8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 119 



Unfortunately, the food plant is known for only three species of the 

 complex, and in most instances few representatives of any one species 

 are present in collections. Moreover, most specimens are from 

 scattered localities ; moderate series are available for only two species ; 

 and, in each of these two series variation seems to be relatively Umited. 



The species involved are jubata, new species, nefrens, new species, 

 princeps, recens, new species, rectistrigella, sironae, new species, thaliae, 

 new species, and variabilis. Within the series of variabilis in the 

 USNM collection are specimens with the same maculation as rectistri- 

 gella, but which were not so identified. Also some of the specimens 

 that were in the determined series of rectistrigella have been referred 

 elsewhere. This is not to say that some species of the variabilis group 

 do not have constant maculational differences. L. princeps, recens, 

 and sironae usually can be identified on the basis of maculation alone. 



Representatives of some populations, here designated as species, 

 may prove to be races of variable species; however, the morphology 

 of a Mmited number of specimens leads me to segregate several entities. 

 Busck (1939) resurrected Treitschke's genus Lita and defined it using 

 characters of the male and female genitalia. He included ten species 

 of which diversella (Busck) and prorepta (Meyiick) are referable to 

 Aria and Sriferia, new genus, respectively. Lita crocipunctella 

 Walsingham is clearly a species of Chionodes and so is transferred. 

 Thirteen new species are described in this paper, and princeps (Busck) 

 is transferred from Gnorimoschema Busck; thus, the known world 

 fauna consists of 22 species. Lita solutella (Zeller) is Palearctic, 

 virgella (Thunberg) is Holarctic, and the remaining species are Ne- 

 arctic, mainly western. 



Key to Species of Lita 



1. Frons and vertex produced 2 



Frons and vertex smooth, not produced 9 



2. Distal portion of dorsal frontal protuberance with narrowly elliptical cross 



section (fig. 64) jubata, new species 



Distal portion of dorsal frontal protuberance with broadly elliptical or 

 circular cross section 3 



3. Forewing pattern a series of longitudinal lines (figs. 33, 34). 



nefrens, new species 

 Forewing pattern with transverse or oblique elements (figs. 8, 15) ... 4 



4. Forewing with a dorsal, transverse band (or two spots combining to form 



band) at one-third (figs. 15, 17) 5 



Forewing lacking a dorsal, transverse band at one-third 6 



5. Dorsal element of frontal protuberance tapering to apex; ventral element 



raised and partially fused with dorsal one (fig. 65) . . puertella (Busck) 



Dorsal element of frontal protuberance slightly expanded apically; ventral 



element low (fig. 59) deoia, new species 



6. Margin of dorsal element of frontal protuberance heavily sclerotized (figs. 



61, 62) 7 



