142 THE TINE.E OF THE HIGHER ALPS. 



genus Tinea furnishes us with Tapetiella, Rusticella, Gra- 

 nella, Pellionella, and the beautiful Fulvimitrella, The 

 first four accompany the dwellings of man up the high 

 mountains. No species of this family is peculiar to the 

 Alps, since T. Pupella, a mountain species, occurs at much 

 lower elevations. 



III. The family of the Micropterygidce, containing the 

 single genus Micropteryx, has only eight species which 

 occur in Switzerland. The half of these, i.e. four, have been 

 noticed on the higher Alps, viz. Calthella, Aruncella, Al- 

 lionella and Anderschella, often at considerable elevations. 

 Certainly the larvae live not only in the wood of trees, but 

 also on low bushes and hard-stemmed plants. 



IV. Curiously enough the Hyponomeutidce are almost 

 unrepresented in the higher Alps. The genera Sivammer- 

 damia, Scythropia, Hyponomeuta, Psecadia and Prays, 

 seem entirely wanting there. Only the pretty Symmoca 

 signella is found on rocks and stones and at rather consider- 

 able elevation. How disproportionately then is this family- 

 represented, how very different from the Tineidce ! 



V. The Plutellidce are well represented in the upper Alps. 

 In the genus Plutella, Cruciferarum and Geniatella ascend 

 to a height of 7,000 feet. The latter is a peculiarly Alpine 

 species, not occurring in the lower neighbourhood. In the 

 genus Cerostoma we find Dalella, Falcella and Xylostella. 

 The larvae of the two latter probably feed on Lonicera alpi- 

 gena. 



VI. The large family of the Gelechidce is probably, 

 among the Tinece, that which seems best adapted for re- 



