Vol. XXli] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 267 



Some Remarks on Master bellus and M. phylace 



(Lepid.). 



By WM. BARNES, M.D., and J. McDoNNOUGH, Ph.D., 



Decatur, 111. 



In the January number of the Canadian Entomologist for 

 1911, page 6, Mr. Coolidge, in an article on the genus 

 Mastor, arrives at the conclusion that M. bellus and M. phy- 

 lace are but the spring and summer broods respectively of 

 one and the same species. He bases his conclusion on the 

 fact that he has taken bellus abundantly in the Huachuca Mts. 

 of Cochise Co., Ariz., from the end of May until about the 

 middle of July and that Mr. V. L. Clemence has given him 

 several specimens taken July i8th and 26th in the Chiricahua 

 Mts., Cochise Co., Arizona, which "have the fringes of a 

 pale, dirty, creamish color, answering perfectly to the de- 

 scription of phylace Edw." Without stating any reasons he 

 jumps to the conclusion that these second specimens must be 

 the second brood of bellus, in other words, that a species tak- 

 en in one locality in the latter half of July is but a seasonal 

 form of another species taken in an entirely different locality 

 by a different person from the middle of May until the mid- 

 dle of July. Without additional proof such a statement as 

 this is absolutely worthless; in fact, until satisfactory evi- 

 dence is given that ova deposited by the early females pro- 

 duce imagines corresponding to the other form, seasonal 

 dimorphism cannot be definitely accepted. 



In the case in point it is our opinion that we are dealing 

 with two nearly related but clearly distinct species. We have 

 examined carefully series of both species, contained in Col- 

 lection Barnes, and including specimens which have been 

 compared with the actual types. The bellus are all from the 

 mountain districts of southern Arizona and include specimens 

 taken in May and June and others taken July 24-30, show- 

 ing the species is probably double-brooded, as stated by 

 Coolidge. No difference however between the two broods 

 can be noted. 



