﻿414 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  close 
  neighbourhood 
  to 
  the 
  transverse 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  forewings. 
  On 
  the 
  forewings, 
  

   the 
  fringes 
  of 
  the 
  costa 
  are 
  white 
  from 
  the 
  outer 
  transverse 
  line 
  to 
  the 
  apex. 
  The 
  

   black 
  scale-tuft 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  fissure, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  margin, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  

   group. 
  The 
  legs 
  have 
  strong, 
  dark, 
  scale-tufts, 
  long 
  spurs, 
  and 
  pale 
  and 
  dark 
  

   alternate 
  rings 
  like 
  the 
  antennae. 
  The 
  interrupted, 
  pale, 
  longitudinal 
  lines 
  on 
  the 
  

   abdomen, 
  give 
  a 
  strikingly 
  variegated 
  appearance. 
  The 
  larva 
  lives 
  in 
  a 
  shoot 
  of 
  

   the 
  foodplant, 
  spun 
  together 
  with 
  silken 
  threads, 
  which 
  it 
  hollows 
  out. 
  The 
  

   pupa 
  is 
  bristly, 
  and 
  has, 
  on 
  the 
  upperside, 
  rows 
  of 
  elevations, 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  

   the 
  species, 
  develop 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  into 
  branched 
  prickles 
  or 
  spines. 
  All 
  the 
  five 
  

   species 
  form 
  a 
  single 
  natural 
  group. 
  

  

  The 
  five 
  species 
  included 
  are 
  tristis, 
  7iqM., 
  pilosellae, 
  Zell., 
  obscurus, 
  ZelL, 
  

   hieracii, 
  ZelL, 
  and 
  triclw 
  dactyl 
  us, 
  Hb. 
  We 
  are 
  inclined 
  to 
  maintain 
  at 
  least 
  

   the 
  middle 
  three 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  in 
  our 
  limitation 
  of 
  the 
  genus, 
  although 
  

   it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  obscurus 
  — 
  (parvidactyla) 
  may 
  have 
  later 
  to 
  be 
  separated 
  

   from 
  pilosellae 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  hieracii. 
  In 
  1852 
  (Linn. 
  Ent., 
  vi., 
  p. 
  342) 
  Zeller 
  

   maintained 
  the 
  genus, 
  but 
  included 
  a 
  dozen 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  genus 
  was 
  

   maintained 
  by 
  Herrich-Schaffer 
  in 
  1852, 
  Wallengren 
  in 
  1862, 
  and 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  all 
  succeeding 
  authors. 
  The 
  differences 
  exhibited 
  in 
  the 
  imaginal 
  

   structure 
  (antea 
  p. 
  412) 
  led 
  Hofmann 
  to 
  subdivide 
  the 
  genus 
  into 
  two 
  

   main 
  groups 
  (Die 
  Deutsch. 
  Pteroph., 
  pp. 
  100-102), 
  with 
  several 
  other 
  

   minor 
  subdivisions, 
  which 
  the 
  detailed 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae 
  

   will 
  probably 
  prove 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  quite 
  distinct 
  genera, 
  and 
  our 
  hint 
  

   above, 
  that 
  even 
  Oxyptilus, 
  as 
  we 
  use 
  it, 
  consists 
  of 
  two 
  genera, 
  is 
  

   based 
  on 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  a 
  greater 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  stages 
  will 
  

   place 
  pilosellae 
  and 
  hieracii 
  together 
  in 
  Oxyptilus, 
  and 
  separate 
  them 
  

   from 
  ericetorum. 
  and 
  parvidactyla. 
  At 
  present, 
  however, 
  our 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  too 
  little 
  to 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  separation. 
  We 
  therefore 
  

   use 
  Oxyptilus 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  Hofmann 
  's 
  Sect. 
  I, 
  subsect. 
  B, 
  and 
  

   have 
  already 
  named 
  (Ent. 
  Rec, 
  xvii., 
  p. 
  35) 
  pilosellae 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  

   genus. 
  The 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  larval 
  and 
  pupal 
  stages 
  are 
  largely 
  

   characterised 
  by 
  their 
  suitability 
  to 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  borer 
  and 
  internal- 
  

   feeder. 
  

  

  Oxyptilus 
  parvidactyla, 
  Haworth. 
  

   Synonymy. 
  — 
  Species: 
  Parvidactyla, 
  Haw., 
  " 
  Lep. 
  Brit.," 
  p. 
  480 
  (1811); 
  

   Tutt, 
  "Brit. 
  Nat.," 
  i., 
  p. 
  249 
  (1891); 
  "Pter. 
  Brit.," 
  p. 
  75 
  (1895); 
  "Ent. 
  

