SOME AMERICAN GEOMETRID MOTHS — CAPPS 135 



Male.— Pale cinereous, with a slight ocherous tinge; wings with a 

 light sprinkling of pale fuscous scales, more intense on the fore wing ; 

 transverse lines of fore wing dark, sinuate, and continuous, transverse 

 line of hind wing less distinct. 



Alar expanse, 27-31 mm. 



Genitalia like those of typical punctata. 



Female.— Similar to the male in color and markings. 



Alar expanse, 27-31 mm. 



Genitalia like those of typical punctata. 



Type.—V. S. N. M. No. 55725. 



Type locality.— White Mountains, Ariz. 



Food plant. — Quercus. 



Distribution.— United States: Arizona (June, July). 



Eighteen specimens examined. 



Remarks.— The examples of phantoma differ only slightly from 

 those of punctata. They average a trifle paler, more ocherous, and 

 with the transverse lines usually more distinct than in typical punc- 

 tata but are scarcely distinguishable from obscurely marked exam- 

 ples. I believe that phantoma represents nothing more than a local 

 alpine race of punctata in northern Arizona and should be regarded 

 as such for the present. 



BESMA, new genus 



Genotype. — Metanema quercivoraria Guenee. 



In addition to characters noted for the group : Apex of male an- 

 tenna simple. Fore wing broad, with three transverse lines. Hind 

 wing with two transverse lines, the outer rather strongly curved out- 

 ward. Male genitalia with the spines of gnathos numerous, short 

 and very fine or long and slender ; f urea with the spines more numerous 

 toward distal end. Female genitalia with ventral margin of genital 

 opening bordered by sclerotized band, the band not strongly concave; 

 signum a broad stellate plate, with spinules on its central area. 



Remarks.— Members of this genus are easily recognized by the 

 presence of an additional transverse line (the subterminal) on the 

 fore and hind wings. The subterminal lines are often more distinct 

 on the under side of the wings. 



The following keys are offered as an aid to identification of the 

 species and reservations made for the keys of Lambdina also apply 

 here. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF BESMA 



Males 



1. American species north of Mexico 2 



Mexican and Central American species 4 



2. Aedeagus with a strongly sclerotized ventrodistal bifurcation 



1. sesquilinearia (Grote) 

 Aedeagus without such sclerotized ventrodistal bifurcation 3 



