CLEAR-WING MOTHS OF FAMILY AEGERIIDAE 63 



Male. — Antennae only slightly dilated toward apices, pectinations short 

 and fine, black with bluish reflections, sometimes with a short, huff shading 

 above on outer half. Labial palpi smooth, pale yelUnv, tips black. Head 

 violaceous-black. Collar yellow. Thorax black, lustrous blue-black or 

 coppery ; a long, thin, yellow stripe on patagia ; metathorax with yellow 

 tufts at the sides and a few flat yellow scales transversely; a yellow, 

 narrow patch at the sides before the wings and an irregular patch below 

 the wings. Abdomen long, slender, violaceous-black, all segments nar- 

 rowly banded with yellow above, the bands broadening at the sides and 

 uniting beneath ; bands on segments 3 and 5 fainter or sometimes wanting, 

 owing usually to abrasion or discoloi-ation ; anal tuft large, fan-shaped, 

 lustrous black, edged with yellow at the sides and yellow in the center 

 beneath. Legs yellow, violaceous-black on outer side, except at tibial 

 spurs ; tarsi yellow, touched with blackish between the joints. Forewing 

 transparent, with narrow metallic bronzy borders, the outer margin 

 broader and rounded inwardly, with yellow rays between the veins ; discal 

 mark straight, oblong, purplish black ; underside washed with yellow. 

 Hindwing transparent, margin narrow, black, dusted with yellow, fringes 

 (lull black, above and beneath. 



Female. — Similar to the male, but with a stouter body. Antennae 

 always buff or yellow before the tips. Margins and discal mark of the 

 forewing bronzy brown rather than bronzy black. Abdominal segments 

 4 and 6 conspicuously banded with yellow, twice as broad as the bands 

 on segments 1, 2, and 4; segment 5 not banded above, but broadly so 

 beneath, this band uniting with that on segment 4 ; the short, blunt anal tuft 

 black at the base and orange at the tip, above and beneath. 



Expanse: Male 18 to 21, female 18 to 26 mm. 



Distribution. — Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern States. 



Type. — In the British Museum of Natural History. 



Remarks.— Cr'xtiQdA studies of long series of well-preserved specimens 

 in the United States National Museum collection confirm Beutenmiiller's 

 conclusion in considering as synonyms the species listed under hassiformis. 

 Captured specimens of the moths, which are strong, active fliers, often 

 are worn and in the cabinet become discolored by grease. Judged by the 

 condition of types such imperfections have caused confusion in the past. 

 For accurate determination the venation and structures of the genitalia 

 are more dependable. Veins 10 and 11 of the forewing are confluent from 

 or before middle to costa. The sacculus ridge of the genitalia is densely 

 clothed with strong, bifurcated scales and connects before the margin of 

 the harpe with a recurving pocket filled with smaller lighter colored 

 scales. This structure, shared by other species of the genus, differs suffi- 

 ciently in details to afford specific alignment. 



C. hassiformis is a root borer in ironweed, Vernonia noveboracensis, 

 and in near-related species of this plant. I have failed to find it in joe- 



