41G THE CA.NADIAN ENTOMOLOGItT, 



A FOSSIL TORTRICID MOTH. 



BY T. n. A. COCKERELL, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 



Practically nothing is known of tossil Tortricidse, or indeed of any 

 group of Microlepidoptera in Tertiary times. No extinct Tortricid has 

 been named, although Gravenhorst (1835) referred to the existence of one 

 in Baltic amber, and Menge (1856) reported four larvse, two pupre and a 

 moth, supposed to be Tortricids, from the same substance. In the 

 Florissant shales moths are exceedingly rare, and usually not fit to 

 describe ; but a fairly good Tortrix (sens, lat.) found in the summer of 

 1907 deserves to be reported. 



Tortrix Florissantana, n. sp. 



$ . — Length of head and body, 14 mm ; head, i 3/5 mm. wide, palpi 

 robust, probably directed upwards, almost 2 mm. long; antennas with 

 minute dark dots at intervals ; thorax 373 mm. long, about 3 broad ; 

 wings probably striped along the vein=;, but the scaling appears to have 

 been nearly all lost, except at the apex of hind wings, which are here 

 much darkened ; primaries 14 mm. long, the costa very strongly arched, 

 so that the centre of the arch is about 2 mm. distant from the straight line 

 between base and apex of wing ; outer margin about 5 mm. long, with a 

 gentle double curve, the concave part uppermost ; apex obtuse ; inner 

 angle very obtuse, and close to tip of abdomen when the wings are folded 

 backwards; lower margin about 10 mm. long. 



Hind wing about 10J3 mm. long, the apex considerably less than a 

 right angle ; frenulum distinct, of two strong bristles ; a part of the 

 venation of liie hind wing is visible ; what appears to be the fork between 

 the media and cubitus is about 4 mm from tip of wing ; the second 

 cubitus and first anal are also seen, normally placed. 



Florissant, Colorado, in the miocene' shales, Station 14 (W. P. 

 Cockerell). The insect as preserved is pale yellowish-red ; the wings are 

 directed backwards, as in repose. The arched costa and gently curved 

 outer margin, without any suggestion of a projecting point, indicate 

 Tortricid rather than Pyralid affinities, and I think the family reference 

 is reasonably safe. The generic term is of course used only ni the old 

 broad sense. 



Mailed December 7th, 1907. 



