864 AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 



there is on the under side a fringe of fine hair from the costal area 

 extending to the middle of the cell ; in others there is a dense tuft 

 below the median vein near its end ; secondaries with 3 and 4 from 

 one point at the end of the median, 5 from the cell well removed 

 from 4, but joined to the median by a faint curve, weaker at base 

 than toward margin where it is nearly as strong as the others; in 

 the males of some species there is a flat tuft of hair from the sub 

 costal area near its middle, extending halfway across the cell beneath 

 and there may be also a small hair tuft on vein 5 near its base. In 

 shape the primaries are trigonate, with well defined apices, oblique 

 arcuate outer margin and gently convex inner margin. 



The most characteristic feature of the genus is the oblique palpi 

 which extend well beyond the front, apparently straight out in con- 

 tinuation of the frontal tuft, but in reality oblique from the base to 

 the end of the long second joint which is thickened from the upper 

 surface by a massing of scales until the straight or slightly dropping 

 third joint forms a straight line back to the frontal tuft. 



The species are generally similar in appearance and maculation, 

 except for pxjralis and geometralis, which are broader winged and 

 with a somewhat diflferent scheme of ornamentation, extending across 

 the secondaries. It is not improbable that some day the genus will 

 l)e restricted to these two species, and that the balance of the species 

 will be found to be worthy of a distinct generic term. 



Pyralis and geometralis also differ by secondary characters of the 

 male. This has the posterior tibiae tufted, thickened and somewhat 

 distorted, and at the base of the abdomen a double hair pencil or 

 tuft. The primaries have an oblique tuft of erect hair extending 

 along the middle of the wing on the under side. In both species 

 the t. p. line is angulated on vein 7, and from that point is evenly 

 oblique to the inner margin. There is an obvious median line and 

 that is parallel with the t. p. line throughout, even to the angula- 

 tion. The t. p. line is continued across the secondaries and so is the 

 series of s. t. spots. 



Pyralis is lemon-yellow to the t. p. line on both wings, and beyond 

 that it is chocolate-brown. At the angulation of the t. p. line on 

 primaries the brown shade does not follow the line but extends to 

 the apex so that there is a continuous, evenly oblique dividing line 

 from apex of primaries to the middle of the inner margin of second- 

 aries on the spread insect. 



