EPICHNOPTEEIX PULLA. 353 



has a vermicular motion, otherwise the creature seems quite inert. 

 Preserved specimens which have laid their eggs shrink very short and 

 small and become curious little squared objects, ribbed closely at the 

 insertions of the segments." Bruand describes the female as vermi- 

 form, but comparatively stouter than that of 0. unicolor. It is stout, 

 short, with the head very small and bent under ventrally, the legs 

 scarcely noticeable, and the ovipositor very slightly projecting. The 

 general colour is yellow-brown, inclining to reddish, a little darker 

 anteriorly ; the dorsum of the thoracic segments is whitish, and 

 downy. Hofmann describes the ? (from "inflated" examples 

 received from Reutti) as 2|-'" long, ■§'" wide ; extremely similar to ? 

 sieboldii, bright red-brown in colour, with yellowish-brown corneous 

 dorsal plates on the pro- and mesothorax, whilst in sieboldii there is 

 also one on the metathorax. His description of the ? sieboldii (post. 

 p. 355) which is probably also referable to this species, is a much better 

 account of the insect. 



Variation. — One would suspect from the long array of named forms 

 that this was a variable species, but the variation is simply that of 

 size, intensity of colour, and density of scaling. The examples from 

 the Eiviera (and judging from the account of Cuni y Martorell, the 

 Spanish specimens also) are intensely black, well scaled, and usually 

 of large size. These, Chapman says, have 20-22 joints to the antennae, 

 and this must be the form looked on as the type by continental ento- 

 mologists, who note sieboldii as browner, rather smaller, less strongly 

 scaled, &c, than the typical form. Certain sieboldii received from 

 Staudinger appear to be indistinguishable from our largest British 

 pulla (known on the continent as radiella) and differ from the latter 

 only in the apparently rather denser scaling, although our British 

 examples, when large and in fine condition, are very well scaled. How 

 far the suspicion that pulla may consist of more than one distinct 

 species is sound we cannot say ; much more material is needed from 

 the various parts of its geographical range. We have, certainly, only 

 one species in Britain, and the males vary much in size. We have 

 specimens extending from 10mm. to 16mm. in wing expanse, all 

 caught in the same locality (Chattenden) , but on the whole those from 

 the drier chalk hills are smaller than those from damp meadows. It 

 would also appear that on the continent the mountain forms incline 

 to be of small size, and Wocke notes that on the crest of the Riesen, a 

 smaller and much weaker-scaled form (reminding one of E. ardaa, 

 Mann) is to be found ; the small examples which Zeller captured in 

 the Albula Pass at 7200ft. elevation (Brit. Mus. coll.) are also very 

 similar, whilst Zeller notes the specimens from Kerasdere in Asia 

 Minor as being small. On the other hand, the forms from lowlying 

 and marshy ground are usually larger, e.</., the ? type form of the 

 Riviera, var. silesiaca from Reinerz, the marsh form mentioned by 

 Bruand as occurring near Besancon, the latter also being noted as later 

 in its time of appearance. Much, however, must be done by compari- 

 son of the life-histories of the various forms before satisfactory results 

 as to their value can be reached. Milliere's f/raecellcr- (at least so far 



* The graecella in the British Museum coll. from Greece are distinctly a 

 Psychidea, whilst the others named graecella from different parts of Europe are all 

 large examples of (i.e., typical) E. pulla. We suspect Milliere's south French 

 graecella ate pulla or an allied species certainly not identical with that from Greece. 



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