124 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, 



A COMPARISON OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF 

 ARACHNIS, WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES. 



By Dr. RODRIGUES OTTOLENGUI. 



(See Plate IV.) 



In ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS, vol. iv, p. 140, is a description ol 

 a new Arachnis\>y Messrs. Neumoegen and Dyar. At this place 

 it is called a new variety of Arachnis picta, and the name citra 

 is given. In " The Revision of the Bombyces" citra is called a 

 lacal race of picta. 



From material before me I believe that I can establish the tact 

 that citra is nof a variety of the California!! picta, but is much 

 more closely allied to another species, which I have decided to> 

 call Arachnis maia. 



In this connection I may make a statement of some interest. 

 I believe that citra is a distinct species, as is also maia, its nearest 

 ally. Nevertheless I have specimens of picta, reared from a 

 single brood of larvae, among which is one in which the creamy 

 ground color gives place to yellow, and this difference in color is 

 one of the prime distinctions between citra and maia, so that it 

 may be proven by future discoveries that one of these forms is 

 either a variety or a local race of the other. With this possi- 

 bility in mind I may quote from the original description of citra 

 the following paragraph: " Mr. Bruce, who caught these charm- 

 ing insects and who suggested the varietal name, writes as lo.- 

 lows: 'This form (citra) is found nearly on the western border 

 of Colorado, at low elevation (6000 feet), and is very constant in 

 color. I have them even a little pinker, and not quite so yellow. 

 The ordinary form is not found at that place at all, yet is common 

 120 miles east of there, and I have- reared a good many from 

 females taken in Arkansas Valley, all being the ordinary form. 

 It (citra) is so local and constant in color it is surely worthy of a 



name.' 



By " ordinary form" in. the above paragraph Mr. Bruce meant 

 picta, but it happens that the true picta does not occur in Colo- 

 rado at all, and what he mistook for picta is what I am about to 

 describe as maia. 



Should it be learned hereafter that citra and maia are but va- 

 rieties, one of the other, I understand that, according to the rules, 

 the spec. fie nime would ordinarily be citra, and the varietal name 



