128 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



Group I: MICRO-PSYCHINA. 



It may be well now to consider briefly the generalised section of 

 the Psychides. As Ave have already pointed out, these consist of the 

 Narydidae (with Adelid or Lamproniid affinities), the Diplodomidae, 

 Lyjmsidae,Taleporiidae, Solenobiidae, and, in some measure, the Luffiidae. 

 These families have been treated by most systematists as genera, lumped 

 together into one family (the Taleporiidae) and placed in the hetero- 

 geneous collection of generalised families, sometimes even now spoken 

 of as Tineina. We have already pointed out that the Luffiids are, in 

 many respects, Macro-Psychids, whilst the Fumeids have some Micro- 

 Psychid characters but the ensemble of characters leads us to ally the 

 Luffiids more particularly with the Micro-Psychids, and the Fumeids 

 with the Macro-Psychids. 



The Micro-Psychids, in reality, form Htibner's Canepliorae-falsae 

 and the relationship of the group has been discussed at length by 

 various authors (vide, ante, pp. 119-124) . Guenee, in 1846, insisted (Ann. 

 Sac. Ent. France, 2nd ser., iv., pp. 5-9) that it formed a constituent 

 part of the Psychids, a conclusion about which, modern research into 

 the structure of the earlier stages leaves no room for doubt. Guenee 

 pointed out that Duponchel's Solenobia (Cat. Lep. Fait., p. 588) 

 was synonymous with Zeller's Taleporia, and that his type anderreyyella 

 was really tubulosa (pseud obombycella) , which Zeller had already, in 1839, 

 adopted as the type of Taleporia. Guenee observes that the Taleporiids 

 and Solenobiids pass from the Adelids to the higher Psychids by the 

 most imperceptible gradations, differing chiefly from the former by 

 having short, always (more or less) ciliated, antennae, better developed 

 palpi (slender and porrected), and a more thickly clothed abdomen. 

 On the other hand, they differ from the latter (the higher Psychids) in 

 their less pectinated antennae, in their more opaque, more oblong, and 

 smooth wings, in the palpi, in the length of the feet, and in their 

 general aspect, which is not at all Bombyciform, and they do not 

 attach themselves as the latter to grass stems, &c. He includes all the 

 known Micro-Psychids in the one genus Taleporia, which, therefore, 

 has an exceedingly comprehensive classificatory value. This genus he 

 subdivides as follows : — 



(1) Antennis visu filiformibus — minorella, politclla, pxcuilobombycella, muri- 

 nella, clathrella, and triquetrella. 



(2) Antennis vakle pectinatis — lapidicetta (pectinella, Dup.), petrella, tabulella. 



Duponchel appears to have had very little grip of the group. He 

 refers Taleporia tubulosa (jjseudobombycella) first of all to Psyche (Cat. 

 Lep. Eur., pp. 65-66), then he includes the same, species, under the 

 name of anderreygella (which Guenee saw and which Avas an undoubted 

 pseud obombycella) , in his genus Solenobia. This genus also practically 

 included the whole of the then known Micro-Psychids — clathrella, 

 lichcnella, lapidicella, jjseudobombycella (anderreygella) , minorella, pectina- 

 tella and undulella. He places Solenobia between Nemoplwra and 

 Micropteryx, although recognising the affinity of the group with the 

 Psychids, in fact, he says that "it is analogous with the Psychids," 

 and that " probably the major part of the species contained in section 

 A (= the modern genera Fumea and Fpichnopteryx) of the Psychids 

 would be better placed in this." At the same time, he avers, that 

 " although this is so, the Solenobiids differ from the Psychids, not only 



