THE MICROPTERYGIDES. 137 



feeding on pollen. He further says that the New Zealand genus 

 Palaeomicra is the most ancient known. It differs from Micropt&ryxin 

 still retaining the following ancestral characters, viz., the trifurcation of 

 nervure 16 (in one species), the sub-basal bar between the parting nervure 

 and upper cell-margin, the additional nervure rising out of 11, and (in 

 one species) a second additional nervure rising out of 12, near base, etc. 

 Walsingham writes : "A re-examination of my North American 

 Micropteryx pardella and M. auriwinella shows them to belong to a new 

 genus (which I have described in MS. as Epimartyria), resembling 

 Eriocrania in general appearance, but having the jaw structure, 

 without tongue, of a true Micropteryx, and with very peculiar antenme. 

 Epimartyria, therefore, is the American representative of Micropteryx 

 (Eriocephala, Crt.) with developed mandibles. There is no evidence, 

 however, that the true genus Micropteryx (Eriocephala) occurs in the 

 United States, although Eriocrania undoubtedly does so " (in litt., 

 April 30th, 1898). 



Frey makes (Ent. Annual, 1858, p. 142) a remarkable statement as 

 to the probable food-plants of the Micropterygids (and Eriocraniids). 

 He says : " The family of the Micropteryyidae, containing the single 

 genus Mieropteryx, has only eight species which occur in Switzerland. 

 The half of these, i.e., four, have been noticed on the higher Alps, viz., 

 caltliella, aruncella, allionella, and anderackeUa, often at considerable 

 elevations. Certainly the larvte live not only in the wood of trees, but 

 also on low bushes and hard-stemmed plants." The larvas of Erio- 

 crania, of course, are now well known to mine in leaves (principally 

 birch) and since it has been proved that the Micropterygids are moss- 

 feeders, one wonders why Frey made the statement that the larv.'e live 

 " in the wood of trees." The four species mentioned by Frey as 

 occurring " on the higher Alps " are all Micropterygids, not Eriocraniids. 



The imagines fly in the sunshine chiefly in May and June, in Britain, 

 and frequent flowers. Micropteryx (Eriocephala) calthella is sometimes 

 to be seen in hundreds in the morning sun, in the flowers of Caltha, 

 Ranunculus, etc., revelling in the pollen in early May, or even late in 

 April. M. seppella is reputed to prefer the flowers of Veronica, whilst 

 M. thunberr/ella is usually associated with a preference for pine cones. 

 M. mansuetella, M. aureatella and 31. thunben/ella, all appear in May 

 and June, the latest British species probably being M. seppella, which is 

 often taken during the first fortnight of July. There is no doubt that 

 the fondness shown by the imagines of the various species for special 

 flowers, is due, not so much to the fact that this is the favourite food 

 of the species, as to its being the prominent available plant, of their 

 habitat. They go to the flowers to obtain the pollen for food, and the 

 continuous references of certain species to certain flowers, e.y., M. 

 caltliella to Caltha and Ranunculus, 31. aruncella to Spiraea, M. seppella 

 to Veronica, etc., simply points out perhaps the most conspicuous plant 

 which provides the required staminal food at the time of their 

 occurrence. When Caltha, for example, grows in shady swamps, 

 M. calthella is found in the flowers, but if it grows in open swamps 

 and bogB there are often no M. calthella to go to it. Gardner finds both 

 M. seppella and M. calthella in abundance, in the flowers of liosa 

 tpinorissima, on the sandhills near Hartlepool, the insects evidently 

 availing themselves of the most readily obtainable flowers to satisfy 

 their own wants. 



