138 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May, 



ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY. 



MICROLEPIDOPTERA.— Part II. 

 By Prof. C. H. Fernald, Amherst, Mass. 



The family Tineidae or Leaf-miners, is one of the largest of the 

 Lepidoptera. It includes insects ranging in expanse of wings 

 from 3 to 55 mm., but a large majority are much below the me- 

 dium size. Notwithstanding their abundance they have been 

 very much neglected by collectors and students in this country. 



The head in some species is covered above and in front with 

 erect hair-like scales which give it a rough appearance. Other 

 species have the head rough above, but smooth in front, and still 

 others have the head covered in front and above with scales that 

 lie flat, giving the head a smooth appearance over the whole sur- 

 face. The tongue is generally present, though sometimes absent. 

 The labial palpi are almost always present, often long, curved up 

 in front, with the third joint long, slim and pointed, especially 

 in many of the larger species, which in other respects, more or 

 less resemble the Tortricids. Sometimes they are short and in- 

 clined downwards. In some species they are covered with scales 

 that are closely appressed to the surface, and in others with loose 

 diverging hairs, and sometimes the second joint is more or less 

 tufted. 



The maxillary palpi are generally, though not always, present 

 and sometimes have as many as five or six joints. The ocelli 

 are present in some species, but absent in others. The eyes are 

 quite prominent, circular, ovoid, or elliptical in outline. The 

 antenna; are generally from two-thirds to three-fourths as long as 

 the costa, though in a few cases they are less than half as long as 

 the wing, while on the other hand they are sometimes three or 

 four times as long as the fore wing. They are generally smooth, 

 though in some species they are more or less strongly ciliated. 

 Frequently a tuft of hair arises from the basal joint, and in some 

 groups this joint is expanded into a broad concave cap, which 

 entirely covers the eye when the insect is at rest. 



The thorax is smooth, and the abdomen has no unusual char- 

 acters. The legs are rather long and slim. The fore tibiae usu- 

 ally have a tibial plate near the end, and the middle tibiae have a 

 pair of spurs at the end, while the hind tibiae have a pair of spurs 



