THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Vol. XI.] NOVEMBEE, 1878. [No. 186. 



IDENTITY OF EPHIPPIPHORA OBSCURANA {Steph.) 

 AND E. GALLICOLANA {Zell). 



By Walter P, Weston. 



Wilkinson, in his work on tlie British Tortrices, describes 

 this species as Semasia obscurana, which description Mr. C. G. 

 Barrett, in his excellent "Notes on Tortrices" (K. M. M., 

 vol. X. p. 144), considers more applicable to Gallicolana, 

 Zell., and he then gives his reason for his opinion, and the 

 chief points in which that species differs from Obscuratm, 

 which are " the greater breadth of the fore wings, the more 

 upright, clearer, and whiter dorsal blotch, and the more 

 richly coloured apical space." Mr. Barrett then gives 

 Stephens' description of S. obscurana, Steph. 1 have always 

 been disposed to consider these two insects as one and the 

 same species, thinking Obscurana to be only smaller and 

 worn examples of its congeners, to which it is most closely 

 allied ; but it was only this season that I bred sufficient 

 numbers to satisfy myself as to their identity. For the last 

 four or five years I have captured a ievf specimens of 

 Obscurana, Steph., every year, and amongst them one which 

 closely answered the description of Gallicolana, Zell. Mr. 

 Barrett, however, to whom 1 sent it, returned it to me as a 

 variety of Obscurana, but closely approaching Gallicolana, 

 having the costal spot white and very decided, but the fore 

 wings were hardly broad enough. 



Last season I collected several oak galls (chiefly those of 

 Cynips terminalis), from the very trees round which 1 had 

 been accustomed to take E. obscurana, and succeeded in rear- 

 ing four undoubted specimens of E. gallicolana, all of them 

 being larger than Obscurana, the ground colour of the fore 

 wings darker, and the costal blotch very clear and decided, 

 but as variable in shape as it is often found in different 

 examples of E. cirsiana. These specimens, which consisted 

 of one male and three females, were all 8 to 8^ lines in 

 expanse. 



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