THE MALE GENITALIA OF 

 EPIPOMPONIA MULTIPUNCTATA (DRUCE) 



(Lepidoptera, Epipyropidae) 

 (Plate 34) 



By A. Glenn Richards, Jr. 



Zoological Laboratory 

 University of Pennsylvania 



Specimens of the various species of the family Epipyropidae of the 

 superfamily Zygaenoidea are quite rare. Although about two dozen species 

 have been described from the new Vv^orld, practically all are known from 

 unique specimens or very short series. The few known larvae are reported 

 as being parasitic (predaceous ?) on Fulgorids (Order Homoptera), 

 but an alternative view holds that they feed on the waxy secretions of 

 these bugs. Because of the general scarcity of study material in this in- 

 teresting family, description and figures of the male genitalia of Epipom- 

 ponia muhipunctata (Druce)^ are presented for general availability — 

 the other two specimens of this species known to the author are both 

 females. 



The single male available was collected at Port Utria, Choco, Colom- 

 bia, February 14, 1934, by John S. Garth, and is in the collections of the 

 Allan Hancock Foundation of The University of Southern California. 

 The specimen was identified at the U. S. National Museum by Mr. Carl 

 Heinrich, who suggested publication of this note. 



In maculation the male is entirely similar to the female except slightly 

 smaller in size (see colored figure in the original description). 



Male genitalia: Uncus seemingly absent; if present, greatly re- 

 duced and indistinguishably fused with the gnathos. Tegumen slightly but 

 definitely separated from gnathos on dorsum (fig. 4) and on sides to 

 point of invagination of the apodemes, then the inner wall of apodemes 

 and their ventral prongs fused with ventrolateral wall of gnathos (fig. 

 1); tegumen with lateral apodemes (figs. 2 and 4) which are heavily 

 sclerotinized especially along line leading posteroventrally to articulate 

 with the anteriorly projecting costal bar of the valves (fig. 2). Gnathos 

 complex and forming most of the dorsal portion of the genitalia ; dorsally 



1 Original description: Cossus (?) multipunctata Druce, Biol. Centr. Amer., 

 Lepid. Het., 1:230, pi. 24, fig. 9, 1886. (Unique female type.) 



[271] 



