MOTHS OF THE GENUS RUPELA HEINRICH 357 



or less broadened, not produced caudally (bandlike) ; liarpe with 

 basal costal process produced, cucullus weakly sclerotized and 

 simple; transtilla, when distinguishable, seldom sclerotized through- 

 out; anellus w^th shieldlike ventral plate (juxta) and a more or 

 less sclerotized dorsal part, which is frequently armed with spines; 

 aedeagus moderately long, cylindrical, straight or only slightly bent, 

 penis entrance well forward of base; cornuti rarely present; vinculum 

 narrow, only slightly produced beyond base of harpe; from inter- 

 segmental membrane attaching to base of vinculum, a pair of fine, 

 moderately long hair tufts. 



Female genitalia with bursa copiilatrix elongate, very weakly 

 sclerotized. simple, with no trace of signa; ductus bursae sclero- 

 tized toward genital opening; area about genital opening alwaj^s 

 more or less sclerotized, often with a well-developed and deeply 

 pigmented genital plate; ovipositor rods moderately long; rods of 

 eighth segment collar of abdomen about twice the length of ovi- 

 positor rods, strong. 



This genus, as far as I know, is confined to the New World. It 

 contains all the white and two of the nonwhite American species 

 formerly referred to Topeutis { = Scirpophaga). Five tropical 

 American species {hivitta Moschler, perstrkdis Hlibner, rcpugnatalis 

 Walker, terreUa Hampson, and irrorata Hampson) are still prop- 

 erly referable to Topeutis on venational and palpal characters. 

 These are all brown species or have the forewings banded with 

 brown. One of the Rupela species has a brown form {tinctella 

 Walker) and another {paUidula^ new species) has gray-tinted fore 

 wings and fuscous hind wings. All the other species are white and 

 not to be distinguished from each other except by their genitalia. 



Rupela is apparently closely allied to Topeutis^ from which it 

 differs in having upturned labial palpi and vein 10 of fore wing 

 from the stalk of 8-9. In Topeutis the palpi are porrect and vein 

 10 is from the cell; very rarely (in a few specimens of terrella 

 Hampson) is vein 10 short stalked with 8-9. These differences were 

 noted by Dyar in 1913 when he removed Rupela from the synonji'my 

 of Scirpophaga. where it had been placed by Hampson in 1896. 



The males divide into two distinct groups, one having a band- 

 like gnathos and yellow anal tuft, the other a beaklike gnathos and 

 white anal tuft. If a corresponding character can. be found in the 

 female genitalia it may be possible to remove the species with the 

 bandlike gnathos from Rupela and give them a separate generic 

 designation ; but as yet we have no females definitely associated 

 with males in this group and, therefore, are not justified in erecting 

 a new oenus. 