   Bee," 
  xvii., 
  p. 
  37 
  (1905). 
  Microdactylus, 
  Sam., 
  "Ent. 
  Usef. 
  Comp.," 
  

   p. 
  409 
  (1819); 
  Curt., 
  "Brit. 
  Ent.," 
  fo. 
  161 
  (1827); 
  Stphs., 
  " 
  Illus. 
  Haust.," 
  

   iv., 
  p. 
  377 
  (1834); 
  Wood, 
  " 
  Ind. 
  Ent., 
  1st 
  ed., 
  p. 
  238, 
  pi. 
  li., 
  fig. 
  1652 
  

   (1839). 
  Obscurus, 
  ZelL, 
  " 
  Isis," 
  p. 
  793 
  (1841); 
  p. 
  38 
  (1847); 
  "Linn. 
  Ent.," 
  

   vi., 
  p. 
  354(1852); 
  Dup., 
  "Hist. 
  Nat.," 
  supp. 
  iv., 
  pp. 
  503, 
  613, 
  pi. 
  88, 
  fig. 
  11 
  

   (1842); 
  "Cat. 
  Meth.," 
  p. 
  383 
  (1844); 
  Tgstrrn., 
  " 
  Finl. 
  Fjar.," 
  p. 
  155 
  

   (1847); 
  H.-Sch., 
  " 
  Sys. 
  Bearb.," 
  v., 
  p. 
  372 
  (1855), 
  supp. 
  fig. 
  17 
  (1853); 
  Frey, 
  

   " 
  Tin. 
  Pter. 
  Schweiz," 
  p. 
  410 
  (1856) 
  ; 
  Wallgrn., 
  " 
  Skand. 
  Fjad.," 
  p. 
  15 
  (1859) 
  ; 
  

   Jord., 
  "Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag.," 
  vi., 
  p. 
  122 
  (1869); 
  Nolck., 
  "Lep. 
  Fn. 
  Estl.," 
  p. 
  804 
  

   (1871) 
  ; 
  Frey, 
  " 
  Lep. 
  Schweiz," 
  p. 
  429 
  (1880). 
  Hemidactyla, 
  Selys. 
  "Mem. 
  Soc. 
  

   Boy. 
  Sci. 
  Liege," 
  p. 
  29 
  (1845-6) 
  ; 
  [ZelL, 
  "Linn. 
  Ent.," 
  vi., 
  p. 
  355 
  (1852).] 
  Parvi- 
  

   dactylus, 
  Sta., 
  "Man.," 
  iL, 
  p. 
  441 
  (1859); 
  Staud. 
  and 
  Wocke, 
  " 
  Cat.," 
  2nded., 
  p. 
  

   343 
  (1871); 
  Hein.and 
  Wocke, 
  " 
  Schmett. 
  Deutsch.," 
  iii., 
  pt. 
  2, 
  p. 
  792 
  (1877); 
  Staud., 
  

   "Hor. 
  Soc. 
  Ent. 
  Boss.," 
  xv., 
  pp. 
  425-7 
  (1880) 
  ; 
  Barr., 
  "Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag.," 
  xviii., 
  

   p. 
  177 
  (1882); 
  Sorh., 
  " 
  Kleinschmett. 
  Brandbg.," 
  p. 
  4 
  (1886); 
  Leech, 
  "Brit. 
  

   Pyr.," 
  p. 
  58, 
  pi., 
  xvii., 
  fig. 
  3(1886); 
  Tutt, 
  "Young 
  Nat.," 
  x., 
  p. 
  164(1889); 
  

   South, 
  " 
  Ent.," 
  xxii., 
  p. 
  34 
  (1889); 
  Barr., 
  "Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag.," 
  xxv., 
  p. 
  431 
  (1889) 
  ; 
  

   Meyr., 
  "Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  Lond.," 
  p. 
  485 
  (1890); 
  "Handbook," 
  etc., 
  p. 
  432 
  (1895); 
  

   Hofmn., 
  " 
  Deutsch. 
  Pteroph.," 
  p. 
  112 
  (1895) 
  ; 
  "Illus. 
  Zeits. 
  Ent.," 
  iii., 
  p. 
  307 
  

   (1898) 
  ; 
  Staud. 
  and 
  Beb., 
  " 
  Cat.," 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  71 
  (1901) 
  ; 
  Barr., 
  " 
  Lep. 
  Brit. 
  Isles," 
  

   ix., 
  p. 
  363, 
  pi. 
  414, 
  fig. 
  6 
  (1904). 
  

  

  Original 
  description. 
  — 
  Alucita 
  (the 
  small 
  Plume) 
  nana, 
  alis 
  

   patentibus 
  fuscis, 
  striga 
  punctisque 
  albis 
  ; 
  anticis 
  bifldis, 
  posticis 
  

   tripartitis. 
  Habitat 
  in 
  Cantio, 
  at 
  rarissime. 
  Expansio 
  alarum 
  

  

  