246 



BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



ginous, with a still darker central spot. Anterior wings with the 

 basal portion of an uniform glossy golden-brown ; beyond the middle 

 is a nearly straight, moderately broad, pale golden fascia ; the apical 

 portion of the wing very dark purple, almost black, with the cilia 

 (which have no dividing line) slightly paler (Stain ton, Ent. Mo. May., 

 xxiv., p. 260). 



IMAGO. Head dull ferruginous. Anterior wings 4 mm. ; golden- 

 brown in colour ; a nearly straight transverse pale golden fascia 

 beyond the centre ; apex dark purplish ; cilia dark grey. Posterior 

 wings and cilia grey. 



COMPARISON OF N. SERELLA WITH N. TORMENTILLELLA. The Conti- 

 nental N. tonnentillflla, of which I have several bred specimens, has 

 narrower anterior wings, with the basal portion bronzy-green, and a 

 purple band before the metallic fascia, which is rather silvery than 

 pale golden, the apical portion of the wing purple, but not nearly as 

 dark as in N. serella ; head black (Stainton). 



MINE. The larva apparently begins to feed at the base of a leaflet, 

 and gradually works right round it until the whole leaflet is completely 

 hollowed out and transparent, and the wanderings of the larva can 

 only be traced by the lines of dark frass which mark its course (Bankes). 

 Threlfall notes the mine as being " clear and white." 



LARVA. The larva is of a deep clear yellow, with the posterior 

 portion of the dorsal vessel showing through as a darker line, and the 

 head shining brown (Bankes). Sang says that the larva is much like 

 that of N. poterii. 



COCOON. The cocoons (8) measured average 2-5 mm. in length, 

 and 1-75 mm. in width, each forms a long oval in outline, with one 

 end considerably narrower than the other. In colour, they are, to the 

 naked eye, what Sang calls very pale " drab." Under the lens they 

 are pale yellow-ochreous, one with, the others without, a denned rim, 

 the arched portion of the cocoon rising directly from the edge to the 

 apex, which is very considerably raised above the general level. The 

 cocoon proper is rather rough, flossy silken ends sticking out all over 

 the surface, but much more abundantly round the somewhat crenate 

 rim. There is a very faint reddish reticulation traceable on the domed 

 portion, the lines exceedingly fine and faint in hue. [Described 

 July 5th, 1898, under a two-thirds lens, from cocoons sent by Mr. 

 W. H. B. Fletcher, from Potentilla, as probably of this species.] 



FOOD-PLANT. Potentilla torwentilla, growing on moors (Bankes). 



TIME OP APPEARANCE. Stainton found mines at Dunkeld, on 

 September llth, 1859, and bred an imago in July, 1860. Threlfall 

 bred imagines in May, 1887, from larvte obtained October 3rd, 1886, 

 at Meathop, nr. Grange. 



LOCALITIES. ? DEVON : between Barnstaple and Bideford (Stainton). ?KENT : 

 West Wickham (Stainton). LANCASHIRE : on mosses, Meathop, nr. Grange (Threl- 

 fall). NORFOLK : King's Lynn (Atmore). NORTHUMBERLAND : Newcastle-on-Tyne 

 (Sang). PERTHSHIRE : Birnham Hill, nr. Dunkeld (Stainton). ? SUSSEX : nr. 

 Hayward's Heath (Fletcher). WESTMORLAND : moors (Bankes). YORKSHIRE : moors 

 of West Biding (Bankes). 



DISTRIBUTION. ? Germany : Ratisbon (Hoffmann). 



NEPTICULA TENGSTROMI, 

 SYNONYMY. Species : Tengstriimi, Nolck., "Lep. Fauna von Estland," ii., 

 no. 879, p. 776 (1871) ; Stdgr. and Wocke, " Cat.," p. 338 (1871) ; Erschoff, 

 " Trudy Boss. Ent. Soc.," xii., p. 22 (1881). 



