348 PTEROPHOJtUS TBIGONODACTYLUS. 



never knew anybody, except Mr. Hodgkinson, who 

 knew any particulars about this common species. 



There is a species in Germany called P. farfarx by 

 Prof. Zeller ; I possess examples of it from him, and 

 as it does not differ much from our old P. gonodactylus r 

 I thought an accurate life^history of its larval habits 

 might lead to a discovery of Zeller's species in Britain, 

 especially so as I once bred a gonodactylus-\ike insect 

 from a larva found feeding in a kind of gallery made 

 in, or under the woolly under-side of a coltsfoot leaf,, 

 found growing on the limestone rocks at Llanferras, 

 in June ; the plant grows there in the streaks of pipe, 

 or China clay, which crop out two hundred feet above 

 the base of the rocks, on what we call the " Goat " or 

 " ashivorthii 9 ledges. (C. S. Gregson, Entom., July,, 

 1873, VI, 426.) 



The larva of Platyptilla trigonodactyla is 7 lines in 

 length, and moderately stout. The head is shining 

 black, and but little smaller than the second segment, 

 the upper part of which segment is also shining black. 

 The ground colour is whitish, with a broad dorsal and 

 narrower subdorsal stripe of rosy brown. Several 

 small black warts, from which short black hairs are 

 emitted, are scattered over the dorsal and subdorsal 

 areas ; these are rather larger on the third segment. 

 There is also a row of larger black warts along the 

 spiracle line. 



The larva feeds in flower-heads of Tussilago farfara 

 during April and May. 



The upper part of the pupa is like the larva in 

 coloration, but paler, and not hairy. The wing-cases 

 are light brown, more or less streaked with darker. 



It may be found among seed-down, in the heads of 

 the food-plant, in May. 



Comparing my description of the larva with that 

 given by Mr. Peers (Entom., Vol. II, p. 38) it will be 

 found that a very material difference exists. Mr. 

 Peers says of the larva he describes, " dorsal line 

 light brown; subdorsal line broader, lighter brown; 



