NEPTICtJLA ALNETELLA. 265 



Sang, on October 12th, 1856, October 7th, 1857, October 15th, 1861, 

 and September 29th, 1871, at Barnard Castle, September 12th, 1873, 

 and October 14th, 1874, at Stanhope, October 14th, 1878, at 

 Wolsingham. 



Localities. — Cambridge : Chippenham (Farren). Cheshire : Bowdon 

 (Edlestonj. Dorset: Bloxworth (Cambridge), Purbeck (Bankes), Weymouth 

 (Bichardson). Durham: Darlington (Law), Barnard Castle, Stanhope, Wol- 

 singham (Sang). Essex: Brentwood (Elisha). Gloucester: Bristol (Stainton). 

 Hereford: Tarvington (Wood). Kent: Beckenham (Douglas), Eltham (Bower), 

 Lewisham (Stainton). Lancashire : nr. Manchester (Chappell), Preston (Threlfall), 

 Grange (Hodgkinson). Norfolk: Merton (Barrett), King's Lynn, common 

 (Atmore). Somerset : Clevedon (Mason). Surrey : Beigate Heath (Stainton). 

 Sussex: Tilgate Forest (Fletcher), Guestling (Bloomfieldl. Westmorland: 

 Windermere (Hodgkinson). York: Scarborough (Wilkinson), York (Stainton), 

 Harrogate (Sang). 



Distribution. — Denmark (Bang-Haas). France : Cannes, plaine 

 de la Boubine, bords de la Saigne, du Var, etc. (Milliere), Nohaut, 

 Indre (Sand). Germany : Batisbon (Hoffmann), Brandenburg, Ham- 

 burg, Silesia, Saxony, Hanover (Sorhagen), Bavaria (Wocke), Alsace 

 (Peyerimhoff), Alt Damm, Giiterbahnhof (Hering). Italy : ?Nizzardo, 

 ?Liguria (Curo and Turati). Netherlands: various localities in S. 

 Holland and Friesland (Snellen). Russia : Pichtendahl (Nolcken). 

 Scandinavia : Scania (Wallengren). Switzerland : Zurich (Frey). 



NEPTICULA CONTINUELLA, Stainton. 



Synonymy. — Species : Continuella, Sta., " Ent. Annual," 1850, o. 42 ; "Man.," 

 ii., p. 457 (1859); Frey, "Linn. Ent.," xi., p. 436 (1857); Hein., " Wien. 

 Monats.," 1862, p. 301 ; Hein. and Sta., " Zool.," xxi., p. 8368 (1863) ; Staud. and 

 Wocke, "Cat.," p. 337 (1871) ; Nolcken, " Lep. Fn. Est.," p. 772 (1871); Hein. 

 and Wocke, " Schmett. Deutsch.," p. 746 (1877) ; Wallgrn., "Ent. Tids.,"ii.,p. 128 

 (1881); Snellen, " De Vlinders," p. 990 (1882); Sorhagen, "Die Kleinschmett. 

 Brandbg.," p. 345 (1886) ; Meyr., "Handbook," etc., p. 719 (1895J. 



Original description. — Alis anticis, basim versus, obscure seneo- 

 griseis, apice saturate purpureo-fusco, fascia media saturate purpurea, 

 fascia pone medium tenui, recta, argentea ; capillis ferrugineis. Exp. 

 al. 2| lin. Head and face reddish-yellow ; palpi whitish ; antennae 

 fuscous, basal joint whitish. Anterior wings dull bronzy-grey at the 

 base, shading gradually into a dark purple fascia in the middle ; be- 

 yond the middle is a straight, shining, rather slender, silvery fascia ; 

 the apical portion of the wing is dark purplish-fuscous ; cilia fuscous. 

 Posterior wings grey, with grey cilia (Stainton, Ent. Annual, 1856, 

 pp. 42-43). 



Imago. — Head rusty or yellowish. Anterior wings 5-6 mm. ; dull 

 bronzy-grey at the base, darkening into blackish-purple (not glossy) 

 transverse bands before and beyond the vertical silvery transverse 

 fascia ; the latter just beyond the middle very glossy, and rather 

 narrow ; blackish-purple scales project at base of cilia, between these 

 the cilia are fuscous, the tips paler grey. Posterior wings and cilia 

 dark grey. 



Comparison of N. continuella with N. aurella. — This species 

 can be readily distinguished from N. aurella by the basal portion of 

 the wing, being dull bronzy-grey, instead of rich golden -brown ; the 

 fascia, too, is more perpendicularly placed, more slender and more 

 silvery (Stainton). 



Mine. — The mine curls and twists about in the vicinity of the 

 site of the egg, forming little bunches of convolutions in the coils of 

 which islets of leafy tissue are caught, and these, being cut off from 



