NEPTICULA TORMENTILLELLA. 2^7 



West Wickhara, Bideford and Dunkeld." (2) Stainton gives (Ent. 

 Weekly Int., viii., p. 176) a translation of Herrich-Schaffer's 

 description. (3) Stainton writes (Ent. Weekly Int., ix., p. 22,: " A T . 

 tormentillella in the leaves of Potentilla tormentilla. This occurs at 

 West Wickham, and probably in other localities near London." 



(4) Stainton states (Ent. Ann., 1861, pp. 91-92) that he was about to 

 announce the occurrence of N. tormentillella in England, as he had 

 " bred a Nepticula from larvae found in leaves of P. tormentilla, on 

 Birnam Hill, Dunkeld, in September, 1859," that he had assumed this 

 to be the N. tormentillella, H.-Sch., but that it was totally different. 

 He adds : " Herrich-Schaffer's insect has the anterior wings metallic- 

 greenish at the base, the fascia silvery, slender and slightly curved ; 

 my specimen has the base of the anterior wings brownish, the fascia 

 is pale golden, rather broad, and nearly straight. It would be unsafe 

 to found a species on this single specimen, but it is not improbable 

 that more than one species may feed upon Potentilla tormentilla.'" 



(5) Sang describes (E.M.M., xxii., p. 138) the mine of a Nepticula 

 obtained near Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1885, on P. tormentilla. 

 After noting the similarity of the larva to that of N. poterii, he says : 

 " Mr. Warren tells me that he bred N. aeneofasciata, last year, from a 

 mine on the same plant, but this certainly is not that species. Mr. 

 Stainton also found a mined leaf in Scotland, some years ago, from 

 which he bred an imago, which he cannot refer to any species with 

 which he is acquainted. Should this not be X. tormentillae (sic), a 

 Continental species, it will most likely prove to be new to science." 



(6) Bankes, under the title of " Nepticula tormentillella in Yorkshire 

 and Westmorland," writes (E.M.M., xxiv., p. 160) : " It seems now 

 to be generally accepted, as a fact, that the Nepticula referred to by 

 the late Mr. John Sang, in the Ent. Mo. May., xxii., p. 138, is 

 identical with the Continental N. tormentillella" etc. He then goes 

 on to describe the mine and larva of a Nepticula, found by him in York- 

 shire and Westmorland, on P. tormentilla. (7) Threlfall says (Ibid., 

 pp. 186-187) that he has bred the Nepticula, feeding on Potentilla 

 tormentilla, from larvae found on the moors of Westmorland, that 

 these were not N. tormentillella, but were identical with the specimen 

 bred many years before by Stainton from larvae found near Dunkeld, 

 and suggested that the species wanted a name. (8) Stainton named 

 (Ibid., p. 260) the species noticed by Threlfall, serella, and stated that 

 he had had the Dunkeld specimen* Sang's Newcastle specimens, and 

 Threlfall's specimens, before him at the same time, and found them 

 identical. (9) Bankes states: (Ibid., xxvii., p. 196) that his note 

 in vol. xxiv., p. 160, should refer entirely to N. serella. (10) Hodg- 

 kinson wrote (Ent., xxii., p. 219) that from mines obtained in 

 Tormentilla officinalis, at Windermere the previous October, he 

 was " breeding a very distinct-looking Nepticula. The larvae 

 were of a deep yellow colour ; the mines were conspicuous, and 

 there were several on a plant. The sexes of the moth are of the same 

 type, but the female is much larger than the male. This species 

 should be the N. tormentillella which was expunged from our lists in 

 favour of N. serella. The specimens are as large again as those of 

 N. serella. I may add that the species, which I will call N. tormentillella, 

 is exceedingly local, although the food-plant is plentiful enough in 

 some of the woods," (11) Bankes writes (in litt., Jane 28th, 1898), 



