Monograph on Argyresthia, iii 



Sp. 1. ephippella, Fabricius (fig. 1). 



Alucita ephippella, Fabr. Ent. Syst. iii. ii. 330, N. 3. 



Ypsolophus ephippium, Fabr. Suppl. 509, 18. 



Tinea pruniella, Hubn. 175. 



CEcophora pruniella, Duponchel, xi. 454, pi. 305, f. 1. 



Argyresthia pruniella, Zeller, Isis, 1839, S. 204, 1 var. b. Linn. Ent. ii. 243. 



Ederessa tetrapodella, Stephens, Illust. iv. 249. Wood's fig. 1299. 



Tinea cornella, Scopoli ? 253, 656. 



Expansion of the wings 4| — 5£ lines. Head white. Face white. Palpi white. 

 Antennae white, annulated with black. Thorax white. Abdomen fuscous. Legs 

 whitish. Tarsi whitish, spotted with black. Anterior wings tawny-brown, with the 

 inner margin white to the middle of the wing, where the white portion is intersected 

 by a brown curved fascia reaching to the costa ; this fascia is much the darkest on the 

 inner margin ; beyond this fascia the inner margin is again white to the anal angle, 

 and immediately above this white portion is a pale yellow patch : the basal portion of 

 the wing is darkest immediately above the white inner margin, and there is a slight 

 projection in it towards the inner margin a little before the dark fascia: the costa is 

 very delicately spotted with white, and beyond the fascia are three or four larger spots : 

 hinder margin and cilia dark tawny. Posterior wings grayish, with paler cilia. 



The other species of the genus with which this might be confounded are nitidella, 

 albistria, semitestacella, semifusca and spinosella. 



From nitidella it is, however, readily distinguished by the form and direction of the 

 fascia, which in that species, instead of touching the costa, is diverted towards the 

 apex of the wing, as far as which it extends. From albistria it is distinguished by its 

 larger size and greater number of markings, there being but a very slight appearance 

 of a fascia in albistria. From semitestacella, which very much resembles albistria, 

 except in size, it is readily distinguished, this insect being about half as large again 

 as ephippella. From semifusca it may readily be distinguished by the colour of the 

 anterior wings, which are of a glossy dark purple in semifusca, instead of being tawny- 

 brown, as in ephippella. From spinosella, which is a rather smaller insect, it may 

 also readily be distinguished by the colour of the anterior wings; these in spinosella 

 are purplish (except on the costa, at the base, where there is an ochreous patch), and 

 the direction of the fascia is in spinosella much straighter than in ephippella. 



This species is not uncommon in June and July, but generally occurring in com- 

 pany with nitidella, which it much resembles, it is apt to be overlooked. It frequents 

 hedges and gardens, and probably feeds on several plants, such as whitethorn, black- 

 thorn, plum, &c. In the North of England it appears commoner than in the South. 

 When at Sheffield, in July last, I found it more plentiful than nitidella. 



The Linnean description of pruniella is so exceedingly vague, and says nothing 

 about the direction of the fascia (the words are " Ala? superiores griseae ; area fronte ad 

 apices fere alarum longitudinalis communis alba, medio interrupta,") that I should 

 have been unwilling to have retained the name at any rate ; but an inspection of the 

 Linnean cabinet showed me two different species, semifusca and albistria, both labelled 

 pruniella, and left me no choice but to sink the name. I was then in hopes that I 

 should have been able to have called this species pruniella of Hubner, whose figure 

 is so very good that it is a great pity that an older, but less satisfactory, name should 



