DEPRESSARIA PUTRIDELLA, SCHIFF. 221 



Depressaria putridella, Schiff. — A species new to Britain {a-ith 



two plates). 

 By ALFBED SICH, F.E.S. 

 In the summer of 1906, Mr. E. D. Green, of Lee, gathered some 

 larvfe off umbelliferous plants growing on the Kentish coast, and sub- 

 sequently bred from them several specimens of a Depressaria he was 

 unable to identify. In the autumn of 1908, Mr. Green showed me 

 the insects which were quite new to me, and he very kindly allowed me 

 to take them for examination. In Stainton's Natural History of the 

 Tineina, I found a figure and description of a continental species which 

 agreed with Mr. Green's specimens. This was B. putridella, Schiff. 

 This identification was then confirmed by comparing the specimens 

 with the description of that species in Zeller's monograph of the genus 

 in the Linnaea Entowologica, yvhich, though written over 50 years ago, 

 is still one of the best contributions to the study of the genus. Sub- 

 sequently, Mr. Tutt and myself compared the moths with Hlibner's 

 figure, and with the specimens contained in the Stainton collection of 

 European micro-lepidoptera at the South Kensington Museum. Owing 

 to Mr. Green's further kindness, I was able this year to collect some 

 larvse myself, and to breed a few specimens. The British specimens 

 are, as might be expected, of a form nearer to the Parisian and 

 Austrian examples, than they are to those from the south of France, 

 where the climatic conditions are more diverse. This species is 

 probably an old inhabitant of Britain, but, from the very local distribu- 

 tion of its foodplant, has hitherto been overlooked. The Depressariids, 

 too, are, as a rule, of very unobtrusive habits, and, probably, this species 

 forms no exception. Some of the older British authors have used the 

 name putridella in their writings, but, as will be shown later, they had 

 not this species before them. 



Synonymy.— Species : Putridella, Schiff., S.V., 138; Hb., 244; H.S., 450, v., 

 p. 120; Zell., L.E., ix., 218; Hein., 147. Stt., Nat. His. Tin., xii., p. 192, pi. 

 vi., figs. 3m, 3((, 3b ; Nolck., Stett. e. Zeit., 1882, p. 190. Peucedanella, Mill., 

 Ann. Soc. Cannes, 1880, p. 13, pi. 10, figs. 14, 15. 



Original description. — Holzbriiunlichter Schabe mit einem 

 Kleinen weissen Mittelpuncte {S>js. Yerz., p. 188). 



Hiibner's figure {Fhirop. Schinett., vol. v., fig. 244), which must be 

 taken as the type, was evidently drawn from a very well-marked 

 specimen, and, though the abdomen, as depicted, is more like that of a 

 male, the wings, on account of the very dark veins and the pale ground 

 colour, probably represent those of a female. The groundcolour of the 

 wings is very pale ochreous-brown. The veins, not accurately drawn, 

 are dark sepia-brown, and a line of the same colour runs along the 

 hindmargin, on which are placed six black spots. Beyond the spots 

 the fringes are of the ground colour, terminated by a sepia-brown line. 

 The discoidal cell is filled up with dark sepia, and, at the end of it, is a 

 white spot. The hindwings are dull greyish-brown, with the veins 

 slightly marked in black, and the termination of the wings and fringes 

 shown by two sepia lines. The palpi, head, and thorax, are of the 

 same colour as the forewings, the last having a dark brown central 

 stripe. In this figure the palpi are too long, giving the figure a 

 Pyraloid appearance. The subcostal vein is much too strongly 

 ■coloured, and the fringes of the forewings should have been dark grey. 

 October 15th, 1909. 



