1882.] 177 



NOTES ON BKITISH PTEROPSOEID^l. 

 BY C. a. BAEEETT. 



For a long time it has seemed to me that the present synonymy 

 of the Pterophoridce is not well understood, nor, fully cleared up. 

 The corrections introduced by Dr. Jordan in his notice of Pastor 

 Wallengren's work (Ent. Mo. Mag., vol. vi, pp. 117 and 149), and by 

 Mr. Stainton (Ent. Mo. Mag., vol. ii, p. 137), have been partially 

 adopted, and the names introduced in an extremely haphazard manner 

 into published lists and private collections ; and, as I have a few words 

 to say on some of the species recently noticed by my friends Dr. Jordan 

 and Mr. Sang, in these pages, the opportunity seems favourable for 

 suggestions about the nomenclature of others. 



Blatyptila JBertramij Rossi. (= ochrodactyla, Hub., dichrodactyla, 

 Miihlig.). — It ought not to be necessary to point out that these are 

 not three species, but that the name ochrodactyla was found to belong 

 properly to the species which feeds on tansy {Tanacetum vulgare), and 

 not to our much commoner species on Achillea, which, therefore, 

 received another name — Bertrami, Rossi. The third name — dichro- 

 dactyla, Miihlig, — being a synonym of ochrodactyla, need not be used. 

 In this we shall be in agreement with continental authorities. 



In contrast to the habit of the larva of ochrodactyla, as detailed 

 by Mr. Sang, I may mention that the larva of Bertrami, which feeds 

 (exclusively, I think) on Achillea millefolium and ptarmica, attacks 

 the top of a young shoot, eating out the heart and feeding downwards 

 for a short distance into the tender young stem, then leaves it to 

 attack another young shoot in the same manner. This larva is, in fact, 

 rather an external, than an internal, feeder. The habits of the larvae 

 Beem certainly to point to the distinctness of these two species. 



Eor Blatyptila trigonodactyla, Haw., the prior name, gonodactyla, 

 Schiff, is, I think, now generally adopted, but the correction of 

 cosmodactyla, Hiib., for Amblyptilia puncti dactyl a, Haw., seems usually 

 to be ignored. 



Oxyptilus parvidactylus, Haw., is mentioned by Dr. Jordan in the 

 paper above referred to (Ent. Mo. Mag., vol. vi, p. 122) as Oxyptilus 

 obscurus, Z., the name adopted by "Wallengren, but Haworth's name 

 has priority, and should be retained. 



Oxyptilus hieracii, Z. — I feel no doubt that this species is truly 



|i British, although very rarely obtained. I have two specimens of the 



nativity of which I have no doubt, though I cannot ascertain the 



locality in which they were captured. They were sent to me by a 



