GENUS HEPTAMELDS. 301 



large one on the second, three on the third, and four 

 on the others, the last being smaller than those in front. 

 The thoracic legs are banded with black; the abdo- 

 minal have above a small black band ; and the anal 

 two are broadly marked with the same colour. The 

 penultimate segment sometimes bears in the centre two 

 small black dots. The number of dots varies a good 

 deal, they are often absent from the fifth, sixth, and 

 penultimate, and along the sides some individuals have 

 more and others less than usual. When full-fed the 

 markings are cast off. 



The pupa is yellowish-white. 



The larvas live gregariously often to the number of 

 seven or eight in a single leaf in the leaves of the 

 birch, appearing first in June and again in the autumn. 



Brischke (Schr. ges. Konig.,xi, 71) records as para- 

 sites PcrlJissus macrophygus. Holm., P. sulcatus, Holm., 

 and P. vertical-is, Brischke. 



Common from Sutherlandshire to the south of 

 England. 



Continental distribution : Germany, France. 



Genus HEPTAMELUS. 



Melicerta, Steph., 111., vii, 94 (?). 



Heptamelus, Holiday, Nat. Hist. Rev., 1855, 60. 



Ccenoneura, Thorns., Opusc. Ent., 270. 



Antenna seven to eight-jointed, densely pilose, somewhat thickened 

 towards the apex, second joint not transverse, double the length of 

 first ; third a half longer than fourth ; last longer than preceding, 

 conical at apex. 



Wings with two radial and three or four cubital cellules, of which the 

 second and third receive each a recurrent nervure. Lanceolate cellule 

 with an oblique cross nervure. Posterior wings with two middle 

 cellules. 



The transverse basal nervure is curved and is received 

 a good piece before the cubital, and is nearly joined 

 to the transverse median, which again is joined to the 

 oblique nervure in lanceolate cellule. The first trans- 

 verse cubital nervure is represented by a mere stump at 



