1884.1 153 



ON A SMALL COLLECTION OF TRICROPTEEA FROM UNST, 

 NORTH SHETLAND. 



BY R. McLACHLAN, F.R.S., &c. 



At p. 91 of this vol. I published a short note on four species of 

 Trichoptera captured in Unst by Mr. C. A. Briggs. A somewhat 

 larger collection, comprising twelve species, made by Mr. E. P. Boper 

 Curzon, in August of this year, has just been presented to me by Mr. 

 Meek. It merits a longer notice, and more especially as there is one 

 insect of extreme interest. It may be well to mention that the 

 northernmost point of Unst lies in nearly 61° N. latitude. 



The following are the species : — 



Phrtganea varia, F. — One $ ^ small, and of a peculiar tint. 



LiMNOPHiLUS AURICULA, C. — Two (^ , excessively small, the ex- 

 panse being only 12^ mm., almost one-third less than the smallest 

 example I had previously seen of this species. 



LiMNOPHiLTJS GRisEUS, L. — Two ? , both dark, and one very 

 small, expanse only 13| mm. ; the other expands to 20 mm., which 

 would be rather small for an ordinary $ , and the ? in this species is 

 usually much the larger. 



LiMNOPHiLUS SPARSUS, C. — One (^, two $ , rather small (expanse, 

 about 19 mm.), and all of a peculiar variety, with nearly unicolorous 

 smoky-grey anterior-wings and ill-defined pterostigmatic mark. I have 

 found such a condition at great altitudes (about 6000 ft.) in the Alps, 

 and have seen it from Finland. It reminds one forcibly of the British 

 type-form of Asynarchus coenosus, C, only with narrower fore-wings. 

 The species is notoriously variable, and the main point in these Unst 

 .examples is their comparative constancy. 



Stenophtlax latipennis, C. — Three ^, two ?, small, and very 

 smoky in colour ; similar to those taken by Mr. Briggs. S. latipennis 

 and S. steUatus, C, are very closely allied, but distinct, unless con- 

 inecting links in the slight structural differences be proved to exist. 

 Perhaps there may be slight doubt concerning these Shetland examples. 

 The superior appendages have retracted in drying, so as to be invisible. 



Stenophylax cokcentricus, Zett. — Three $ , not larger than an 

 ordinary small ^ , and with the anterior- wings very decidedly tinged 

 with brown. 



Mesophylax impunctatus, McLach., var. zetlandictjs. 

 Apart from its pigmy size, it differs from the type-form as follows : — Head and 



