NORTH AMERICAN ACROLOPHIDAE — ^HASBROUCK 551 



them to agree with my previous concept of this moth. In addition, 

 at the Museum there are several sHde preparations of d^ genitaha, 

 labeled " plumifrontellus Clem.," agreeing with my figures representing 

 this species. 



Walsingham (1897) reported 'plumifrontellus from the West Indies 

 (Cuba and Puerto Rico). Barnes and Lindsey (1921) have published 

 a photograph of a preparation of the entu'e (^ genitalia of this species 

 in ventral aspect. 



Zeller, in describing Anaphora bombycina as a new species in 1873, 

 concluded his discussion of Clemens' genus Anaphora by saying of his 

 own series of specimens: "Whether I have Clemens' species among 

 my o\\n\ before me, I cannot decide with certainty from his descrip- 

 tions; therefore I am giving the latter under separate names." He 

 described scardina and bombycina at considerable length, and was 

 aware of the similarity between his bombycina and Clemens' plumi- 

 Jrontella, for in his remarks following his description of the former he 

 stated: "The maroon-brown, on which Clemens places considerable 

 stress in the case of his plujnifrontella, I fail to find throughout my 

 specimens." Zeller listed the sources of his material as follows: 

 "Native land of the 9 (according to Lederer), Buenos Ayres; the two 

 <f d^, which I obtained through Dr. Packard, presumably come from 

 Massachusetts." Thus, there is a strong suggestion that the series he 

 considered as bombycina contained at least two different species, 

 Walsingham (1887), in placing bombycina as a synonym of plumi- 

 frontellus, stated: 



In Zeller's series are four specimens; two from Massachusetts, sent by Mr. 

 Packard and labeled "hovihycina, Z."; a third from New York, with a label in Mr. 

 Grote's handwriting, "pluimfrontella, Clem."; the fourth is labeled "bombycina" 

 in Zeller's writing, and is a female, evidently of a different species, from Buenos 

 Ayres, received from Lederer. Professor Zeller (Verh. z.-b. Ges. Wien, 1873) 

 mentions his doubts about this South American female, but remarks that his 

 scruples were removed by the fact that "the wing-veins correspond exactly" with 

 those of the male from Massachusetts. We may thus safely conclude that 

 bombycina and plumifrontella are one and the same species. 



Since 1887, bombycina has consistently appeared in the literature as 

 a synonym of plumifrontellus. Despite the fact that Zeller apparently 

 had a mixed series representing bombycina, there is no reason to doubt 

 that his North American cf cf were plumifrontellus. Photographs 

 furnished by Mr. Tams, labeled "type cf, bombycina ZeU.," show, 

 through a dorsal view of the adult and a ventral view of the entire cf 

 genitalia, that it is unmistakably a typical specimen of plumifrontellus. 

 Thus, bombycina should be considered an old synonym of plumi- 

 frontellus and Walsingham should be given credit for sinking it. The 

 name is spelled bombycinus to agree grammatically with its present 

 genus, Acrolophus. 



676-573—64 5 



