376 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxv. 



PRIONAPTERYX SERPENTELLA, new species. 



Expanse, 18-21 mm. 



Head white, slightly speckled with brown, a brown spot in front; 

 on top and behind it are two smaller ones; labial palpi, basal joint 

 externally and basal and median joints internally white, outer half 

 above, internally shaded with leaden fuscous; externally there is a 

 black patch on basal joint (a small dot of same color behind it 

 under eye) ; second joint narrowly white at base, then brown above, 

 shading into leaden fuscous; maxillary palpi with a black spot at 

 extreme base, another about middle of first joint, and a brown shade 

 above and below the outer joint, internally white ; antenna annulated 

 white and dark brown; thorax white, heavily mottled with brown; 

 abdomen ochreous white; there is a posterior dark brown streak on 

 second segment ; underside whitish with subventral brown line on 

 middle segments; legs pale ochreous; tarsi banded with brown. 



Fore wing dark chocolate brown, marked with pearly white. From 

 the base below costa a sinuate line goes to inner fifth, curves under 

 across fold, then proceeds obliquely to dorsum at inner third ; there 

 it curves upward and inward, ending at fold. At the base is a 

 whitish dorsal patch which joins the inner end of this sinuate line. 

 There is a broken middle transverse line, much angulated; the upper 

 part starts beyond middle of costa, curves obliquely outward, and 

 sends a very fine line outward to subterminal; in the middle of wing 

 is a crescent-shaped mark which forms the middle section; this sends 

 a fine inwardly oblique line to the outer part of the sinuate line. 

 There is a white streak on outer fourth of costa and a dusting of 

 white below it on lower half of wing. The terminal line is shining 

 white: from the costa it is sharply oblique into the angle above the 

 termen incision, thence as sharply oblique inward to under its start- 

 ing point on eosta. thence nearly straight to dorsum, with a slight 

 angle at lower fifth; adjoining it outwardly is a broad triangular 

 white patch in middle of wing and a small whit' 1 patch at tornus; a 

 triangular white apical streak is narrowly edged outwardly with 

 brown. Above the incision the cilia is white at base, brown out- 

 wardly: below it is white at base, shading into gray externally. 



Hind wing whitish gray, cilia white; underside the same. Under- 

 side fore wing light cinereous gray, with the dark and whitish spots 

 in apex repeated. 



Six specimens, Vernon and Sabine parishes. Louisiana, June and 

 July, collected by George Coverdale; Cocoanut Grove, Florida, E. A. 

 Schwarz, from National Museum collections. 



Cotypes.— Cat. Xo. 11951, U.S.N.M., and the Author's collection. 



The venation is the same as P. nehulifera Stephens, and the colors 

 are alike in both species, but the markings are entirely different. 



