OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XI, 1909. 187 



bl.-iekish In-own oMique streak, parallel with the terminal edge ; on the 

 apical part of the wing the dark spots are larger and arranged in ro\v> 

 between the apical veins. Hind wings dark fuscons. Abdomen dark 

 fuscous. Kegs ochreous, tarsi with black annulations. 

 Alar expanse, 17 to 18 mm. 



Habitat San Diego, California. July. L. E. Ricksecker, 

 coll. 



Type No. 12695, U. S. National Museum. 



\ small very distinct species nearest to Acrolophns (Neolo- 

 plnis ) punctutiis lUisck, lacking, however, the bluish-black dust- 

 ing and differing also in the unmottled head and palpi and the 

 -potted wing-pattern. 



Acrolophus crescentella Kearfott. 



Amydria crescentella Kearfott, Can. Kin., xxxix. p. 9. 1907. 



This species is nearest Acrolophus ( Eulcpistc i crcssoni 

 Walsingham. 



Referring to the classification of Lithocolletis recently pro- 

 posed by Miss A. F. Braun, and which he had criticized at a 

 former meeting of this Society, Mr. I'usck showed a letter just 

 received from the eminent authority on Microlepidoptera, 

 Mr. Edward Meyrick, of England. Mr. Pmsck referred to 

 his own views, already published ( Proc. Ent. Soc. \Yash.. xi. 

 < > ( )-\02). and was disappointed to find from the present letter 

 that Mr. Meyrick did not agree with them. 



The letter was in part read to the Society by Dr. Dyar, as 

 follows : 



"My criticism of your argument would be that it is ol no 

 effect, because you have based it on an assumption of phylo- 

 gcny t which may or may not be correct, but certainly is doubt- 

 ful, and very probably incapable of proof) instead of on an 

 observed structural fact of indisputable phylogenetic impor- 

 tance. In other words, it is proved that the group with the 

 additional vein is older than the typical group; you assume 

 that the Hat-larvae group has arisen from beneath this older 

 group, whereas this is not proved and until you can show the 

 connecting links you have no right to use it in definition. It 

 is now generally admitted that a new type of structure asso- 

 ciated with habits, such as those of the flat-larvae group, ma\ 

 arise by a sudden mutation and need not involve the existence 

 of a prolonged ancestry, showing gradual change and diver- 

 gence, and therefore this group may in my opinion have' 



