REVISION MALACOSOMA HUBNER IN NORTH AMERICA 139 



Malacosoma calif ornica (Packard), Dyar, 1898, p. 6. — Dyar, 1903, p, 262. — 

 Essig, 1926, p. 697 (in part).— Dyar, 1928, p. 623, pi. 86c.— McDunnough, 

 1938, p. 138.— Langston, 1957, p. 6 (in part). 



Malacosoma pluviale (Dyar), sensu Steinhaus, 1962, p. 433 (in part, No. 782). 



ADULT MALES (figs. 176-178 and 205).— Color variable, ground 

 color ranging from yellow (fig. 176) to deep reddish-brown (fig. 178), 

 and all intermediate shades. Lines on forewings appearing light or 

 dark, depending on the ground color; lines usually bordered by yellow 

 on inner side of inner line and on outer side of outer line. Yellowish 

 specimens appear to have brown lines crossing wings; brownish speci- 

 mens may have darker brown lines, but they usvially have yellowish 

 lines or brown lines bordered by yellow. Median area variable, ranging 

 from yellow to brown on yellowish specimens, and brownish on brown 

 specimens; median area never fight enough to be considered a yellow 

 band on any specimens examined to date. Hindwing brown, usually 

 about same shade as darkest brown of forewing, occasionally crossed 

 by a faint line. Lower surface of both forewings and hindwings about 

 same color as upper surface of hindwing, and both wings usually 

 crossed by a single contrasting line. Terminalia (figs. 19, 44, and 64) 

 as described for the northwestern populations of M. calif ornicum under 

 "comments" (page 128), 



ADULT FEMALES (figs. 179-181 and 203).— Color more constant 

 than males, and usually lighter; ground color ranging from light 

 yellow (fig. 179) to a light orange-brown (fig. 181) and all intermediate 

 shades. Lines on forewings brownish, bordered with yellow as in males, 

 but the yellow border is only conspicuous on darker specimens. Median 

 area usually about same color as inner and outer areas. Hindwings 

 usually somewhat darker than forewings, often crossed by a contrasting 

 line. Lower surface of both forewings and hindwings about same color 

 as upper surface of hindwing, and both wings crossed by a single 

 contrasting line ; occasionally a faint second line is present ventrally on 

 forewing, corresponding in position to inner line on upper surface. 

 Genital plate usually unsclerotized or only slightly so. Ovipositor 

 lobes as in figures 91 and 92, but usually with the dorsal lobe reduced 

 so it is more like figure 98. See description of terminalia for northwestern 

 populations of Af. calif ornicum under "comments" (page 128). 



terminalia and epiphysis identify it as californicum, however. The fact that the type 

 has a good superficial resemblance to disstria and the erroneous association of 

 disstria larvae to the name "thoracica" by several early workers has caused it to be 

 listed as a synonym or form of disstria in the past. See the discussion of Stretch's 

 types in Appendix II (page 283). 

 279-280—68 10 



