54 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 256 



Apparently there are two generations annually. Material from 

 Presidio in western Texas produced moths from late June to early 

 August, while adults from California emerged in the second half of 

 August to early September. Moths from Carlsbad, New Mexico, were 

 obtained in May, and at Tuscon, Arizona, several were captured at 

 light in June. Heinrich records adults in every month from April to 

 August. Under cage conditions at Uvalde, Texas, from eggs deposited 

 in August and early September, adults emerged in late March and the 

 first half of April. Full-grown larvae have been found in western Texas 

 in February. 



It would seem that moths emerge in the spring, April-May, and again 

 in summer, from June to September. 



Parasites. — Two pupal parasites have been reared, an ichneumon, 

 Temelucha sp., and the braconid Apanteles etiellae. 



RUMATHA Heinrich 



Of the three species, all from the United States, included by Heinrich 

 (1956) in this genus, Rumatha bihinda (Dyar) is known in the adult stage 

 only, and R. polingella (Dyar) is recorded by Heinrich as having been 

 for the first time reared from Opuntia leptocaulis. 



Rumatha glaucatella (Hulst) 



The distribution of this species appears to be restricted to southern 

 Texas. Heinrich lists specimens from several localities from San Antonio 

 and Laredo south to Brownsville, captured or reared in May, June, 

 July, and August. 



During the Board's investigations, the whitish larvae were found 

 living singly in the terminal segments of the "tasagillo" Cylindro- 

 puntia Opuntia leptocaulis at Brownsville, Uvalde, Laredo, and between 

 Stockdale and Yorktown. The plants may suffer considerable damage 

 from the attack. The larvae pupate within the feeding tunnels. Adults 

 have been reared in June and August. The forewings are grey, marked 

 with white, and the hindwings white. This is one of the smaller species, 

 with a wing expanse of approximately three-quarters of an inch. 



Rumatha polingella (Dyar) 



This species, originally described by Dyar (1906) in Z'^phodia was 

 placed under Rumatha by Heinrich (1956), who reports the type 

 locality as Southern Arizona and the food plant as Opuntia {Cylindro- 

 puntia) leptocaulis. A small male, reared from this cactus species from 

 Presidio, Texas, is the first such record for this species, previously 

 known from adults only. 



