NEPTICULA RUFICAPITELLA. 189 



Distribution. — Austria: (Frey). France: Cannes (Milliere), 

 Nohaut, Indre (Sand). Germany : generally distributed and com- 

 mon (Wocke), Alsace (PeyerimhofT), Silesia, Frankfort-on-the-Main 

 (Heyden), Warmbrunn and Glogau (Zeller), Potsdam (Hinneberg), 

 equally distributed with X. atricapitella, of which it is the $ 

 (Sorhagen). Italy: Tuscany (Frey), ? Livorno and Montenero (Curd, 

 who refers to specimens taken by Mann on " elm "). Netherlands : 

 same distribution as X atricayitella (Snellen). Eussia : I. of Aland 

 (Renter), Pichtendahl (Nolcken). Scandinavia : Scania (Wallengren). 

 Switzerland : Bremgarten (Boll), nr. Zurich, much more common than 

 X. Atricapitella (Frey). 



nepticula pomella, Vaughan. 



Synonymy. — Species: Pomella, Vaughan, " Ent. Weekly Intell.," v., pp. 43-44 

 (1858); Sta., "Man.," ii., p. 431 (1859); " Nat. Hist. Tin.," vii., p. 14(5(1862); Hein., 

 " Wien. Monats.," 18G2, p. 253 ; Hnra. and Sta., " Zool.," xxi., pp. 8353-8354 (18(53) ; 

 Nolek., " Lep. En. Est.," p. 752 (1871) , Staud. and Wocke. " Cat," p. 335 (1871) : 

 Herklots, " Bouwstoffen," etc., iii., p. 400 ; Hein. and Wocke, " Schmett. Deutsch.," 

 p. 729 (1877); Sand, " Cat. Lep. Auvergne," p. 200 (1879) ; Pcyer., "Cat. Lep. 

 Alsace," 2nd Ed., p. 163 (1882) ;■ Snellen, " De Vlinders," etc., p. 978 (1882); 

 Meyr., " Handbook " etc., p. 714 (1895). Pygmaeella, Frey, " Die Tineen," etc., 

 pp. 371-372 (1856) ; Linn. Ent., xi., p. 371, in part (1857). 



Original description. — The imago expands about three lines, 

 and is of the unicolorous group ; the anterior wings cinereous, glossy, 

 and with a purple hue, brightest towards the apex ; the posterior 

 wings of an uniform paler colour ; head rufous with whitish eyecaps. 

 In the perfect state it is closely allied to X. pyymaeella (Vaughan, 

 Entomologist's Weekly Intelligencer, vol. v., pp. 43-44). 



Imago. — Head ochreous. The anterior wings 6-7 mm. in expanse; 

 glossy, unicolorous grey, tinged with purple, especially towards the apex ; 

 the apical cilia dark grey, those at the anal angle rather paler. Posterior 

 wings and the cilia dark grey. [The imago is closely allied to that of 

 X. pygmaeella, but the anterior wings are broader and more purple] . 



Sexual dimorphism. — The antennae of the male arc perceptibly 

 longer than those of the female (Heinemann). 



Comparison of N. pomella with its allies. — X. pygmaeella has 

 more finely scaled, and more shiny anterior wings than X. pomella, is of 

 an ashy-grey colour, towards the tip rather of a bluish-violet, and the 

 cervical tuft is whitish. Of the remaining red-headed unicolorous 

 Nepticulids, X. oxyacanthella, X. desperatella and X. aucupariae are 

 much smaller, and have shorter antennre. X. oxyacanthella comes 

 nearest in colour, but the colour of the anterior wings is much 

 brighter blue, especially towards the apex ; the cilia are greyish black ; 

 the very small, often scarcely perceptible, cervical tuft is whitish 

 instead of yellow, and the middle tibia? are only a little paler. X. 

 desperatella has no pale cervical tuft ; the anterior wings are much 

 smoother, with finer scales, as though polished, coppery-brown, or 

 brownish, or greenish-bronze, entirely without violet or blue. In 

 X. aucupariae, the large cervical tuft is whitish ; the anterior wings 

 are smoother and more finely scaled, olivaceous, only with a violet 

 gloss towards the tip. X. ruficapitella and X. aeneella have also the 

 cervical tuft more whitish, and the ground colour of the anterior 

 wings greener. In the last-named species, the violet tint is wanting, 

 or, at least, much fainter ; in X. ruficapitella it is much brighter at 

 th? apex of the wing " (Heinemann). 



