THE CACTUS-FEEDING PHYCITINAE — HEINRICH 347 



OLYCELLA SUBUMBRELLA (Dyar) 



Plate 36, Figure 43 



Olyca suhnmhrella Dyak, Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus, vol. 13, p. 14, 1925. 

 Olycella nephelepasa (Dyar), Proc. Eut. Soc. Washington, vol. 30, p. 134, 1928 

 (in part). 



Male. — Similar to that of nephelepasa except that the fore wing is 

 less brownish and more grayish than that of nephelepasa. The gen- 

 eral color is decidedly gray rather than brownish or ocherous. 



Alar expanse, 40-52 mm. 



Male genitalia as in nephelepasa and junctolineella. 



Female. — Similar to that of nephelepasa but without the brownish 

 overtint characteristic of the latter. 



Alar expanse, 43-55 mm. 



Female genitalia (figured from paratype from the type locality) 

 like those of junctolineella. Figure 43 shows the extreme variation 

 from typical junctoliTieella; but the differences in the shape of the 

 sclerotized areas of the collar of the eighth segment and the length 

 of the supporting rods of the collar are not specific. Every inter- 

 grade between this and typical junctolineella may be found in each 

 of the species in the genus. 



Type. — In United States National Museum. 



Type locality. — Carlsbad, N. Mex. 



Food plants. — Opuntia {Platypuntia) spp. 



Distrihution. — ^United States: Texas, El Paso (Mar.) ; Ne-w Mex- 

 ico^ Carlsbad (Sept.) ; Arizona., Dewey, Redington, Palmerlee, Para- 

 dise (Cochise County, Mar., Apr., May, June), Douglas (May, Aug.), 

 Pinal Mountains (Apr.), Hualapai Mountains (May); CoJifomia, 

 Warner (Sept.), Santa Clara (Apr.) ; Utah, Dividend (May, June), 

 Stockton (May), Eichfield (May); NehrasTca, Scotts Bluff (June). 



Sixty-three specimens examined. 



RemarJcs. — In addition to the above there are before me two speci- 

 mens from Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico (E. Mortensen collection, 

 Sept. 1926), which probably are referable here. One (a male) was 

 in the collection under jimctoUneella., the other (a female) under 

 nephelepasa. The male is in' very poor condition but obviously be- 

 longs with the female. The latter is in fair shape, and its color 

 is that of typical suburribrella. More material is needed from north- 

 ern Mexico before we can determine what species inhabits that region. 



In 1928 Dyar sank suhumhrella as a sjmonym of nephelepasa; but 

 Mr. Dodd informs me that the larval habits of the two are quite dif- 

 ferent. As he expects to publish his biological notes on the cactus- 

 feeding Lepidoptera, I shall not discuss these differences, except to 

 say that they seem sufficient, coupled with the different distributions 



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