﻿176 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  Zetterstedt's 
  species, 
  which 
  was 
  previously 
  undescribed. 
  That, 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time, 
  Linne's 
  species 
  should 
  be 
  sought 
  among 
  the 
  more 
  broad- 
  

   winged, 
  and 
  not 
  among 
  those 
  which 
  have 
  the 
  hind 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  wing 
  

   deflected, 
  is 
  clear 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  with 
  this, 
  as 
  with 
  the 
  preceding 
  

   species, 
  Linne 
  says, 
  '■alae 
  .... 
  fissura 
  connivente. 
  1 
  Hence 
  one 
  

   is 
  obliged 
  to 
  take 
  one's 
  choice 
  among 
  the 
  genus 
  Platyptilus. 
  Most 
  

   authors 
  have, 
  therefore, 
  thought 
  to 
  rediscover 
  the 
  Linnean 
  species 
  in 
  

   P. 
  gonodactyla, 
  W. 
  V. 
  This 
  has 
  certainly 
  also 
  at 
  times 
  ash-grey 
  fore- 
  

   wings, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  never 
  ' 
  cinereo-fuscoque 
  nebulosae' 
  as 
  Linne 
  states 
  

   them 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  his 
  species. 
  Zeller 
  has, 
  therefore, 
  rightly 
  denied 
  to 
  this 
  

   species 
  the 
  Linnean 
  name, 
  yet 
  without 
  giving 
  it 
  to 
  any 
  other. 
  The 
  

   genus 
  named 
  has, 
  however, 
  one 
  species 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  Linnean 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  fits 
  without 
  violence, 
  after 
  the 
  palpable 
  mistake, 
  ' 
  alae 
  inferiores 
  

   . 
  . 
  , 
  . 
  tetrad 
  actylae 
  ' 
  has 
  been 
  corrected. 
  Without 
  any 
  doubt 
  we 
  

   consider 
  this 
  species 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  P. 
  Jischeri 
  described 
  by 
  Zeller, 
  since 
  only 
  

   in 
  this, 
  can 
  the 
  forewings 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  clouded 
  with 
  grey 
  and 
  brown. 
  

   The 
  whitish 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  are, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  worn 
  

   specimens, 
  greyish, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  ash-grey 
  ground 
  colour 
  is 
  

   here 
  and 
  there 
  strongly 
  mixed 
  with 
  brown, 
  so 
  that, 
  when 
  one 
  is 
  not 
  

   describing 
  more 
  accurately 
  the 
  colour-pattern 
  of 
  species, 
  one 
  will 
  have 
  

   to 
  use 
  just 
  the 
  expression 
  chosen 
  by 
  Linne 
  — 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  enough 
  

   known 
  that 
  the 
  older 
  authors 
  before 
  all 
  things 
  strove 
  after 
  brevity, 
  

   hence 
  at 
  times 
  distinctness 
  was 
  lost. 
  P. 
  fischeri 
  is 
  likewise, 
  in 
  southern 
  

   and 
  central 
  Sweden, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  common, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  oftener 
  

   occurring, 
  species 
  in 
  its 
  family 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  could 
  not 
  well 
  be 
  entirely 
  

   unknown 
  to 
  Linne, 
  even 
  as 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  mixed 
  with 
  any 
  

   other 
  species 
  by 
  him. 
  P. 
  gonodactyla 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  rarest 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  

   country, 
  and 
  belongs 
  more 
  to 
  mountain 
  districts, 
  whence 
  also 
  Linne's 
  

   note, 
  ' 
  habitat 
  in 
  nemoribus,' 
  is 
  better 
  fitted 
  to 
  P. 
  Jischeri 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  

   former 
  species" 
  (Skand. 
  Fjader-Mott., 
  p. 
  8). 
  

  

  Original 
  description. 
  — 
  Phalaena 
  Alucita 
  tesseradactyla. 
  Alis 
  paten- 
  

   tibus 
  fissis 
  cinereo-nebulosis, 
  posticis 
  fuscis. 
  Habitat 
  in 
  nemoribus. 
  

   Atee 
  superiores 
  cinereo 
  fuscoque 
  nebulosae, 
  fissura 
  conniventa. 
  Inferiores 
  

   fuscse, 
  nee 
  maculatee,tetradactyl8e 
  (Linne, 
  Fauna 
  Suecicae,ed.2,ip. 
  370)/ 
  : 
  ' 
  

  

  Imago. 
  — 
  Anterior 
  wings, 
  apical 
  point 
  sharp 
  and 
  dark; 
  ground 
  

   colour 
  fuscous-grey 
  or 
  ashy, 
  rather 
  darker 
  fuscous 
  in 
  the 
  portion 
  

   that 
  makes 
  up 
  the 
  costal 
  triangle, 
  the 
  inner 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   which, 
  just 
  beyond 
  the 
  fissure, 
  sometimes 
  forms 
  a 
  small 
  conspicuous 
  

   darkish 
  line 
  or 
  lunule; 
  the 
  ground 
  colour 
  is 
  marked 
  with 
  white 
  

   as 
  follows 
  — 
  a 
  fine 
  longitudinal 
  whitish 
  shade 
  from 
  base 
  of 
  wing 
  

   to 
  base 
  of 
  triangle 
  through 
  middle 
  of 
  wing 
  ; 
  a 
  fine 
  whitish 
  inner 
  

   marginal 
  line 
  extending 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  (except 
  for 
  the 
  

   characteristic 
  dark 
  spot 
  or 
  lineation 
  on 
  inner 
  margin 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  

   towards 
  anal 
  angle) 
  ; 
  a 
  white 
  lunular 
  band 
  at 
  base 
  of 
  costal 
  triangle 
  ex- 
  

   panding 
  widely 
  below 
  fissure 
  ; 
  a 
  fine 
  white 
  transverse 
  lobal 
  line 
  crossing 
  

   both 
  lobes 
  from 
  costa 
  nearly 
  to 
  inner 
  margin. 
  Fringes 
  white, 
  edged 
  

   internally 
  with 
  a 
  fine 
  dark 
  marginal 
  line 
  ; 
  except 
  at 
  anal 
  angle 
  where 
  

   the 
  fringes 
  are 
  dark-grey. 
  Posterior 
  wings 
  fuscous-grey 
  (considerably 
  

   mottled 
  under 
  lens) 
  ; 
  extreme 
  apices 
  of 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  plumules 
  

   rather 
  darker 
  ; 
  fringes 
  of 
  same 
  tint 
  as 
  ground 
  colour 
  of 
  wings 
  ; 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  Zeller's 
  description 
  (Linn. 
  Ent., 
  vol. 
  vi., 
  p. 
  337) 
  of 
  Jischeri 
  reads 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

   " 
  Capillis 
  frontalibus 
  parum 
  productis 
  ; 
  alis 
  ant. 
  fuscescenti 
  cinereis, 
  strigula 
  fusca 
  

   triangulo 
  costali 
  adnata 
  ante 
  fissuram 
  plagamque 
  albidam 
  striga 
  laciniarum 
  albida 
  ; 
  

   digiti 
  tertii 
  dorso 
  medio 
  in 
  ciliis 
  atro-squamato 
  (<? 
  ? 
  )." 
  

  

  