26 BULLETIN 190, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



comes from Sonoma and Shasta Counties, Calif., which are north of the 

 range recorded for polygoni. Provisionally and until proved or corrected 

 by breeding, helianthi is considered a geographical race of polygoni. 



RAMOSIA FRAGARIAE (Hy. Edwards) 



Fyyrhotaenia fragariae Hy. Edwards, Papilio, vol. 1, p. 202, 1881. — Beutenmui.ler, 



Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 4, p. 174, 1892; vol. 5, p. 26, 1893; vol. 6, p. 95, 



1894; vol. 8, p. 143, 1896. 

 Pyrrhotacnia mcadii Hy. Edwards, Papilio, vol. 1, p. 204, 1881. — BEUTKNMuiXEii, 



Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 4, p. 174, 1892. 

 Pyrrhotacnia orthocarpi Hy. Edwards, Papilio, vol. !■, p. 204, 1881. — BeutenmOlxer, 



Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 4, p. 174, 1892; Mem. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 



vol. 1, pt. 6, p. 307, 1901. 

 Sesia fragariae Beutenmuller, Mem. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 1, pt. 6, p. 307, 



1901. 

 Sesia fragariae semipraestans Cockerell, Can. Ent., vol. 40, p. 329, 1908. 

 Synanthedon fragariae McDunnough, Check list of the Lepidoptera of Canada and 



the United States of America, pt. 2, No. 8746, 1939. 



Male. — Antennae black. Palpi red, edged with black on outer side. 

 Head lustrous steel blue. Collar red, mixed with black. Thorax steel 

 blue, patagia with a red stripe, broadening on lower part ; a red patch be- 

 fore and at the wing base beneath. Abdomen shiny steel blue, segments 

 1, 2, and 3 black above and in the center beneath, broadly red at the sides ; 

 segments 4, 6, and 7 red above, at the sides and beneath to the center, 

 which is black; anal tuft fan-shaped, red, black at the sides. Forewing 

 with a broad margin and a large, square, discal mark, metallic green-black; 

 transparent areas reduced ; inner margin red to about the middle of the 

 wing. Underside as above, costa and inner margin red basally. Hind- 

 wing transparent, margined with bronzy black outwardly and reddish on 

 basal half. 



Female. — Head, thorax, and abdomen like the male ; forewing heavily 

 scaled, nearly opaque, greenish black and red on inner margin basally ; a 

 transparent spot before and a thin, short, transparent streak behind the 

 discal mark; beneath shaded with red on basal half. Hindwing broadly 

 and irregularly margined, black outwardly, orange-red inwardly and be- 

 tween the veins to wing base ; underside sufifused with orange-red to the 

 narrow, black outer margins. Specimens from Colorado and Utah have 

 the hindwing nearly or quite opaque, orange-red. Anal tuft wholly red 

 or marked with black at the base and sides. 



Expanse : Male 18 to 20 mm., female 20 to 22 mm. 



Distribution. — Northern California to Alaska, Rocky Mountain system, 

 Utah to British Columbia. 



Type. — In the American Museum of Natural History. 



Remarks. — The maintenance of jragariae as a distinct species is ques- 

 tionable. There are no structural differences to warrant separation from 

 polygoni. However, while equally subject to variation, especially in the 



