306 THE entomologist's eecord. 



A Critical Point in tlie Structure of the Larva of Daphnis nerii 



[with plate). 

 By A. W. BACOT, F.E.S. 



It is recognised as a character of the Eumorphine section of the 

 Sphingids that, in the first Larval stadium, the dorsal tubercles i and ii 

 of the meso- and metathorax are situated on separate bases, these 

 bases themselves being on separate subsegments (see Nat. Hist. Brit. 

 Lep., iv., pp. 42-43). 



Mr. H. Powell, in his description of the larva of Daphnis nerii {Ent. 

 Rec, xvii., p. 219), states that "on the meso- and raetathoracic segments 

 the subdorsal tubercles i and ii are set close together on a common base." 

 The question having been raised as to whether this remark really applied 

 to the dorsal tubercles i and ii or to the subdorsals iii and iv, 

 Mr. Powell undertook to clear up the point on the first opportunity, 

 and now writes, " My observations made in 1904 were correct, 

 tubercles i and ii are set tot/et/ier on the meso- and metathoracic 

 segments, both hairs arising from a common base, I enclose a drawing 

 showing the position as I saw them." (See plate xiv., figs. 4 and 5.) As 

 Mr. Powell was kind enough to forward me a newly-hatched larva, I 

 am able to confirm the correctness of his observation, that the bairs 

 arise from a common base, which is situated apparently on the same 

 subsegment that bears tubercle i alone in the Eumorphids. 



From the larval point of view this divergence of structure is most 

 important, and quite definitely separates the Daplmidinae from the 

 Eiimorpliinae into a group by themselves, of at least equal value to 

 Hemarinae and Sesiinae, with which groups it is probably more correct 

 to associate Daplmidinae, rather than has so often been done, with the 

 EianorpJiinae. 



Tortrix pronubana, Hb., an established British species. 



By ROBERT ADKIN, F.E.S. 

 Just six years ago, the Rev. Frank E. Lowe gave an account of the 

 appearance of Tortrix pronnbana in Guernsey {Ent. Rec, xii., p. 317),. 

 where it seems it had then recently established itself, and he suggested 

 that "it appears most probable that it only wants looking for ... . 

 on the sunny side of some of the EJtionjpnus hedges, now so common 

 in the south of England, to be found to be a truly British subject." 

 Yet, so far as I am aware, no one took any trouble to ascertain whether 

 there was any truth in his suggestion or not, at any rate, nothing was 

 heard of the species on this side of the Channel, until the autumn of 

 last year, when a specimen was recorded as having been found in a 

 drawing room at Eastbourne {Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1905, p. Ixiii), and 

 another at Bognor {Ent. Mo. Mag., xli., p. 276). Even this knowledge 

 that the species was here, does not appear to have promoted any great 

 energy among our south coast collectors. Perhaps we was willing to- 

 accept the theory that the two specimens taken were simply 

 casual visitors, and that the possibility of this pretty little South 

 European species taking up its quarters with us were too remote to 

 warrant the expenditure of time, that might be more profitably 

 employed, in investigating the matter. However, be that as it may, it 

 certainly did not occur to me that I was almost daily walking past a 

 colony of the species, when I was at Eastbourne in September last, 

 until one fine sunny morning a Tortrix flew across my path, which 



