MOTHS OF THE SCOPULEPES GROUP — TODD 513 



Discussion: II. aurora (Walker) superficially resembles scopulepes, 

 but the tibia of the middle leg of the males of aurora are greatly 

 reduced, and the undersurface of the forewing docs not bear a tuft 

 of hair as in scopulepes. Males of zayasi likewise differ in these two 

 respects from scopulepes, but the basal tarsal segment of the middle 

 leg is enlarged (nearly as wide as tibia) in zayasi and normal in 

 aurora. The inner (posterior) spur of the middle leg is very long 

 and slender (as long as basal tarsal segment) in aurora but only about 

 half as long as basal tarsal segment in zayasi. 



The three specimens of aurora that have been studied exhibit some 

 differences in maculation of the wings from scopulepes and zayasi, 

 but three specimens represent such a small sample that it is not 

 known whether the differences are constant and accordingly charac- 

 teristic of the species. In the males the dark terminal marking of 

 the forewing is only slightly darker than the median part of the wing; 

 the basal edge of the marking is diffuse and poorly defined. The sub- 

 terminal series of dark points is well developed, the spots nearest the 

 inner margin largest. The apical part of the hindwing distad of post- 

 medial band is suffused with salmon pink and has a subterminal series 

 of dark points present. The female appears to differ from females of 

 the other two species in that the postmedial band of the hindwing is 

 nearly obsolescent. In both sexes the reniform spot of the forewing 

 is nearly obsolescent, while in the other species, especially scopulepes, 

 it is usually well developed. 



Length of forewing: Male 12 to 13 mm.; female 13 mm. 



The characteristic male and female genitalia are illustrated (fig. 5). 



Type: In the British Museum (Natural History), London, England. 



Type locality: "St. Domingo." 



Misidextification: This name was erroneously listed as a syn- 

 onym of Hemeroplanis pyraloides Hubner, one of the synonyms of 

 H. scopulepes (Haworth) by Druce (1890, Biologia Centrali-Ameri- 

 cana, Insecta, Lepidoptera, Heterocera, vol. 1, pt. 85, p. 412). 



Distribution: Only five specimens of this species are known in 

 collections, and they are all from Hispaniola. In addition to the 

 type, there are three other specimens in the British Museum (Natural 

 History), all with labels identical to those of the type. It has been 

 possible, through the courtesy of Fletcher and the authorities of the 

 British Museum (Natural History), to study a pair of these specimens. 

 The other specimen of aurora, a male, is from Petionville, Haiti, 

 May-June 1930, O. Fulda, and is from the collection of the Depart- 

 ment of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 



Remarks: The specimens illustrated (plate 1, figs. 7-8) are not 

 so dark as the photographs indicate. The ground color is not darker 



