﻿314 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  dilated 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  spoon-shaped, 
  the 
  third, 
  or 
  posterior, 
  division 
  without 
  

   any 
  black 
  scales 
  in 
  its 
  short 
  fringe. 
  The 
  anterior 
  wings 
  not 
  perfectly 
  flat, 
  their 
  

   anterior 
  margin 
  being 
  very 
  slightly 
  defiexed, 
  their 
  inner 
  margin 
  without 
  a 
  tooth, 
  

   and, 
  when 
  at 
  rest, 
  slightly 
  defiexed, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  embrace 
  the 
  posterior 
  wings. 
  The 
  veina 
  

   of 
  the 
  anterior 
  wings 
  ten 
  in 
  number 
  ; 
  the 
  1st 
  and 
  2nd 
  separate 
  from 
  the 
  base, 
  the 
  

   3rd 
  from 
  the 
  posterior 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  cell, 
  and 
  the 
  4th 
  and 
  5th 
  together 
  from 
  the 
  

   posterior 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  cell, 
  all 
  running 
  into 
  the 
  posterior 
  segment 
  ; 
  the 
  6th 
  rises 
  from 
  

   the 
  little 
  transverse 
  vein 
  near 
  the 
  anterior 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  cell, 
  and 
  the 
  7th, 
  which 
  is 
  

   two-branched, 
  rises 
  from 
  the 
  angle 
  itself 
  ; 
  these 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  anterior 
  segment 
  ; 
  the 
  

   8th 
  and 
  9th 
  arise 
  from 
  anterior 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  cell, 
  and 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  anterior 
  margin 
  

   of 
  the 
  wing 
  ; 
  the 
  10th 
  arises 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  and 
  runs 
  along 
  into 
  its 
  

   anterior 
  margin. 
  The 
  cell 
  is 
  distinct, 
  closed, 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  slender 
  spurious 
  transverse 
  

   veinlet, 
  moderately 
  curved, 
  with 
  the 
  convexity 
  turning 
  towards 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  wing. 
  

   The 
  veins 
  of 
  the 
  inferior 
  wings 
  are 
  four 
  in 
  number, 
  the 
  1st 
  two-branched, 
  ending 
  in 
  

   the 
  1st 
  segment 
  ; 
  the 
  2nd 
  two-branched, 
  ending, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  simple 
  3rd 
  vein, 
  in 
  

   the 
  2nd 
  segment 
  (this 
  3rd 
  vein 
  generally 
  joins 
  with 
  the 
  2nd 
  at 
  the 
  base), 
  and 
  the 
  

   4th 
  vein 
  simple, 
  ending 
  in 
  the 
  3rd 
  segment. 
  No 
  cell. 
  

  

  This 
  tribe 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   generalised 
  of 
  those 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Platyptiliids. 
  To 
  some 
  extent, 
  

   larvally, 
  the 
  Stenoptiliines 
  are 
  very 
  near 
  the 
  Platyptiliines, 
  but 
  the 
  

   alliance 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  marked 
  pupally. 
  The 
  $ 
  genital 
  appendages, 
  

   however, 
  mark 
  them 
  off 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  special 
  and 
  homogeneous 
  group, 
  

   standing 
  as 
  well 
  separated 
  and 
  denned 
  in 
  this 
  particular, 
  as 
  they 
  do 
  in 
  

   wing-structure, 
  etc. 
  Bacot 
  notes 
  that, 
  on 
  pupal 
  characters, 
  our 
  three 
  

   British 
  species 
  are 
  very 
  close, 
  but, 
  as 
  larva?, 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  divergent, 
  

   Stenoptilia 
  pterodactyla, 
  in 
  particular, 
  being 
  much 
  further 
  advanced 
  in 
  

   its 
  wart 
  development 
  than 
  the 
  Adkinias. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  here 
  noted 
  that 
  

   larval 
  characters 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  remarkably 
  modified 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  

   the 
  feeding 
  habits 
  throughout 
  the 
  superfamily. 
  The 
  egg 
  is 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  be 
  cylindrical 
  in 
  outline, 
  somewhat 
  full, 
  and 
  approaching 
  more 
  

   nearly 
  than 
  any 
  others 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Agdistids. 
  

  

  The 
  Stenoptiliine 
  larva 
  is 
  a 
  miner 
  in 
  the 
  1st 
  and 
  2nd 
  stadia, 
  and 
  

   afterwards 
  may 
  hide 
  in 
  a 
  burrow 
  (not 
  mining) 
  , 
  but 
  usually 
  feeds 
  some- 
  

   what 
  in 
  the 
  open. 
  A 
  structural 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  practically 
  covers 
  

   also 
  Marasmarcha 
  and 
  Amblyptilia 
  (Chapman). 
  In 
  form, 
  the 
  larva 
  is 
  

   somewhat 
  cylindrical, 
  the 
  secondary 
  skin-hairs 
  are 
  present, 
  and 
  the 
  

   tubercles 
  comparatively 
  generalised 
  in 
  position 
  ; 
  the 
  warts 
  ill-developed 
  ; 
  

   the 
  hairs 
  minute, 
  clubbed, 
  aud 
  baton-like 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Agdistid 
  larva. 
  The 
  

   tubercles, 
  however, 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  complicated 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   Platyptiliids 
  [sens, 
  rent.), 
  but 
  much 
  less 
  so 
  than 
  the 
  highly 
  specialised 
  

   Alucitines. 
  Both 
  these 
  forms, 
  however, 
  the 
  more 
  simple, 
  single-haired, 
  

   tubercles 
  of 
  the 
  Platyptiliines, 
  and 
  the 
  complicated 
  warts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Alucitines, 
  are 
  very 
  possibly 
  developments 
  in 
  different 
  directions 
  

   from 
  an 
  intermediate 
  form 
  of 
  wart, 
  resembling, 
  probably, 
  the 
  warts 
  of 
  

   the 
  Stenoptiliines. 
  Structurally, 
  the 
  prothoracic 
  plate 
  has 
  a 
  central 
  

   suture, 
  and 
  a 
  dark-coloured 
  hollow 
  towards 
  each 
  outer 
  extremity. 
  The 
  

   tubercles 
  always 
  have 
  the 
  primary 
  hairs 
  distinguishable, 
  but 
  are 
  usually 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  secondary 
  hairs 
  that 
  sometimes 
  run 
  them 
  rather 
  close. 
  

   The 
  secondary 
  skin-hairs 
  are 
  generally 
  distributed, 
  and 
  vary 
  in 
  length 
  

   in 
  different 
  species. 
  Adkinia 
  zophodactylus 
  and 
  A. 
  bipunctidactyla 
  are 
  

   without 
  post-spiracular 
  accessory 
  tubercles, 
  which 
  are 
  well 
  -developed 
  

   in 
  Stenoptilia 
  pterodactyla, 
  and 
  are 
  indicated 
  in 
  Marasmarcha 
  lunae- 
  

   dactyla 
  and 
  Amblyptilia 
  cosmosdactyla. 
  The 
  prolegs 
  have 
  a 
  similar 
  

   structure 
  in 
  all, 
  tall, 
  with 
  a 
  tubular 
  chitinous 
  sheath, 
  the 
  crochets 
  

   few, 
  large, 
  and 
  dark. 
  In 
  A. 
  cosmodactyla, 
  the 
  number 
  is 
  4 
  or 
  5, 
  in 
  

  

  