NOTES ON MASONIA EDWARDSELLA, A PSYCHID NEW TO SCIENCE. 43 



hosts. On the other hand, their palpi are much swollen, and this for 

 a time puzzled me greatly, until one day, describing the then new 

 Termitomorpha meinerti, whilst painting the mouth-parts with hema- 

 toxylin, preparatory to a microscopical examination, I suddenly noticed 

 on the second palpal joint a strongly developed bundle of muscle, the 

 contraction of which occasioned a quick and strong inward and out- 

 ward movement of the club-shaped third joint. The biological mean- 

 ing of these massive palpi then suddenly dawned upon me, and it was 

 evident that these serve to summon the termite at feeding-time, the 

 palpi, and not the antennse, being in these beetles the actual means of 

 intercourse. 



The extraordinary formation of the antennae is, indeed, an adaptive 

 character of the highest biological importance in many Myrmecophila, 

 but the purpose served is not always the same. One form of antenna is 

 similar to that of the Clavicornia and has for its purpose the furthering 

 of hospitable intercourse. In certain Brazilian Eciton guests, which 

 mimic their hosts, the antennae are quite similarly shaped to those of 

 the ants (pi., fig. 4) and their evident purpose is to deceive the 

 savage host as to the true nature of its guest. In the genus Paussus, 

 which are true guests, the antennae are particularly formed for the 

 purpose of transport by which the beetles can easily be moved from 

 one place to another by their hosts without receiving any injury. The 

 antennae subserve other purposes, in some cases they serve as a means 

 of defence against the savage attacks of the host, e.g., the Myrmeco- 

 philous Staphylinidae {Oxysoma and Xenocephalus) and Paussidae 

 [Arthropterus), by deceiving them as to the real nature of the owner. 



[To he continued.) 



Notes on Masonia edwardsella, a Psychid new to science. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



Masonia edwardsella, n. sp. — Imago.- — The specimens (4) are 

 (though bred) none of them in fine condition, so that this description 

 is probably defective. Anterior wings, 11mm. in expanse, antennae 

 with 20 joints, the forewings rather square, and all the wings some- 

 what thickly, but loosely scaled. The general aspect is that of F. 

 casta, but slightly broader and shorter-winged, and the colour more 

 yellow, less brown. In the best scaled specimen there is a shading 

 towards the hind margin that does not appear to be the result of 

 setting, or braces, and that approaches reticulation of the '^ comitella 

 type." The hind margins of the fore and hindwings have a border, 

 half the width of fringe, which is darker than the rest of the wings, 

 as is also in a less degree the fringe. This is not altogether the 

 effect of the scaling here being more perfect. The hind tibite are straw- 

 coloured (much lighter than in F. casta), and the tibial spur is •68--72, 

 and projects beyond the tibia in a curved extremity, as is common in 

 many Psychinae. The median nervure is simple, 7 and 8 stalked. 



Case. — The male case is very like those of M. crassiorella and ill. 

 suhfiavella, the central portion 11mm. long, made of white silk, sur- 

 rounded with a close cylinder of tightly packed slender pieces of plant 

 stems, with three or four longer and coarser pieces extending 2mm.- 

 3mm. beyond the free end of the case ; these certainly are not grass 

 stems, but woody material, the fragments apparently very old and par- 



