188 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxv. 



The peculiar secondary sexual characters of the antennae I consider 

 of no generic value, and as they are found only in about half the 

 forms undoubtedly related to Blastobasis, they afford no help in the 

 family separation except in so far that they are not known to occur 

 in the family (Ecophorida\ 



The family CEcophoridae is represented rather numerously in all 

 faunal regions, though predominant only in Australia. Several of 

 the genera and a few species are cosmopolitan. 



Very little special study has hitherto been given the North Amer- 

 ican species of this family, and the existing lists need considerable 

 revision. Our fauna is closely related to the European, and most 

 of the genera (though only very few species) are common to both 

 continents. 



In Doctor Dyar's List of North American Lepidoptera 92 species 

 are recorded in this family, of which I find six do not belong here 

 and have been disposed of in the following under the genera in 

 which they are placed in Dyar's List. Since the publication of that 

 list 29 species have been described and three species before regarded 

 as synonyms have been recognized as valid; two species have been 

 transferred to this family from elsewhere, and five new species are 

 now described, making our list in this family number 121 species. All 

 but half a dozen of these are represented in V. S. National Museum 

 collection, and only two species are known to the writer by descrip- 

 tion alone. The types of all new species described in the present 

 paper are deposited in the U. S. National Museum. 



Thirteen genera are recorded in Dyar's List; one of these (Cluim- 

 bersia Riley) can hardly be included in this family from the descrip- 

 tion, and one was erroneously credited to our fauna. On the other 

 hand, three genera have been transferred to this family from else- 

 where; one good American genus has been resurrected from the 

 synonymy, one European genus has been recognized from California, 

 and four new genera are erected in the following, making a total of 

 21 genera of this family at present recognized in North America. 

 Of these, nine are cosmopolitan or nearly so, two are common to 

 Europe and America, and nine have as yet not been recognized out- 

 side of America. 



The larvae of the G^cophoridae have very various life modes, though 

 the majorit}' live either in spun leaves or feed in decayed wood; one 

 American genus is parasitic on Kermes. The larva- are often prettily 

 marked with dark tubercles on whitish or yellowish ground; they 

 have six true legs and ten prolegs. The pupae have segments 9-11 

 movable and do not protrude from the cocoon when the imago 

 emerges. 



A few of the species are of some economic importance as enemies 

 of cultivated crops. Many of the species overwinter as adults in 



