348 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



GROUP IX. Cilia of the anterior wings with a distinct or indicated 

 divisional line, beyond which they are abruptly paler. Anterior wings 

 coarsely scaled ; with whitish markings in the basal half. 



NEPTICULA TRIMACULELLA, HaW'Orth. 



SYNONYMY. Species : Trimaculella, Haw., " Lep. Brit.," p. 583 (1828); Sta., 

 " Cat. Tin.." p. 29 (1849); "Ins. Brit.," p. 301 (1854); "Nat. Hist. Tin.," i., 

 p. 216, pi. vi., fig. 1 (1855) ; " Man.," ii., p. 433 (1859) ; Frey, "Die Tineen," etc., 

 p. 381 (1856); "Linn. Ent.," xi., p. 404 (1857); Staucl. and Wocke, "Cat.," 

 p. 339 (1871); Nolck., "Lep. Fn. Est.," p. 792 (1871); Hein. and Wocke, 

 ' Schmett. Deutsch.," p. 766 (1877) ; Sand, " Cat. Lep. Auv.," p. 202 (1879) ; Bang- 

 Haas, "N. H. Tids.," p. 218 (1881); Peyer., "< at. Lep. Als.," ii., 2nd Ed., p. 167 

 (1882) ; Snellen, " De Vlinders," etc., p. 1004 (1882) ; Sorhagen, " Die Kleinschmett. 

 Brandbg.," p. 310 (1886) ; Meyr., " Handbook," etc., p. 725 (1895). Rufella, Zell., 

 "Isis,"1839; "Linn. Ent.," iii., 328 (18*48); Sta. and Zell., " Trans. Ent. Soc. 

 Lond.," v., 137 (1848) ; H.-Sch., "Sys. Bear.," v., p. 358 (1855) (nee. Scopoli). 

 ? Populella, H.-Sch., " Sys. Bear.," v., p. 357 (1855). 



ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION. Tinea tnniaculella (The cream-spotted 

 Sable). Alis atris stria lata basi, maculisque duabus posticis flavi- 

 cantibus. E xpansio alarum 2f lin. Praecedentibus (T. $equelld) minor. 

 Alae anticse atrae, stria latissima emarginata, a basi fere ad medium lutes- 

 cente ; maculisque duabus posticis oppositis marginalibus fere con- 

 fluentibus flavescentibus. Habitat forte in Populo. Imago i. Jul. 

 Populi Truncis, at rarissime. Exemplarium unicum quod cepi 

 sedentem solum vidi (Haworth, Lepidoptera Britannica, p. 583). 



IMAGO. Head ochreous. Anterior wings 5-6 mm. ; dark fuscous ; 

 a broad, whitish, basal, longitudinal streak extending to centre of 

 wing ; two triangular, opposite yellowish-white spots (sometimes 

 united) beyond the middle ; cilia pale yellowish-grey. Posterior wings 

 pale grey with paler cilia. 



SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. The abdomen of the male is reddish-orange 

 in colour, of the female grey. The legs of the male tinged with 

 orange, of the female whitish-grey (Stainton). 



VARIATION. The species varies considerably in the size of the 

 yellowish-white spots. One of these is referred to by Frey, under the 

 name of pojtndMa. Nolcken notes the imagines from Pyha as having 

 less sharply defined markings than examples received from Germany. 



a. ab. populclla, Frey. The basal spot very large, extending almost across 

 the wing from one margin to the other, and being united with the dorsal marginal 

 spot. 



COMPARISON OF N. TRIMACULELLA WITH ITS ALLIES. X. trimaculdla 

 is the only species in which the dark anterior wings have two oppo- 

 site pale spots and a broad basal streak. N. ftubbitnaculella. has the 

 basal mark on the inner margin, forming a rather triangular spot 

 there, whereas in X. trimaculdla the basal mark is not connected 

 with the inner margin, and, though broad, is best described as a basal 

 streak (Stainton). This species is, in the male, owing to its red 

 abdomen, and yellowish legs and hind- wings, quite safe from con- 

 fusion with its allies, as A T . subniti-della, the only species with similar 

 hind-wings, has fore-wings without any markings. The female also 

 cannot be confused, since X. argyropeza, X. sericojteza and X. decentella 

 have entirely different markings. From X. subbiwaciilella, X. trima- 

 cidella differs in having a paler, more yellowish head, by the brown- 

 black (not pure black) fore-wings, by the much larger basal streak (in 

 X. mibbiiiiaciildla this is placed on the dorsal margin), and by the 



