86 Cinciiniati Society of Natural History. 



Nepticula discolorella, n. sp. 



Palpi whitish. Tuft reddish ocherous. Antennae dark 

 brown; eye-caps shining whitish. Thorax dark brown. 



Fore wings plunvcolored, with the scales especially in the 

 apical third tipped with black, so that, under a moderately 

 strong lens, the wing has a very finely peppered appearance. 

 The basal portion of the wing is thus rather paler than the 

 apical portion beyond the fascia. At about three-fifths its 

 length, the wing is crossed by a narrow, outwardly curved, 

 whitish fascia, scarcely shining. The cilia are gray, becoming 

 paler toward the apex, where they are of a sordid white color. 

 Hind wings moderately dark gray. 



Legs shining pale gray. Abdomen blackish above, shining 

 gray beneath. 



Expanse: 5 mm. 



The above description is made from two specimens bred 

 from upper side mines on leaves of Salix discolor Muhl., the 

 ''pussy willow," at Cincinnati. The mine begins as an ex- 

 tremely narrow linear mine, continuing thus for a distance of 

 about 1.5 cm., during which its breadth 

 is scarcely increased, then suddenly ex- 

 pands into a blotch about 1 cm. long, 2 

 mm. wide at its beginning, and about 5 

 mm. wide at the end. The blotch is semi- 

 Mine of .v. rf,w...//a. transparent and within it the frass is de- 

 posited in sinuous curves. The cocoon 

 is dark brown, somewhat wedge-shaped, rounded at its anterior 

 end, and not much flattened. 



This is apparently a very scarce species, as I have observed 

 but few of the mines, and only on leaves of this species of 

 willow. The mines were collected on the 9th of July, and the 

 imagoes appeared on the 25th and 26th of the same month. 

 The darker apical portion of the wing and the dull, scarcely 

 lustrous appearance of the wing, including the fascia and cilia, 

 are the distinguishing characteristics of this species. Although 

 I have not seen the type of Nepticula minimella Chambers, I 



