2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 123 



Although the moths composing the genus Thioscelis are among the 

 largest and most striking in the family Stenomidae, they are relatively 

 rare in collections. Thus, the distributional data presented is frag- 

 mentary and, at best, merely reflects the state of current knowledge 

 concerning the genus. Certainly a great deal more collecting must 

 be done before an}^ reasonable speculations can be made concerning 

 the zoogeography of the group. Also, host plant records and other 

 life cycle data are completely lacking at this time, emphasizing once 

 again the critical need for increased field activity in the Neotropics. 



The author wishes to acknowledge with thanks the cooperation and 

 aid of the following persons who have allowed him to study the types 

 and specimens in their charge: Mr. P. E. S. Whalley and Mr. Allan 

 Watson of the British Museum (Natural History) ; Dr. J. G. Francle- 

 mont of Cornell University; and Dr. Fritz Kasy of the Naturhis- 

 torisches Museum, Vienna. 



The author also wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Mrs. 

 Sandra Duckworth in all phases of the study. The map and line 

 drawings were prepared by Mr. Andre Pizzini and the photographs 

 by Mr. Jack Scott. 



Work on this paper was aided in part by the National Science 

 Foundation on Grant GB-1800. 



History 



The genus Thioscelis was described by Meyrick (1909, p. 29) for a 

 new species, T. directrix, that he described from two specimens 

 collected in Peru. Walsingham (1912, p. 153) listed the genus for 

 Central America based on a specimen from Costa Rica in the U.S. 

 National Museum determined by A. Busck as T. directrix. Meyrick 

 (1932, p. 287) described a second species, T. geranomorpha, from 

 Brazil. Busck (1934, p. 6) listed Thioscelis and the two described 

 species in the Stenomidae part of the "Lepidopterorum Catalogus" 

 series. Clarke (1955, pp. 380-381) selected a lectotype and illustrated 

 the wings and male genitalia of T. directrix in his study of the Meyrick 

 types in the British Museum (Natural History) . 



Genus Thioscelis Meyrick 



Thioscelis Meyrick, 1909, p. 29. 



Type-species: Thioscelis directrix Meyrick, by monotypy. 



Head rough, lateral tufts spreading. Labial palpus long, recurved, 

 extending above head; second segment with appressed scales; apical 

 segment acute at apex, slightly shorter than second. Foreleg short, 

 tibia much dilated with dense scales; midleg normal, tibia covered 



