40 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



NEW SPECIES OF SCYTHRIS (MICROLEPIDOPTERA). 



BY ANNETTE F. BRAUN, 

 Cincinnati, Ohio. 



Scythris graminivorella, n. sp. 



Head and face dark brown with a faint brassy lustre. Palpi dark brown, 

 slightly paler inwardly and at bases of segments. Antennae simple. Thorax 

 and fore wings clothed with elongate dark brown, faintly brassy scales, and 

 streaked with paler scales which form several more or less distinctly defined 

 spots. There is a small spot on the fold at the basal third, preceding and fol- 

 lowing which the fold is darker than the rest of the wing surface, due to absence 

 of paler scales; at two-thirds a large, ill-defined spot extending from the dorsal 

 cilia about two-thirds across the wing, and separated from a spot in the apex 

 by a darker unstreaked patch. Hing wings darker than fore wings, purplish 

 brown. Legs dark brown, brassy. Abdomen dark purplish brown above, 

 whitish beneath. Expanse 10.5-12 mm 



Type. — d^, Cincinnati, O. 



The type and eight paratypes were reared from larvae on Hys'aix patiila. 

 The mine is an elongate transparent blotch with the entrance beneath* guarded 

 by a broad tube of silk; the larva usually makes several mines. Although the 

 species seems to prefer Hysirix as a food plant, I have observed the mines on 

 Canada blue grass, Poa comprcssa. Larvae collected May 5, produced moths 

 during the first half of June. 



The specimen which Zeller mentions in a note following his description of 

 S. piloscUa is probably an example of this species. 



5. graminivcrella is most closely allied to S. imposiklla, but never shows the 

 distinct markings of that species, nor the purplish tinge of thorax and fore 

 wings. The indistinctly marked forms of graminivorella resemble the more 

 yellowish forms of ehoracensis, described by Clemens as fiiscicomella. In this 

 connection it may be worth while to note that I have bred the uniformly deep 

 purplish black form as well as the yellowish form from larvae in webs in tops of 

 thistle. A large series of eboracensis from Louisiana are all of the dark form. 



Scythris confinis, n. sp. 



Face and palpi grayish ; the palpi outwardly and at tips of segments dark 

 brown. Crown, thorax and fore wings dark brown, slightly streaked with 

 elongate golden brown scales, especially toward apex. A broad, golden brown 

 stripe starts from near base and follows the fold, usually fading into the ground 

 colour before reaching the margin. This stripe is bordered above and below 

 with black, the black border especially on the upper side becoming broader 

 near the wing margin. Hind wings and upper side of abdomen dark brown; 

 abdomen beneath and legs paler, grayish. Expanse 10—12 mm. 



Type. — (^ and 35 paratypes, Alameda County, California, May 22, 1808. 

 (G. R. Pilate, collector). 



S. confinis is of the same general type of marking as S. pers picill ella Wlsm . , 

 but much darker and differently coloured. 



*In Hystrix, the leaf blade is twisted near the brse, so that the upper surface of the leaf 

 aces downwards. 

 Fcbiuary, 1920 



