62 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 256 



i 

 Eremberga leuconips (Dyar) 



This insect has not been found elsewhere than in southern Arizona, 



where it was recorded by officers of the Board as attacking Echinocereus 



polyacanthus at Roosevelt, Douglas, and the Baboquivari and Quijotoa 



Mountains. The larvae are white, with dark spots forming incomplete 



cross bands, and they live singly or in small colonies within the host 



plant. They were full grown in June and July, spun loose cocoons 



beneath the plant, and produced moths in July. Heinrich records moths 



in August and September. The adult has a wing ex'panse of 25 to 37 mm. ; 



the forewings are grey, with dark longitudinal lines along several veins; 



the hindwings are somewhat brown in the female, pearly white in the 



male. 



SALAMBONA Heinrich 



This genus was erected by Heinrich for the Argentine form described 

 by Dyar as y^ophodia analamprella. 



Salambona analamprella (Dyar) 



The habits render this species one of the most interesting of the cactus 

 phycitids, since the larvae are either phytophagous or carnivorous. 

 In the early summer the larvae attack the flower buds, flowers, young 

 fruit, and very young growth of Opuntia, while in the late summer 

 and autumn they are actively predacious on the cochineal mealy bugs 

 Dactylopius spp. feeding on prickly pear. 



The distribution extends from the Province of Rio Negro in the 

 southern section of Argentina, and embraces the main prickly pear 

 area of the Republic, including the western Provinces of Mendoza 

 and San Juan, north through Santiago del Estero and Salta, and 

 eastward to the Province of Entre Rios and Uruguay. Larvae attack- 

 ing cochineal at Asuncion, Paraguay, may have represented this 

 species. 



The more general habit is the predacious one. The insect is one of 

 the most important enemies of Dactylopius in Argentina. It is very prev- 

 alent from February to August and often exercises a very considerable 

 degree of control over its host. The larvae live singly in tunnels in the 

 segments beneath the cochineal cultures. If the available quantity of 

 cochineal is destroyed before the larva is full-grown, it may extend 

 the tunnel for some distance and complete its development as a plant 

 feeder. 



By the end of the winter the activities of various predators have 

 severely depleted the population of cochineal, which is usually very 

 sparsely distributed from September to January. Hence, in November, 

 December, and January S. analamprella is generally found attacking 



