Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/279

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

INSECTS Truro gardens. Three specimens of L. luzella were captured by Atmore in Trevaylor Valley, near Penzance. L, praelatella has been taken on strawberry beds at Penryn. The grubs of L. rubiella caused considerable damage to the raspberry crop in some Penzance gardens in 1899, and a number of them were found near Truro in 1905. Monopis ferruginella is fairly common in dry outhouses and barns in the east of the county, and is reported from Scilly. M. rusticella occurs occasionally in barns about Truro, and was found by Marshall at Botus Fleming. Trichophaga tapetiella is widespread and often abundant in houses. Tinea arcella was taken near the Lion's Den, Millook, in August, 1905. T. corticella has been obtained occasionally near the railway viaduct at Truro. T. granella is very common in granaries and in stables, especially in the east. T. cloacella is widespread, but local. T. nigripunctella has been taken about Bodmin. T. fuscipunctella occurs all over the county, and is often abundant in stables, haylofts and dry outhouses. T. pellionella is very common in houses. T. pallescentella has lately been taken on grain, chaff, crushed oats, &c., at Truro and at Falmouth. T. lapella is common about Truro, and has been taken by Atmore at Penzance. T. semifulvella frequents a hedgebank on the way from Truro to Carnon Downs. Stainton says that a species allied to T. argentimaculella was taken by Jenkinson at Scilly. Nemo- phora swammerdammella is common about Bishop's Wood, Truro. N. schwarziella is at times most abundant in the east of the county, and small clouds of this species have been seen as far west as Truro. N. metaxella has been recorded by Thomas from St. Germans. Adela fibulella was common in the Restormel Valley in 1900. A. croesella has been taken several times in gardens at Truro. A. degeerella is occasionally found in several of the woods near the Tamar. A. viridella is common in the north-east of the county and about Liskeard, and was recorded by Marshall from Botus Fleming. A. cuprella has been taken twice at willow catkins near Malpas, Truro. MICROPTERYGINA HEPIALIDAE The gold swift Heplalus hectus is very local and scarce. It has been taken at Launceston, Truro, Falmouth, Penzance and Mawgan-in-Pyder. H. lupulinus is in some seasons widespread and common. H. sylvinus has been taken sparingly from St. Austell to Penzance. H. humuli is often common in the east and middle of the county, but is less frequently seen in the west. MICROPTERYGIDAE Micropteryx sparmannella has been taken near Bodmin. M. purpurella is on the list from the upper T.unar district. M. semipurpurella has been bred from the leaves of birch gathered at Luxulian, and M. unimaculella from similar leaves collected in the Looe Valley. M. subpurpurella occurred in abundance in Coomb Valley, Kilkhampton, in May, 1902, and has been bred from oak leaves taken at Millook. Eriocephala thunbergella was common in Bishop's Wood, Truro, in May, 1901. E. aruncella occurs at St. Clement's and in the woods at Tregothnan. E. calthella was taken by Marshall in East Cornwall. DIPTERA Except for VerralPs recent volume on the Syrphidae and some of their allies the literature on the Diptera is practically inaccessible to the ordinary worker. The species, too, in many cases are so difficult to identify that records for this order are chiefly the result of expert investigation. In 1890 Mr. C. W. Dale published in the Transactions of the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society a list of about 340 species taken by himself and his father, Mr. J. C. Dale, in West Cornwall. In vol. xl of the Entomologists 1 Monthly Magazine, Colonel Yerbury gives a list of thirty-four species from Scilly. These, with the references to Cornwall in Verrall's work already mentioned, and occasional notes in periodical literature, seem to exhaust the published records of Cornish Flies. In the compilation of the accompanying list the writer has been particularly fortunate in his friends. Mr. C. G. Lamb of Cambridge has not only supplied him with an annotated list of the flies he has identified in the Padstow district, but he has sent a duplicate collection for the museum at Truro ; Mr. A. J. Tate of Truro has been most generous in supplying local data and specimens, and as far back as 1890 the late Rev. J. Winsor Aubrey, rector of Hale, Hants, drew up a list of the named Diptera in his collection that had been taken at Looe. Valuable help was also given by the late Rev. T. A. Marshall of Botus Fleming. In the following list the letters A., D., L., M., T., V., and Y. stand for Aubrey, Dale, Lamb, Marshall, Tate, Verrall, and Yerbury respectively. A few records by Mr. F. Jenkinson from Scilly are marked J. 227