228 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



that he has compared Ilodgkiuson's specimens with the Conti- 

 nental series of Frey, etc., and finds them to be X. aeneofaxciella and A r . 

 serella. 



We may. therefore, safely conclude that X. tontientillella has no 

 locus standi in the British fauna. 



NEPTICULA AURELLA, 



SYNONYMY. Species : Aurella. Fab., " Sys. Ent.," p. G66, no. 65 (1775) ; " Ent. 

 Sys.," iii., 2. 329, no. 180; Ooze, "Ent. Beitr.," iii., 4, 152, 211 (1783) ; Gmelin, 

 " Sys. Nat.," i.. 5, 2605, 1269 (1788) ; Villers, "Ent. Faun. Suec.," ii., 503. 975 

 (1789); Turton, "Sys. of Nature," iii.. 2, 378; Haw., " Lep. Brit.," p. 584 

 (1828) ; Stephs., "Illus.," iv., 268 (1835) ; Zell.. " Linn. Ent.," iii.. p. 306, in part 

 (1848); Sta., "Cat. Lep. Tin.," p 28 (1849); "Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.," v., p. 

 129 (1847) ; " Ins. Brit.," p. 305 (1854) ; " Nat. Hist. Tin.," i.. p. 34, pi. i., fig. 1 

 (1855); "Man.." ii., p. 438(1859); H.-Sch., " Sys. Bearh.," v., p. 350 (1855); 

 Frey, " Linn. Ent.," xi.. p. 441 (1857) : Werneburg, i., p. 567 (1864) ; Healy. " Ent., 

 Mo. Mag.," iii.. pp. 7 et seq. (186(5); Staud. and Wocke, "Cat.," p. 337 (1871); 

 Mill., "Cat. Lep. Alp. Mar.," p. 374 (1875); Heinemann and Wocke, " Schmett. 

 Deutsch.," p. 742 (1877); Sand, "Cat. Lep. Auv.," p. 201 (1879); Snellen, 

 " Vlinders," p. 983 (1882) ; Peyer., "Cat. Lep. Als.." ii., 2nd Ed., p. IBS (1882); 

 Hering. " Stett. Ent. Zeit.," Hi., p. 220 (1891) ; Meyrick, " Handbook," etc., p. 717 

 (1895). 



ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION. Tinea aurdla, alis auratis, postice atris ; 

 fascia argentea. Minima facile omnium. Caput album, fronte ferru- 

 ginea. Antennae breves, nigne. Alae auratae, nitidissimre, postice 

 atne, qui colores striga argentea vivacissima distinguuntur [Fabricius, 

 Systewatica Kntoiolo;/ica, p. G66, no. 65 (1775)] . 



SYNONYMIC NOTES. Werneburg, Heinemann, Wocke, Sorhagen, 

 and others do not accept the Fabrician description of X. aurdla as 

 applying to this species. Werneburg (Ueitri'njf znr St-hniett., i., p. 567) 

 argues at length against the possibility of aun-lla, Fab., being aunila, 

 Sta., and determines it for .V. jdai/icolella, Sta. His arguments 

 against its being aurdla, Sta., are : (1) The latter is too large. 

 Fabricius would not have called it " minima facile omnium." (2i Au- 

 rdla, Sta., lives on llubus, hence Fabricius would hardly have found 

 it among fruit trees. (3) Aurdla, Sta., appears to be very rare in 

 Germany. None of these arguments is particularly strong. Of them 

 we would say : (1) Aurella was the only Nepticulid described by 

 Fabricius, and would be the smallest moth known to him. (2) The 

 imagines of this species occur on the trunks of various kinds of 

 trees growing near brambles. (8) Although rare, the species 

 is taken in Germany. Stainton, whilst accepting the Fabrician 

 description, as applying to the present species, says (Xat. Hixt. Tin., 

 i., p. 46) : " There is nothing in the Fabrician description to apply 

 it in preference to any of the allied species. It is true the wings are 

 not ' black ' posteriorly, it is true the fascia had better be described as 

 pale golden ; but none of the species with silvery fascine have the 

 'wings golden.' The ' head white, in front ferruginous.' evidently 

 alludes to the whitish eye-caps at the base of the, antennae on each 

 side of the reddish tuft of the head. The ' occurs among orchard 

 trees,' might, certainly, if interpreted too rigidly, restrict us to an 

 apple or plum-feeding species ; but the allusion is, no doubt, to the 

 perfect insect having been taken on the trunk of some orchard tree, 

 which is not an improbable locality for a bramble-feeding species." 

 It appears necessary, however, since so many authorities refuse to 

 accept the Fabrician description, as applicable to this species, to give 



