March, 18C5.] 221 



NOTICE OF AN UNDESCRIBED SPECIES OP THE GENUS DEPRESSARIA. 

 BY H. T. STAINTON, T.L.S. 



Early in June, 1863, 1 received from my friend Herr Julius Lederer> 

 Vienna, some larvje of the genus Depressaria, which he at the time 

 supposed should be referred to D. quadripunctata, of Wocke. They 

 were feeding on the leaves of Siler aquilegifoliiim, turning down a 

 small portion of the edge of the leaf. From these larvae I made a 

 description, and had one figured by Miss Wing, but I was not success- 

 ful in rearing any of the imago. Herr Lederer wrote to me afterwards 

 that from the nine specimens he had bred, it would appear not to be 

 D. quadripunctata, but most probably a new species. Last summer 

 towards the end of June, I again received a bounteous supply of these 

 Depressaria larvas, from my liberal correspondent, and from them I bred 

 nearly 20 specimens. 



Having such a fine series of an undescribed species before me, the 

 temptation to describe it is very great, and having heard lately that 

 Herr Lederer has not himself described the insect, and is quite willing 

 I should undertake the task, I cheerfully do so, adopting the name of 

 silerella, which has been given to it in Herr Mann's latest list of 

 duplicates. 



Depressaria silerella is most nearly allied to adspersella and 

 thapsiella, difiering from both however in the terminal joint of the palpi 

 being entirely pale yellowish ; in thapsiella the terminal joint of the 

 palpi is dark at the base, and with a ring in the middle, and the extreme 

 tip black ; adspersella wants the dark base, but has the medial ring, 

 and the extreme tip black or blackish. Depressaria silerella also differs 

 from both these species in the position of the conspicuous black spots 

 near the centre of the anterior wings : these are four in number ; — one 

 just below the sub-costal nervure before the middle, corresponding to the 

 first spot in the other two species, and another obliquely beyond this on 

 the fold, which has no corresponding spot in adspersella and thapsiella, 

 though a darker scale or two may be noticed on the fold about the 

 same place ; on the other hand both adspersella and thapsiella show a 

 Tery conspicuous black spot obliquely beyond the first, on the disc 

 considerably above the fold. Then in silerella follows the third spot on 

 the disc a little beyond the middle ; beyond which, a little lower down, 

 is the fourth spot, much less distinct, and corresponding to the dark 

 semi-ocellated spot in the two other species. The form of the anterior 

 wings is rather more truncate than in adspersella, but very similar to 

 what we find in thapsiella. Lastly, silerella agrees in size with 

 thapsiella, being smaller than adspersella. 



