1894.] 125 



LITA INSTABILI:LLA, Dgi,., and its nearest BRITISH ALLIES. 



BT EUSTACE R. BANKES, M.A., F.E.S. 



{Continued from page 83). 



7. LiTA OBSOLETELLA, F. V. R. 



Lita ohsoletella, F. v. R., 225, pi. 79 (1840) ; Dup. ; Dgl. ; Stn. ; H.-S. ; Frey ; 

 Hein. 



Larva — inside stems of various species of Atriplex and Chenopodium, feeding 

 on the pith, V — X. 



Pupa — in slight white silk cocoon in burrow inside stem, or occasionally outside 

 among dead leaves, &c., VI — IX, X — V. 



Imago — V — IX. 



Broods — two or more, apparently a succession ; hibernates as pupa. 

 Hah. : England — Dorset, I. of Wight, Sussex ; more local than 

 the preceding. I have no knowledge of its occurrence away from the 

 coast in this country, though it occurs inland on the continent. 



The usual habits of all the above species are liable to slight modifications, 

 according to circumstances, and these may result in partial second broods, pupse 

 lying over, &c. 



The first systematic attempt to clear up the existing confusion 

 was made, some few years ago, by Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher, who, with 

 great energy and. perseverance, investigated the life-histories of all 

 the LitcB here mentioned, with the exception of sucedella. Mr. J. B. 

 Hodgkinson tells me that he bred this species in July, about the year 

 1872, from larvae found in May or June in shoots of S.fruticosa, near 

 the mouth of the Wyre, in Lancashire ;* it was taken by Mr. Atmore 

 in Norfolk in 1881, bred by Mr Harwood, in Essex, in 1882, and bred 

 from Dorset larvae by Mr. Eichardson in 1885, and by myself in 

 1886. These discoveries were, in each case, made independently, and 

 without previous knowledge of its existence. In no collection have I 

 seen any but quite modern specimens. 



In Zool., IV, p. 1270, p. 1268, fig. 10 (1846), are to be found the 

 original description, by Mr. Douglas, and a figure of Anacampsis insta- 

 hilella, but as these seemed insufiicient to indicate the exact species 

 before him, Mr. Douglas's cabinet series was, thanks to the kindness 

 of the present owner, Mr. P. B. Mason, examined by both Mr. Fletcher 

 and. myself, independently. There was nothing to show which was the 



* T must add that there were no sucedella among the specimens kindly forwarded by Mr. 

 Hodgkinson, as, perhaps, some of those that he bred, nor could any of the moths sent have 

 resulted from larvse with the haVjits of those then found by him, and the occurrence of the 

 rare S. fruiicoaa, a perennial, in Lancashire is not recorded in Hooker's " Student's Flora," ,"rd 

 edition (18f!4j, or thought at all probable by Mr. J. Britten, of the Botanical Department of the 

 British Museum. 



