NO. 1208. NEW SPECIES OF TINEID MOTHS— BUSCK. 237 



to apex, Ic furcate. Hindwiiio's: p]io-ht veins; 8 se])urato, 7 separate, 

 5 and stalked on independent vein from base, cell open between 4 

 and 5. 



HOMALEDRA HEPTATHALAMA new species. 



(riatel, lig. 10.) 



Antenna? silvery yellow; ])a8al joint and the scaled base rust red. 

 Labial palpi, second joint light straw colored, terminal rust red. 

 Eyes deep black. Face whitish with an iridescent hue. Head and 

 thorax straw 3^ellow, sides of head and shoulders rust red. Anterior 

 wing-s light straw j^ellow with a narrow edging round the entire wing 

 of dark brown, outside which the extreme costal and apical edge and 

 cilia is rust red. On middle of wings a longitudinal, large, conuna- 

 shaped, silvery spot, and at the end of the disk a smaller, nearly circu- 

 lar silver spot, both dark edged. There are, besides, three more or 

 less pronounced longitudinal streaks of dark brown, one above and 

 two below the silvery spots, and in some specimens even the veins are 

 shown in brown; but in other specimens all these interior brown 

 streaks are obsolete, except right at the base of the wing. 



Dorsal cilia reddish yellow. Hindwings shining golden j^ellow; 

 cilia a shade lighter. Abdomen golden yellow. Forelegs deep black 

 al)Ove; other legs whitish straw colored; hairs above posterior tibia 

 rust yellow. 



Alar expanse, 19 to 26 mm. 



Described from 8 specimens bred from cabbage palmetto {Sah((l 

 palmetto) collected by Dr. Dyar and Mr. F. Kinzel at Palm Beach, 

 Florida. 



Type.—^o. 4946, U.S.N.M. 



The larva is, when full grown, 15 to 18 mm. long, cylindrical, with 

 normally developed thoracic and al)dominal feet. Color white, with 

 polished head, reddish-brown mandibles and eye-spot, and rather long, 

 sparse, white hairs. 



It feeds on the underside of the palmetto leaf in a fold, making a 

 very unique chambered abode of its frass (or of the chewed epidermis) 

 (Plate I, tig. 11). It begins by making a small elongate chamber and 

 adds, as it grows, successively larger, more or less rectangular, thick- 

 walled, commimicating rooms to its house, the entire length of which 

 is li to 2 inches, and which when tinished contains 7 (or sometimes 8) 

 chambers; hence the name of the insect. 



It pupates inside its case, and the moth issues through a round hole 

 in the last chamber. This is different from the other chambers, being 

 rather loosely built. The other chambers are very firm, smoothly 

 tinished outside, dark brown. The pupa is brown, very slender, 

 antennie and wing-cases reaching only halfway down the abdomen. 

 Pupa skin is not protruded at issue. 



