Tol. XXIX, pp. 63-70 April 4, 1916 



PROCEEDINGS 



or THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



THE GENERIC STATUS OF CHRYSANTHRAX OSTEN 



SACKEN. 



[BOMBYLIID^, DiPTERA,] 

 BY J. R. MALLOCH. 



The subgenus Chrysanthrax was erected by Osten Sacken for 

 the reception of Anthrax falvohirta Wiedemann and three allied 

 species.* Subsequently the genotype was fixed by Coquillett 

 as fulvohirta, a species widely distributed throughout North 

 America. t The characters used by Osten Sacken in defining 

 the subgenus, while rather minute and apparently trivial, ap- 

 pear to be correlated with characters of the pupa that warrant 

 the acceptance of them as of generic value. According to the 

 definition of Osten Sacken the distinguishing characters of the 

 imagines are the fulvous pile on the thorax, and often a golden - 

 fulvous tomentum on the abdomen; the dark brown antero- 

 proximal half of the wings — without any paler aureoles on the 

 cross veins within the brown ; the punctiform contact of the 

 fourth posterior and discal cells; the smooth tibiae; the taper- 

 ing and indistinctly jointed front tarsi, beset on both sides with 

 delicate erect hairs; the small front claws; the cone-shaped 

 third antennal joint, merging into a style; the short conical 

 face, etc. 



Through the kindness of Mr. Otto Swezey, of Honolulu, I 

 have been able to examine the empty pupal skin of a specimen 

 of Julvohirta reared as a secondary parasite from Elis sexcincta, 

 a primary parasite of white-grubs. This pupa presents charac- 



• Biol. Cent. Amer , Vol. 1, 1886, p. 121. 



+ Type Species of North American Diptera, Proc. U. S.Nat. Mus., Vol.37, 1912, p. 523. 



13— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXIX, 1916. (63) 



