XXXJii, '22] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 211 



Notes on the Distribution and Synonymy of Some 

 Species of Pterophoridae (Lepid.) 



By A. W. LINDSEY, M.S.. Ph.D., Sioux City, Iowa. 



Four months have elapsed between the publication of the 

 Pterophoridae of America, North of Mexico and the writing 

 of this paper, yet in that short time a number of interesting 

 data have been, added to our knowledge of this family. These 

 data have been derived from three sources, viz., some notes on 

 synonymy very kindly communicated by Mr. Edward Meyrick, 

 a considerable number of specimens from British Columbia 

 submitted by Mr. E. H. P>lackmore for identification, and two 

 specimens yet a remarkable catch which were the only 

 Pterophoridae secured by the writer after his removal to Sioux 

 City in the fall of 1921. 



Mr. Meyrick's notes are placed at the end of the paper. 

 Credit for them is due entirely to their author, who states in a 

 letter of October 27, 1921, that they are to be published in 

 The Entomologist. They are included here by his permission, 

 in order that they may be more readily available to lepidop- 

 terists on this side of the Atlantic, and are quoted without 

 change, aside from a few omissions, and without criticism. 

 The writer would suggest, however, that it can do no harm 

 and may do some good if anyone with both exotic and indi- 

 genous material will check these conclusions, especially by an 

 examination of the male genitalia. While it is certain that the 

 utility of these structures is limited, they are frequently con- 

 clusive. 



For the successful use of genitalia in classification the fol- 

 lowing rules are a useful guide : 



1. Study complete genitalia, not merely the valves. 



2. Genitalia are subject to variation, in form within the spe- 

 cies. A striking example is that of Hcspcria tesscllata Scud., 

 including occidentalis Skinner. 



3. Conspicuous differences between the genitalia of speci- 

 mens or series indicate that they belong to different species. 

 If only slight differences exist they may indicate specific dis- 

 tinctness, but in such cases it is necessary to prove by the exam- 



