130 BEITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



in structure and that it formed in reality by means of its pupa, 

 as well as imago, an intermediate stage between the Micro- and Macro- 

 Psychids. He further notes that the Micro-Psychids have only ciliated 

 antennae, whilst those of the Macro-Psychids are provided with fringed 

 pectinations. In this respect Dissoctena is another interesting genus, 

 presenting antennas with long pectinations, the form of the wings and 

 general characters being otherwise distinctly Solenobiid. Zeller con- 

 sidered that if these general rules which he had formulated concerning 

 the Macro-Psychids held good, he should consider their Bombycid 

 affinities to be proved. He then tabulated the sections dealt with as follows : 



(1) Psychids : Casebearers whose ? pupa always remains in the larval case on 

 emergence of imago. 



(2) Tineids : Casebearers whose ? and j pupae protrude from the larval case 

 on emergence of imago. 



(3) Coleophorids : Casebearers whose g and ? pupse both remain in the larval 

 cases on emergence of imagines. 



Zeller further enters into a long discussion of the affinities of 

 Lypusa, Solenobia, and Talcporia, comparing them with the Tineid 

 genera, but the one point made is that these possess only rudimentary 

 palpi, concealed in the long face-hairs, and that the other genera have 

 more or less well- developed palpi, the absence of palpi being a distinct 

 Psychid character.* He also notes that Fumea (Psyche) nitidella has a 

 tendency to a Tineid (generalised) form of neuration. Zeller emphasises 

 the fact that Xysmatodoma (Naryeia) lives in a case, has an imago with 

 undeveloped palpi, simple fringed male antennas, and has a ? with an 

 anal-tufted abdomen. Diplodoma, Zeller says, is very closely allied to 

 Xysmatodoma, having, however, a case open at both ends, and the 

 imago has ocelli. He then adds : " From here onwards, the line pro- 

 ceeds with definiteness to the Psychids." So that, after having 

 separated the Taleporiids (and Solenobiids) from the Psychids, he 

 proves that the genera Xysmatodoma and Diplodoma are in reality 

 Psychids, and that the evolution of the Psychids from this point is 

 evident. We have discussed Zeller's position at length, because his 

 views are adopted by Stainton, and are practically those adopted by 

 Herrich-Schaffer and Meyrick, and we wish to show that it was only 

 ignorance of the general principles of evolution, and not a want of 

 knowledge of the facts, that led the early authors to separate the Tale- 

 poriids and Psychids as branches of entirely different stirpes. Zeller, 

 at least, saw that the evolution of the Psychids from Xysmatodoma 

 and Diplodoma onwards was continuous. Following up the develop- 

 ment of this "line," Zeller shows that the genus Solenobia has great 

 affinity with Xysmatodoma, in the larval case and in the " habitus " of 

 the male imagines, but he says that the Solenobiid ? is quite wingless 

 (which is not quite the fact) and the male has quite short labial palpi 

 concealed in the " face-hairs." The Taleporias are distinguishable 

 from Solenobia, he says, by the greater skill with which they build 

 their cases, by the ocelli, and by the well-developed nervure running into 

 the apex of the forewings of the $ . The genus Lypusa is, in Zeller's 

 opinion, the final step to the Psychids, " agreeing with Taleporia in 

 wing-build, but being without ocelli, with almost smooth head-hairs 



* Zeller notes that Tineola biselliella has " quite undeveloped maxillary palpi," 

 as also a species he calls petrinella, Heyd. = ? Dysmasia petrivella, but for this see 

 Walter, Morph. tier Schmett., 1885, pi. ii., fig. 13, where the four-jointed maxillary 

 palpi of T. biselliella are figured. Meyrick also refers to the maxillary palpi of Tineola. 



