346 BRITISH LEPlDOPTERA. 



DISTRIBUTION. Asia Minor : Brussa (Mann). Austria : Vienna 

 (Mann). France : Santigny (Goureau), Saone-et-Loire (Constant), 

 Nohaut, Indre (Sand). Germany: generally distributed (Heinemann 

 and Wocke), Berlin (Zeller), Frankfort-on-Main (Wocke), Potsdam, 

 Eberswalde, Hamburg, etc. (Sorhagen). Italy : Tuscany (Mann), 

 Piedmont (Curo), Dogliani, Sardinia (Ghiliani). Russia : Riga 

 (Nolcken). Scandinavia: Upland (Wallengren) Akarshus, 5955' N. 

 lat. (Reuter). Switzerland : nr. Zurich (Frey). 



NEPTICULA WEAVERI, Stainton. 



SYNONYMY. Species: Weaveri, Sta., " Ent. Ann.," 1855, p. 49, pi. i., fig. 5; 

 " Nat. Hist. Tin.," i., p. 10 (1855), vii., p. 182. pi. ix., fig. 1 (1862) ; " Man.," ii., 

 pp. 432-3 (1859) ; H.-Sch., " Sys. Bearb.," v.. p. 356 (1855) ; Frey, "Die Tineen," 

 etc., p. 377 (1856) ; " Linn. Ent.," xi., p. 390 (1857) ; Hein., Wien. Ent. Monats.," 

 vi.. p. 319 (1862) ; Hein. and Sta., " Zool., h xxi., p. 8384 (1863); Nolck.. "Lep. 

 Fn. Est.," p. 791 (1871) ; Staud. and Wocke, "Cat.," p. 339 (1871); Hein. and 

 Wocke, " Schmett. Deutsch.," p. 764 (1877); Sand, "Cat. Lep. Auv.," p 202 

 (1879) ; Wallgrn.. " Ent. Tids.," ii., p. 131 (1881) ; Snellen, " De Vlinders," etc., 

 p. 1005 (1882) ; Sorhgn., " Die Kleinschuiett. Brandbg.," p. 347 (1886) ; Meyrick, 

 " Handbook," etc.. p. 725 (1895). Weaterelln, Dbldy., " List," p. 36 (1866) ; 

 Porritt, " List. Yorks. Lep.," p. 171 (1886). 



ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION. Nepticula weaveri, Douglas, n. sp. (see 

 frontispiece, fig. 5). Alis anticis saturate purpureo-nigris, fascia 

 obliqua abbreviata ante medium, macula parva anali luteo-albis. Exp. 

 al. 3 lin. Head and face ferruginous. Antennae fuscous, the basal 

 joint yellowish. Anterior wings dark purplish-black ; on the costa, 

 before the middle, is an oblique broad pale yellowish spot reaching to 

 the fold ; on the inner margin, at the anal angle, is a smaller 

 yellowish-white spot ; cilia whitish. Posterior wings grey, with pale 

 grey cilia. The larva was found by Weaver, in Perthshire, last May 

 (1854), mining in the leaves of Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and puckering 

 them, having a similar habit to .V. septembrella, and forming its cocoon 



within the leaf It is a large, conspicuous species, and may be 



readily known by the abbreviated, broad, oblique whitish fascia from 

 the costa before the middle, and the small whitish spot at the angle of 

 the dark purplish anterior wings [Stainton, Ent. Annual, 1855, p. 49 

 (1st Ed.), pp". 71-72 (2nd Ed.)]. 



IMAGO. Head ferruginous. Anterior wings 6-8 mm.; coarsely 

 scaled ; blackish ; a conspicuous oblique silvery-white spot on the 

 costa before the middle ; a roundish spot of a similar colour at the 

 anal angle ; cilia pale grey. Posterior wings grey with paler cilia. 



EGG-LAYING. The egg is laid on the underside of a leaf, generally 

 towards the centre, but not necessarily near a rib. It forms a long 

 oval in outline, and those on the old mines examined are full of black 

 frass. 



MINE. The mine commences as a slender gallery, which, as in 

 that of >Y. septembrella, is carried backwards and forwards two or three 

 times across the leaf before it expands into a blotch, the excrement 

 forming a central blackish line ; eventually the larva eats out much 

 of the internal substance of the leaf, which then puckers, and assumes 

 an inflated appearance. Nolcken notes that " as soon as the brown 

 swollen blotch is completed the leaf falls off, the life of the leaf being 

 no longer necessary to the larva. The frass is collected into a large 

 heap at the end of the brown blotch." 



LARVA. Length 2 lines. Pale amber, the dorsal vessel slightly 



