2 
SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
many of the minute species of Tineina, in which the cilia are enor¬ 
mously developed. As regards the origin of the clefts, it has been 
suggested that these have been developed along lines of weakness 
caused originally by the folding of the wings when at rest. 
The Pterophoridse may be described roughly as small, slim moths 
with long legs ; the fore wings usually cleft into two segments, the 
hindwings into three ; maxillary palpi obsolete; the rows of 
specialized scales near the dorsal margin on the basal half of the 
second segment of the hind wings are also characteristic. They are 
often attracted to light at night, or may be disturbed from low- 
growing herbage in the daytime,when they usually fly only a short 
distance and alight on a stem or the upper surface of a leaf, where 
they rest with their wings nearly horizontal and held out at right 
angles with the body, the hind wings being folded up under the 
fore wings. But they are best obtained by breeding the larvae, 
which are readily found once the food plant is known. 
Bibliography. 
Until within the last three or four years the Plume-moths of 
Ceylon have suffered neglect at the hands of collectors and system- 
atists alike. In 1864, in his “ List of Insects in the British Museum,” 
Francis Walker enumerated four species (argyriodactyla , anisodac- 
tylus , oxydactylus, and leucadCictylus) , collected by Ur. Templeton and 
Mr. Nietner, all of which were described as new ; in 1875 Felder 
figured and named taprobanes , which had been brought back by 
the Austrian Scientific Expedition in the frigate “ Novara ; ” in 
1887, in his “ Lepidoptera of Ceylon,” F. Moore quoted Walker’s 
descriptions and Felder’s figure and described as new one species 
( serindibanus ) which has since proved identical with a well-known 
European species ; and in 1891 Lord Walsingham described and 
figured concursa. 
During a period of forty years, then, only seven species had been 
found to occur in Ceylon ; in 1905 Mr. E. Meyrick commenced his 
descriptions of Indian Micro-Lepidoptera in the “ Journal of the 
Bombay Natural History Society,” and in the three years, 1905- 
1907, the former number has represented about the average annual 
additions to the list, thanks to the energies of our local lepidopterists, 
and to this number again I now add another eight species or “ forms.” 
Although there is no reason to believe that no further additions will 
be made to our list—indeed, I venture to suppose that our local 
Pterophorid fauna will eventually be found to include at least fifty 
species or forms—yet it has seemed to me that a useful end will be 
served by collecting together the various items that have been 
published or discovered regarding the Plume-moths of Ceylon. A 
review of what is already known will at least clear the ground for 
further work, 
