Tineidae 
indirectly Upon the labor of Pronuba. The whole story is one of 
the most interesting in the annals of insect life, and the student 
who is curious to know all about its interesting details should 
consult the fourth volume of “ Insect Life,” where Professor Riley 
has with minute patience worked out the wonderful story, with 
all the skill of a Sherlock Holmes. 
(i) Prodoxus quinquepunctella Chambers. (The Bogus 
Yucca Moth.) 
Syn. decipiens Riley; paradoxica Chambers. 
This little moth, which superficially resembles Pronuba yuc- 
casella , has no maxillary tentacle such as is found in the latter 
insect. Its absence 
is characteristic, in 
fact, of all the species 
of the genus. The 
ovipositor is homolo¬ 
gous to that of Pro¬ 
nuba, but is a stronger 
instrument intended 
for making incisions 
in the tender bark of 
the stem, while the 
ovipositor of Pronu¬ 
ba is a long, slender 
organ which is used 
to thrust the egg into 
the ovarian cavity of 
the growing seed- 
vessel. 
The larvae of the 
various species of 
Prodoxus are without 
feet, quite maggot 
like, and remain in 
their burrows in the stems of the Yucca plants, not descending to 
the ground to pupate, as do those of Pronuba. The pupae, when 
the time for emergence arrives, protrude themselves from the 
stems; and the moth escapes from the pupal skin, very much in the 
way in which the same act is performed by various species 'of 
Fig. 255.— P . quinquepunctella. a, larva; b, head 
from above ; c, d, left jaw and antenna ; e, pupa ; f, in¬ 
fested stem, showing burrows, castings, cocoons, and 
pupa-shell, h. All enlarged. (After Riley.) 
438 
