NEFflCULA angulifasciella. 300 



Pterophoridae, p. 29) . This description is extended by Stainton (Inse'cta 

 Britannica, p. 304) as follows : " Alis anticis nigris, maculis duabus 

 oppositis in medio argenteo-albis, in fasciam angulatam confluentibus ; 

 capillis luteis. Exp. al. 2^ lin. Head and face deep luteous. Palpi 

 whitish. Antennas dark fuscous, basal joint whitish. Anterior wings 

 black, with a silvery-white spot on the costa about the middle, and a 

 similar silvery-white spot on the middle of the inner margin ; these 

 spots frequently unite to form a slender angulated fascia ; cilia 

 whitish. Posterior wings grey, with paler cilia." 



Imago. — Head yellowish. Anterior wings 5-6 mm. ; black in 

 colour ; two opposite silvery- white spots in the centre, which fre- 

 quently unite to form a transverse fascia ; faint blue-grey tinge towards 

 apex ; cilia with two dark divisional lines beyond these white. Posterior 

 wings grey, cilia pale grey. 



Comparison of N. angulifasciella with its allies. — In N. anguli- 

 fasciella the cilia have two dark divisional lines that are placed more 

 obliquely than in N. agrimoniella and N. atricollis, moreover, the 

 frontal tuft is yellower than in those species. N. angulifasciella is 

 distinguished from A T . rubivora by the yellow frontal tuft, and from N. 

 arcuatella by the whiter tips of the cilia of the anterior wings and the 

 darker cilial line (Heinemann). N. angulifasciella belongs to that 

 section of the genus in which a single brilliantly metallic fascia 

 adorns the anterior wings — this fascia, being silvery-white, at once 

 distinguishes the species from N. axtrella ; to N. argentipedella and N. 

 malclla it is more closely allied, but in these the fascia is straight, 

 whereas in N. angulifasciella it is angulated, and sometimes divided 

 into opposite spots ; the darker ground colour of the anterior wings 

 also distinguishes it from N. malella and the larger N. argentipedella 

 (Stainton). 



Egg-laying. — The egg is deposited on the under surface (rarely on 

 the upper surface) of a rose leaf, near the midrib. 



Mine. — The mine is a compound of the gallery and blotch form, 

 starting first as a gallery, which comprises the greater part of the 

 structure. It commences as an extremely contorted gallery, the 

 numerous turns of which are so close together that they almost form 

 a blotch ; the second part of the mine is broader, less tortuous, and in 

 this the excrement is placed rather irregularly ; the increasing width 

 of the mine makes it assume, in its final portion, the form of a blotch. 

 The formation of this blotch portion does not commence with the 

 third larval moult, but is delayed until almost the end of the larval 

 period. As soon as the larva commences to burrow, it stains the leaf, 

 and the little purple spots in the rose-leaves show at once where the 

 larva has begun to mine. The larvse are sometimes very gregarious, 

 a single wild-rose bush sometimes having almost every leaf occupied 

 with larvffi. Heinemann says : " The mine is very tortuous, with a 

 slender excremental line, but generally ends in a large blotch." 



Larva. — The full-grown larva is about 2 lines in length. It is of 

 a pale greenish-white colour, with the exception of the three terminal 

 segments, which are pale amber ; the dorsal vessel is green ; the head 

 and prothorax brown (Stainton). The larva is greenish-white, with 

 green dorsal line and brownish head. It occurs in the leaves of wild 

 roses growing in shady borders of woods (Heinemann). Larva 

 whitish, with dark green dorsal vessel (Walsingham). 



