1900.] 35 



ON PROUTIA SALICOLELLA (auct.) = ANICANELLA, Bruand. 

 BY T. ALCJEKNON CHAPMAN, M.U., F.Z.S. 



As one result of our recent studies of the Psychids, Mr. Tutt 

 has proposed the new genus Proutia for hetulina and salicolella, two 

 species hitherto included in the genus Fumea. Unlike Bacotia sepium, 

 also removed from Fumea, which is very remotely, if at all, allied to the 

 latter genus, these two species, in their larval structure and the forms 

 of their cases, are tolerably close to Fumea. 



They differ chiefly in their antennal structure, which is that of 

 Bacotia and Epichnopteryx, and not that of Fumea and Psyche, viz., 

 the antennal pectinations have sensory hairs on all surfaces and are 

 unsealed ; they also have the anterior tibial spurs neither so short as 

 in Bacotia and the Micro-Psychids, nor so long as in Fumece ; they 

 also have a more pointed wing than Fumea, therein resembling 

 Micro-Psychids. 



The female as compared with Fmnea has more numerous joints to 

 the antennae (over 11), and the tarsi have a diminished number of arti- 

 culations, this is also the case, however, in some Fumece. The two 

 distinctive items in the female moth are, that there are certain trans- 

 parent spots on the dorsal plates of the abdominal segments, and that 

 the moth always carries with it the pupal head covering, which remains 

 attached to the imaginal head, and the imaginal antennae are not, as a 

 rule, withdrawn from the pupal antennal coverings. 



This is a character that attaches Proutia in some degree to Fpich- 

 nopteryx, it is, indeed, so curious and unusual a character that con- 

 siderable weight in this regard no doubt belongs to it. I have seen 

 several Fumea females with the pupal head parts attached, so that 

 Fumea has clearly not escaped this tendency, still in Fumea it is very 

 unusual, and one might say pathological, as it occurs only rarely and 

 in individuals of species that have no such habit, and there are usually 

 with the head parts some other pupal parts not symmetrically from 

 both sides. 



Proutia hetulina, ZelL, is a well known species on the continent, 

 readily obtainable through the usual channels. As a British species 

 the specimens I have seen taken by Mr. Mitford and recorded in 

 magazines and elsewhere are unquestionably hetulina, and Mr. Whittle 

 has recently found the larvae in Essex. 



When we come to salicolella matters are decidedly more obscure. 

 I have not succeeded in obtaining a good continental specimen ; one 

 sent me by Staudinger is probably salicolella, but it is without an- 



