260 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



its life on the lichens growing on old fences without much changing 

 its position. 



Larva. — The larva is short and stout, attaining its greatest width 

 at the 2nd and 3rd abdominal segments, tapering thence to the head 

 and anal segment the latter being rather pointed. The head is black, 

 (intermediate piece between clypeus and cheek brownish), shiny, 

 rather coarsely pitted or granulated, tending to give it rather a dead or 

 dull appearance. The thoracic plates are similar to the head in 

 appearance and coloration, a white dorsal line with irregular margin 

 on pro- and mesothorax, broadest on latter ; the skin surface is very 

 dark red-brown, and looks quite black to the naked eye, is granular, 

 and studded with small blunt chitinous points ; the prothorax is long 

 and well-covered by a single plate ; the mesothorax short and bears 

 a rather narrow dorsal and lateral plates, with a distinct gap between 

 the dorsal and lateral plates ; the metathorax bears no dorsal plate, 

 but a subdorsal one on either side leaving a wide area of exposed skin- 

 surface on central dorsal area. The incisions of the abdominal seg- 

 ments are deeply and clearly cut ; the seta3 are as in the Macro- 

 Psychids, with indistinct plates at bases of i and ii, and a larger con- 

 spicuous one at base of iii, which also carries a longer seta, i is smaller 

 than and outside ii, iv and v are near each other below the spiracle, 

 the anterior (v) being very small (Bacot). The spiracles are black, 

 tubercles i and ii are small, iii apparently small also, but set on a con- 

 siderable boss or plate ; this is rather in front of the spiracle on the 8th 

 abdominal, where ii is on a considerable brown or blackish plate ; the 

 9th abdominal is a very narrow segment but has plates for ii and iii, i 

 being between these without a plate ; anal plate large, triangular, deep 

 brown in colour ; the thoracic plates, carrying true legs (coxa and 

 trochanter ?) are strongly marked, the 1st joint of leg very broad, more 

 so than is so usual in most Psychids ; metathoracic pair long (owing to 

 joints of legs being longer than those of others and also by fleshy projec- 

 tion of its base); prolegs small and short but with 15-16 strong hooks in 

 a horse-shoe form with opening to middle line, the anterior horn 2-3 

 hooks nearer middle line than posterior ; anal prolegs with 18-19 hooks 

 in a circle, incomplete for the quarter facing inwards and backwards 

 (which is, however, indicated though without hooks) ; general surface 

 of skin studded with very minute black points of which about one in 

 ten is very regularly distributed and larger than the others ; the black 

 colour of these points gives the dark tint to the larva (Chapman). 

 Breyer says that the larva is black, with pro- and mesothoracic shields 

 on which the edge of the case rests when the larva is in motion ; the 

 prolegs are rather indicated than developed, the anal prolegs being 

 strongly developed and provided with short hooks ; the anal segment 

 also carries a small plate ; the third pair of true legs are longer and 

 stronger than the first and second pairs, the greater part of the force 

 required for movement being exerted by them. Speyer described the 

 larva as short and thick, narrowed towards the anal end, naked, uni- 

 colorous brownish-black. The head and scutellum glossy black, the 

 latter traversed by a weak whitish line ; prolegs rudimentary. Zeller 

 describes it as stout, short, blackish, the head very small, glossy black ; 

 the true legs also black, as also are the two dorsal plates which are 

 placed transversely across the pro- and mesothorax, the plates edged 

 with whitish ; the rest of the larva blackish-grey, slightly haired, with 



