40 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



Work done among the plume moths in 1904 — with indications of 

 observations required in 1905. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



The first important step towards getting an useful knowledge of any 

 group of insects is to know what you want to know. With this step 

 overcome, the rest of the work is comparatively easy. It was our idea 

 some twelve months ago to get a good general knowledge of the 

 British plume moths, and, with the aid of a few keen workers in the 

 field (of whom we must specially mention Mr. Bankes and Mr. Oven- 

 den), and Dr. Chapman and Mr. Bacot working on the material after 

 its collection, a tremendous amount of advance has been made, and 

 the actual details of importance, of which we have to confess absolute 

 ignorance, have been reduced to comparatively small limits. If, how- 

 ever, British lepidopterists do not know these details, we are in a 

 position to assert that continental lepidopterists appear to be in an 

 equally unsatisfactory position. To complete one or two particulars, 

 however, we shall have to beg the aid of continental lepidopterists, 

 since these details have to be obtained from species we either do 

 not get in Britain {e.<i., HelUnda (listinctus and H. scannlacti/la) at 

 all, or from species that are so local that only by the special effort of 

 a particular individual can we hope to clear up our own difficulties 

 without outside help {e.g., Fredericina tcsseradactylo). 



Summarising the main points about which information is still 

 wanted, we may note the following : — 



(1) The egglaying habit of Kiicnaemtdophorns rliododactyla : the 

 length of its egg- stage ; the habit of the larva between the time of 

 hatching until it hybernates ; the mode of hybernation. 



(2) The same details with regard to Cappcria [O.vyptihia) lietero- 

 dactijla [teucrii). 



(3) Details of the whole life-history of I' redi'vicina tesseradactyla ; 

 livmg 2 s with the foodplant ; larva; in any stage ; pup^e in any stage, 

 etc., are desired. No satisfactory life-history of this species has yet 

 been published, and as only the Hon. C. Dillon and Mr. Kane know 

 the habits of this species in its Irish localities, unless these lepidop- 

 terists can get us material we shall have to beg living specimens from 

 our continental confreres. 



(4) No move has been made during 1904 as to Aniblyptilia puncti- 

 dactyla. Not one of our friends has been able to get it in any stage, 

 for study, although A. acanthodactyla came from two or three different 

 localities. 



(5) What becomes of the larva of Maraauwrcha Inncwdactyla [phae- 

 odartyla) from the time it leaves the ^gg, in July, until it reappears 

 again in May the following year ? At present no one knows. 



(6) Our ignorance of O.ryptilus jiarvidactyla, 0. distans, and O. 

 pilosellae is most profound. It is remarkable that not one entomologist 

 among those who hunt the imagines of these species can tell us any- 

 thing of importance about their early stages for certain. The larva of 

 the first-named is reputed to feed on Thymm .^erpyllitvi (probably wrong), 

 and Hieradinn iDiibellatuvi, and one or two other Hieracii species 

 (probably right), but we do not know a single British lepidopterist 

 who can find the larvfe. Of 0. dhtans larva, Mr. Durrant has a 

 doubtful description from a Thetford capture, whilst Mr. Norgate has 

 found the larvte (and sent us the empty pupa-cases from which he bred 



