PR0UTIA EPPINGELLA. 295 



PrOUTIA EPPINGELLA*, n. sp. 

 Synonymy. — Species: Eppingella, n. sp. Salicolella ? Tompk., " Zool.," 1859, 

 p. 6464 ; ? Mitfd., " Zool.," 1861, p. 7452 ; Tutt, " Ent. Record," xi., pp. 211, 238, in 

 part (1899); Chapman, " Proc. Ent. Soc. London," 1899, p. xxiv (Dec. 1899). 

 Salicicolella, ? Mitfd., "Ent. Mo. Mag.," vi., p. 94 (1869); p. 186 (1870). Anica- 

 nella, Chapman, "Ent. Mo. Mag.," xxxvi. (Feb. 1900). 



Imago. — Anterior wings 11mm. -12mm., in expanse, rather elon- 

 gated, somewhat oval in outline, the middle of the costa rather 

 straight, the apex rounded ; shiny brown in colour, nervures darker, 

 ending in black dots on outer margin ; large black scales scattered 

 over wing ; cilia brown, bases darker, very shiny. The posterior wings 

 rather duller brown, the nervures darker ; cilia somewhat paler, very 

 shiny. [Described from specimen bred by Mr. Prout from larva taken 

 at Theydon Bois.] 



Sexual dimorphism. — Male: Expanse 11mm. The forewings 

 are a little shorter and a little more rounded towards the apex than 

 those of P. betulina, approaching more the form of F. casta; the costa 

 is more rounded, the straight central portion being less clearly marked ; 

 the scaling is a little less dense than in either F. casta or P. betulina 

 and not quite so shiny as in the former. In the fresher specimen the 

 colouring is dark, but not quite so dark as in casta or betulina when 

 fresh, and the older specimen is rather paler than equally old specimens 

 of these species. The nervures are hardly marked at all and there is no 

 definite reticulation. The hind legs and especially the inner aspects 

 of the tibiae are pale as in P. betulina. The hindwings are slightly 

 paler than the forewings, and compare with those of P. betulina merely 

 as looking less dense. The male has the antennae 26- (25- or 27-) 

 jointed (the antenna not mounted, and counting, therefore, not quite 

 certain), shorter than those of P. betulina, pectinations very close 

 together, i.e., antennal joint comparatively (with P. betulina) short, 



* Chapman considers that this species may possibly be the anicanella of 

 Bruand, basing his opinion largely on the probability of Bruand having two species 

 of Proutia, which agrees with the number of European species now known. Bruand, 

 however, makes much of the dark colour of his anicanella, whilst other points relating 

 thereto have been already discussed (ante, pp. 281-283). Bruand's description 

 of anicanella reads as follows: Psyche anicanella, "Cat. du Doubs," no. 1180; 

 roboricolellae var. ?. Fume a betulina, Zell., Speyer, inlitt. Envergure du male 

 ll-12mm. Mas : Roboricolellae affinis, sed obscurior. (P. roboricolella is described 

 as " nigro-brunneus,") Femina: Roboricolellae similis, pilis analibus niveis. 

 Involucrum : Quisquilius fragmentisque lignosis indutum. Eruca : A roboricolella 

 non differt. J'ai rencontre' assez frequemment sur les vieilles barrieres en chene et 

 contre des troncs de peupliers un fourreau semblable a celui de salicolella, e'est-a- 

 dire recouvert de debris ligneux et de petites parcelles d'ecorce. Les chenilles 

 contenues dans ces fourreaux ressemblent a celles de roboricolella. Le male 

 (insecte parfait) est plus fonce que chez cette derniere espece ; puis les ailes parais- 

 sent un peu plus allong^es. La femelle est aussi tres-voisine de celle de roborico- 

 lella ; seulement chez elle la touffe anale est d'un blanc de neige. Est-ce encore la 

 une espece distincte, ou bien n'est-ce qu'une varied de roboricolella ? II faudrait 

 en voir un grand nombre, 6tudier les nervures, peut-etre l'anatomie de chaque 

 individu. Malheuresement, pendant ces trois dernieres annees, des gel^es tardives 

 ont fait disparaitre presque toutes les chenilles de Psychides, et plusieurs especes 

 sont devenues tres-rares, du moins dans le Doubs, entre autres celle-ci, salicolella, 

 &c. Jusqu'a ce que l'individualite de l'espece soit bien prouvee, je la considere 

 commc une variete de roboricolella ; je l'ai designee sous le nom de anicanella, qui 

 indique le caractere le plus remarquable chez la femelle. M. Speyer, de lihoden 

 (Prusse) m'a communique tout recemment une paire de l'espece dont il est ici 

 question, sous le nom de betulina, qu'ilattribue a M. Zeller. J'ai figure sous le no. 

 73, P. anicanella, femelle (Mon. des Psychides, p. 100). 



