NEPTICULA SPLENDIDISSTMELLA. 245 



by Frey. The examination of a large number of mines shows that each 

 is unusually long, spread over a considerable distance without any 

 closely compressed windings, very narrow, only just wide enough for 

 the body of the larva to pass through. This necessitates also the 

 formation of a fine central frass-line throughout the whole course of 

 the mine. Sometimes this shows a granulated condition, at others 

 the frass forms a continuous thin black thread, dependent on the con- 

 sistency of the excrement, which is sometimes sufficiently fluid to 

 spread to the margins of the gallery." 



Larva. — Frey describes the larva as being " about 2'" in length, 

 bright yellow, with dark intestinal canal showing through the skin, 

 and pale brown head." 



Cocoon. — Frey also describes the cocoon as somewhat flattened and 

 shiny, rounded in outline and greenish. 



Food-plants. — Most plentiful on Rubus caesius, but occurring 

 sparingly on R. fruticosus, R. idaeus and Rubus corylifolius (Frey). 

 R. chamaemorus (Bankes). Hodgkinson reports the breeding of a 

 Ncpticula, ? splendidissimella, in April, 1887, from dewberry (Rubus 

 caesius), from larva? obtained at Southport, October, 1886, and says : 

 " My experience of N. splendidissimella coincides with that of the late 

 John Sang, viz., that it is strictly a raspberry feeder, and single- 

 brooded." 



Time of appearance. — The species is probably double-brooded as 

 far north as Lincolnshire. There are specimens in Stainton's collec- 

 tion, taken April 2nd, 1857, on palings, at West Wickham, and others 

 bred by Healy, January 29th, 1861. Fletcher never remembers 

 having taken the larvae before October, and then often late in the 

 month. Eichardson bred a specimen on March 13th, 1896, from a 

 larva collected at Portland, in September, 1895. Threlfall found 

 larvae on July 21st, 1876, at Grange. Sang found mines at Dar- 

 lington on October 13th, 1878. Sand notes it as a mountain species 

 in Auvergne, appearing in July, the larvae feeding on raspberry and 

 brambles. Walsingham notes larvae in March, 1890, from which 

 imagines appeared the next month at Beaulieu. Threlfall bred it in 

 June, 1880, from larvas obtained on September 30th, 1879, at Lytham. 



Localities. — Aberdeen: Braemar (Salvage teste Mason). Derby: Repton 

 (Mason), Burton (Sang). Dorset: Portland (Richardson). Durham: Darlington 

 (Sang). Kent: (Meyrick). Lancashire: Lytham, Arnside and Grange (Threlfall), 

 Southport (Hodgkinson). Lincolnshire: Sandhills nr. Mablethorpe, nr. Alford 

 (Fletcher). Perthshire : Rannoch (Bankes). Sussex : Goring, Arundel and 

 Polegate (Fletcher). Westmorland: Windermere, Witherslack (Hodgkinson). 



Distribution. — France : Nohaut, Indre, Mont Dore, Auvergne 

 (Sand), Beaulieu (Walsingham). Germany: Frankfort-on-the-Main 

 (Frey), nr. Heidelberg (Heyden), Berlin, Jungfernheide, Friedland, 

 Hamburg, Halle (Sorhagen), Brunswick (Heinemann), Sandsee, Alt 

 Damm (Hering). Switzerland : nr. Zurich (Frey). Bussia : Pich- 

 tendahl (Nolcken). Netherlands : Friesland and Drenthe, and in most 

 of the other provinces (Snellen). 



nepticula serella, Stainton. 



Synonymy.— Species : Serella, Sta., "Bnt. Mo. Mag.," xxiv., p. 260 (1888). 

 Tormentillella, Bankes (nee H.-S.), "Ent. Mo. Mag.," xxiv., p. 160 (1887). Fili- 

 pendulae (in part), Meyrick, " Handbook," etc., p. 718 (1895). 



Original description. — Exp. al. 2 lines. Head dull dark ferru- 



