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XXXIII. On the Species of Depressaria, a Genus of 

 Tineidae, and the allied Genera Orthotselia and Exseretia. 

 By H. T. Stainton, Esq. 



[Read Dec. 4th, 1848.] 



The genus Depressaria is one of the most natural we have, and 

 considering the variety of size in the different species, their ex- 

 traordinary similarity of appearance is not a little remarkable. 

 The food of the larvee is very various, some of them feeding on 

 the leaves of composite jilants, others, and by far the greater por- 

 tion, in the umbels or on the seeds or leaves of different species 

 of Umbelliferae ; again, the larvae of two species feed on the 

 sallow, whilst the Hypericum perforatum affords a pabulum to 

 another species. 



Note. — The species marked -^ have not yet been detected in 

 this country. 



Ortiiot^lia, Stephens. 

 Caulobius, Duponchel. 

 H.EMYLIS, Zeller. 

 Agoniopteryx, Treitschke. 



Sparganiella, Thunb., Tr., D., Z. 



Tostella, Hiib. 456. 



Venosa (Depressai'ia), Haworth. 



Venosa {Orthotcelia and Depressaria), Stephens. 



The larvae of this insect feeds, as the name implies, on a Spar- 

 gantum, but there is some dispute as to which of the species : 

 Treitschke says simplex, Zeller says ramosum, not simplex. I have 

 met with the perfect insect myself among Sparg. ramosum, and Mr. 

 Edward Doubleday has reared it from larvae found in the stems of 

 this latter plant, in July : he states that the presence of the larvae 

 is easily detected by the withering of the flowers. The perfect 

 insect appears at the end of July and beginning of August. 



Duponchel states that it feeds on Sparganium nutans ; Guenee 

 has, according to Duponchel, found the larvae of this species at 

 the base of the leaves of the Iris pseudacorus, but I am inclined 

 to fancy that this is a distinct species, especially as it appears by 

 Mann's Catalogue that another species, which he there calls 

 " Palustrella, Tr. in litt.," occurs on the continent. I am not 

 aware that this species has been described ; it probably occurs in 

 this country and needs but to be sought. 



VOL. V. s 



