

 the species : — 



Plutella maculipennis, Crt. 



= cruciferarum, 7t. ; n. syn. = galeatella, Mab. 



[n. g. maculipennis, Crt., Guide, 186, No. 1031, 3 (1831) MS.] : Cerostoma 

 maculipennis, Crt., Br. Ent., PI. 420 (expl. p. 2) (1832), ? ; Stph., 111. Br. Snt., 

 Haust. IV, 342 (1834) ; Crt., Guide, 2 edn., 214, No. 1031, 3 (1837) ; Wd., Ind. 

 Ent., 223, No. 1548 (1839) : Cerostoma *annulatellus, Wd., Ind. Ent., PI. 49, 1547 

 (1839) ; Plutella cruciferarum, Z., Stett. Ent. Ztg., IV, 281-3 (1843) ; Stn., Syst. 



