14 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Jan., '08 



A new Eriocrania (Lepidoptera) from the Pacific Coast. 

 BY FRANCIS X. WILLIAMS, San Francisco, Cal. 



(Plate III 



In early March, 1905, I had the good fortune to capture 

 several examples of an Eriocrania (Eriocephala) , which Mr. 

 Busck, of the U. S. National Museum, pronounces to be a 

 new species. The specimens, ten in all, were caught at the base 

 of Mt. Tamalpais, in Marin County, in a small grove of oaks 

 (Qucrcns agrifolia}. They were in good condition and cap- 

 tured rather early in the morning, being disturbed from the 

 trunks of trees. Their flight is rather weak, but hard to follow 

 on account of the small size of the insect. When taken they 

 sometimes feign death, as is often the case in Hepialns, folding 

 their wings like a caddis-fly. 



Five of the specimens were dissected for anatomical study 

 and another was accidently destroyed, leaving four specimens 

 in TOod condition. 



Eriocrania cyanosparsella n. sp. 



Head covered with coarse, light gray hair; antennae dark golden, 

 more than half the length of the primaries. Primaries metallic golden 

 with purplish patches showing rusty golden in some lights, and forming 

 three rather irregular oblique bands across the wing, the outer ex- 

 tending across the base of the outer third of the wing and having 

 a short, interior parallel band at the outer angle, the middle band 

 diffusing costally, and being the plainest of the three; the inner 

 band in the basal third most evident at the costa, its lower half broken 

 and represented by one patch on the inner margin. Purple patches 

 scattered about the apex, along the outer margin, and basally on the 

 costa. All purple showing cyanous blue scales in certain lights. 

 Secondaries golden, becoming translucent towards the base, outer half 

 purplish, especially apically. A strong rusty, golden tinge is probably 

 faded purple. Blue scales sometimes reflected. Fringes pale metallic 

 gray, golden at their outer half on the primaries. Body more than 

 half as long as primaries, covered with long, light gray hair. Legs 

 elongate and spurred. Expanse 11.60 mm. 



Type I $ ; Cotypes 35 $ , in the collection of the author. 



There is some variation in the intensity and arrangement of 

 the bands on the primaries, these being heavier in some and 

 more numerous or less in others, but they agree with the type 

 in fundamental pattern. The expanse varies from 10 to 14 

 mm. 



The mouth-parts and wing venation illustrated on the plate, 

 show well the primitive character of the Micro ptcrygidcc. 



