PTILIA.— SERICOCEEA. 45 



cellule is a little longer than the second, and its outer bounding nervure is curved ; the 

 second recurrent nervure is received a little past the second transverse cubital, the 

 transverse median a little in front of the middle of the cellule. The posterior wings 

 are only blackish at the base. 



This species seems to agree with P. compressicomis, Cam., in coloration, except that 

 the latter has the wings only darker at the apex. 



4. Ptilia fusca. 



Ptiliafusca, Khig, Jahrb. d. Insect, i. p. 247. no. 87 (1834) \ 

 Hab. Mexico 1 . 



SERICOCERA. 



Sericoco-a, Bralle, Hymen, iv. p. 669 (1846). 

 Cyphona, Dahlbom, Comp. Tenth, p. 6 (1835). 

 Gymnia, Spinola, Mem. Accad. Torino (2) xiii. p. 23. 

 Trailia, Cameron, Trans. Ent. Soc. 1878, p. 148. 



I have unfortunately no American species of Schizocera ; but a comparison of Seri- 

 cocera with European species of that genus shows that the only points of difference 

 between them of any importance is that in Schizocera the antennas are placed imme- 

 diately over the mouth and the epistoma is not keeled, while in Sericocera the latter 

 is carinated as in Hylotoma, and the antennas are situated in the middle of the head. 

 The antennse in Sericocera are longer in both sexes, and the lanceolate cellule is very 

 shortly constricted in most of the species ; but this is also the case in some species of 

 Cyphona. In the majority of the species there are four cubital cellules ; but the first 

 transverse cubital nervure is bullated largely in the middle, so that it is almost oblite- 

 rated, and in some cases no trace of it is visible at all, even in species where it is 

 normally present to some extent at least. Hence no great reliance can be placed on 

 the absence of this nervure as a generic character. The greater length of the antennas 

 in the American species compared with those of the European species of Cyphona can 

 scarcely be looked upon as a generic character, and in point of fact some of the Neo- 

 tropical species have them comparatively short ; so that Cyphona (the type of which has 

 the antennas situated as in Sericocera and the front carinated) must be regarded as 

 identical with Sericocera; but inasmuch as the same species formed the type for both 

 Cyphona and Schizocera, Brulle's name must be used in preference. What I have said 

 (antea, p. 42) about the absence of the first transverse cubital nervure applies equally 

 well to Sericocera. 



l. Sericocera edwardsii, 



Sericocera edwardsii, Cresson, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. viii. p. 2 (1880) \ 

 Hab, Mexico \ Mazatlan. 



