NEPTICULA ULMIVORA. 259 



(Wocke). -Netherlands: Rotterdam, Gravenhage (Snellen). Russia: 

 Oesel (Sorhagen), Umbaid, nr. Pichtendahl (Nolcken). 



nepticula prunetorum, Stainton. 



Synonymy. — Species: Prunetorum,* Sta., "Ent. Ann.," 1855, 1st Ed., p. 50 ; 

 "Nat. Hist. Tin.," i., p. 238, pi. vi.. fig. 3 (1855); "Man.," ii., p. 437 (1859) ; 

 Const., " Mem. Nat. Hist. Autun," xii., p. 354 (1866) ; Staud. and Wocke, " Cat.," p. 

 337 (1871) ; Hein. and Wocke, " Schmett. Deutsch.," p. 745 (1877) ; Sand, 

 " Cat. Lep. Auv.," p. 201 (1879) ; Snellen, "De Vlinders," p. 984 (1882) ; Peyer., 

 " Cat. Lep. Als.," ii., 2nd Ed., p. 166 (1882) ; Sorhagen, " Die Kleinschmett. 

 Brandbg.," p. 305 (1886) ; Hering, " Stett. Ent. Zeit.," lii., p. 220 (1891) ; 

 Meyrick, " Handbook," etc., p. 719(1895). Perpusillella, H.-Sch., " Sys. Bear.," 

 v., p. 353 (1855) ; Frey, "Die Tineen," etc., p. 390 (1856); "Linn, Ent.," xi., 

 p. 432 (1857). 



Original description. — Alis anticis dilute aeneis, basim versus pur- 

 pureo-tinctis, fascia media nigra, fascia postica argentea ; capillis atris. 

 Exp. al. 2 lin. Head and face deep black. Antennae black, basal 

 joint white. Anterior wings with the basal half pale bronzy, at the 

 extreme base with a purple tinge ; in the middle is a well-defined 

 black fascia, followed by a straight, moderately broad silvery fascia ; 

 the entire apex of the wing black ; cilia blackish. Posterior wings 

 pale grey, with dark grey cilia (Stainton, Ent. Annual, 1855, 1st Ed., 

 p. 50). 



Imago. — Head deep black. Anterior wings 4-5 mm. in expanse ; 

 pale bronzy with a purple tinge at the base ; a black fascia in the 

 middle is followed by a straight, rather broad, silvery fascia ; apex 

 of the wing black ; cilia blackish. Posterior wings pale grey with 

 dark grey cilia. 



Comparison of N. prunetorum with N. plagicolella and N. 

 acetos^i. — The species to which it is most nearly allied are N. plagi- 

 colella and N. acetosae ; from the former it is distinguished by the pale 

 bronzy basal half of the anterior wings and the black head, and from 

 the latter it is distinguished readily by the extreme brightness of the 

 anterior wings, by the silvery fascia being further from the apex, 

 and bordered internally by a well-defined black fascia (Stainton). 



Egg-laying. — The egg is laid on the underside of a sloe leaf, 

 generally close to the midrib. 



Mine. — The larva commences to make a closely contorted mine, 

 the contortions of which are as close as in the mine of N. viseerella, so 

 that it forms a brown blotch ; when the larva is nearly full-fed, it 

 deviates from this peculiarity in the form of its mine, and makes an 

 irregular gallery ; the excrement, which is at first rather pale grey, 

 fills up nearly the whole width of the mine. When the larva is fuli- 

 fed, it comes out at the upper side of the leaf (Stainton). Meyrick 

 says: " The galleries are at first spirally coiled, afterwards extending 

 round leaves of blackthorn and sometimes cherry." Frey writes : 

 " Die Mine ist ein verhaltnissmassig langer Gang, aber mit ganz clicht 

 gegen einander gelagerten, spiraligen, von der Kothreihe erfullten 

 Windungen, so dass sie als ein kreisrunder Fleck erscheint. Nur der 

 Endtheil geht in gerader Richtung davon ab " (Die Tineen, etc., 

 p. 391). 



Larva. — Length 2 lines ; unicolorous dull green, the second segment 



* Herrich-Schaffer writes (Gorrespondenzblatt, 1860, p. 59) : — "N dimidiatella 

 ist die spiitere prunetorum, Beschreibung und Bild inrmerhin noch kenntlicher als 

 manche spatere Beschreibung anderer," 



