NEPTICULA CONTIN'UELLA. 267 



somewhat roughened, and there is a branching reticulation of a very 

 dark red-brown colour running irregularly over it. The free lateral 

 edges are provided with a quantity of loose fibrous silk, some of it of 

 the same dark colour as that of the cocoon, the remainder considerably 

 paler. The projecting pupa-case is transparent, with a number of small 

 oblong grey spots on the dorsum of the thoracic segments, and a 

 number of imaginal scales adherent around the lines of dehiscence. 

 [Described June 15th, 1898, under a two-thirds lens, from 

 cocoons sent by Dr. Wood.] The smaller cocoons are not unlike the 

 larger (which are those described above) in shape, although in size 

 and colour they are so different. Wood says : " The cocoon varies from 

 dark brown, or blackish-brown, to olive in colour." The cocoon 

 is oval, flat, of a yellowish-brown or pale olive-green (Heinemann). 



Food-plant. — Betula alba. This species almost restricts itself to 

 the downy variety of the birch, selecting the leaves at the ends of the 

 uppermost shoots (Wood). 



Time of appearance. — The species is stated to be double-brooded 

 (Threlfall says that it is single-brooded). Stainton bred an imago on 

 June 26th, 1855, from a larva taken in September, 1854, and the 

 following year he bred the species on August 2nd, in both instances 

 from Lewisham. Heinemann gives the end of September and com- 

 mencement of October for larva?. Sang obtained mines at Witherslack 

 on August 12th, 1880, and Threlfall bred imagines from June 2nd- 

 20th, 1879, from larvae obtained July 15th and August 15th-30th, 1878, 

 at Witherslack. 



Localities. — Cambridge: (Meyrick). Dorset: Purbeck and Bloxworth 

 (Bankes). Kent: Lewisham (Stainton). Lancashire: Manchester (Stainton), 

 Preston (Hodgkinson). Hereford : Tarrington (Wood). Norfolk: K. Lynn, 

 uncertain in appearance (Atmore). Westmorland: Witherslack (Sang). 



Distribution. — Germany : Frankfort-on-the-Main (Schmid), Bruns- 

 wick (Heinemann), Silesia (Wocke), Hanover, Breslau (Sorhagen). 

 Netherlands : Friesland, North Brabant (Snellen). Bussia : Pich- 

 tendahl (Nolcken). Scandinavia : Scania (Wallengren). 



NEPTICULA CENTIFOLIELLA, Zeller. 



Synonymy. — Species: Centifoliella, Zell., "Linn. Ent.," hi., p. 315 (1848); 

 H.-Sch., " Sys. Bearb.," v., p. 351, fig. 827 (1855) ; Frey, "Linn. Ent.," xi., p. 419 

 (1857); Sta., "Nat. Hist. Tin.," vii,, p. 204, pi. x., fig. 1 (1862); Staud. and 

 Wocke, " Cat.," p. 337 (1871) ; Hein. and Wocke, " Schmett. Deutsch.," p. 747 

 (1877) ; Sand, " Cat. Lep. Auv.," p. 201 (1879) ; Peyer., " Cat. Lep. Als.," ii., 2nd 

 Ed., p. 164 (1882); Sorhagen, "Die Kleinschmett. Brandbg," p. 305 (1886); 

 Meyrick, "Handbook," etc., p. 719 (1895); nee Sta., "Cat.," p. 29 (1849). 

 Hodghinsoni, Sta., " Ent. Mo. Mag.," xxi., p. 103 [part referring to specimens from 

 Worthing (1884)]. 



Original description. — Centifoliella, Heyden. Alis anterioribus 

 violascenti-fuscis nitidulis, fascia postica argyrea ; capillis $ nigris, 

 $ ferrugineis ; * conchula antennarum pallida parva. Diese sehr 

 kleine Art unterscheidet sich von lemniscella dadurch, dass die Vorder- 

 fliigel von der Basis aus braunlich sind mit etwas violettlichem Glanze, 



* It is open to question how far this distinction is really sexual. Fletcher 

 says, he " makes out both 'dark' and 'light' heads in both sexes among the 

 imagines bred by Richardson, from larvss feeding in sweetbriar at Portland. Of 

 Sussex individuals bred from Rosa var. micrantha and R. spinosissima, all have the 

 heads black or very dark fuscous ; none has the head of the same colour as that of 

 N. turicella, which some of both sexes from Portland have. N. centifoliella and N. 

 hodghinsoni, of course, may be mixed." 



