74 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 25 6 



and their work resembled that of the preceding species in that con- 

 siderable cavities were made in the stems and exit holes had been cut 

 out by the full-grown individuals. Although many of the exit holes 

 had been made very recendy, no cocoons were found. 



Brazil. Around Queimadas, in the dry inland portion of the 

 State of Bahia, solitary larvae occurred in the erect Opuntia palmadora 

 in January 1929. They varied in size from very small to about three- 

 quarters of an inch in length. The very young larvae were white; 

 subsequendy they became yellowish and then dark brown, but the 

 largest examples were cream-colored with definite black markings. 

 The small terminal segments of 0. palmadora were attacked first and 

 were often destroyed. The larvae tunneled freely through into the 

 larger segments and old work was observed in the main stems. Further 

 west at Joazeiro, and between that point and the Rio Branco in the 

 State of Pernambuco, very small larvae that appeared to represent 

 the same insect were found in the low-growing 0. inamoena. 



Paraguay. At least three larvae representing three species of 

 Phycitidae were found in November-December 1958 attacking stems 

 and fruit of Harrisia martinii, H. bonplandii, H. guelichii, H. pomanensis, 

 and Cereus sp. 



Argentina. At Salsacate, Tapia, Vipos, and Gumbre, larvae of 

 four species of Phycitidae were found attacking stems and fruit of 

 Cereiis validus and Trichocereus in December 1958. 



Lepidoptera: Pyralidae 

 The family Pyralidae is represented by one very interesting form. 



BEEBEA Schaus 



Beebea gugUelmi Schaus 



This species was not encountered during the Board's investigations, 

 but is included here because of its outstanding interest. In the first 

 place, it is the only true pyralid known to attack Cactaceae, and hence 

 it has no near relations among the cactus-feeding Lepidoptera. Sec- 

 ondly, it is the largest of the cactus- moth borers. 



It was described as new, and a genus was erected for its reception, 

 in 1923 from specimens collected the same year in the Galapagos 

 Islands, which are situated in the Pacific Ocean several hundred 

 miles off the coast of Ecuador. However, the insect had been discovered 

 many years earlier in 1905-06 by Dr. F. X. Williams, who (1930) 

 published notes on its habits. 



