58 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 244 



Recorded hosts. — Not definitely known. Jones (1945) provides 

 some information by quoting from A. Dampf that the larval cases were 

 sometimes found "on the trunks of leafless burseraceous trees." 



Distribution. — (Map 6.) Presently known only from the state of 

 Morelos, northern Sierra del Sur Section, between Puente de Ixtal and 

 Taxco. 



Discussion. — Cryptothelea congregata seems to possess the gregarious 

 habit of attaching the larval cases in a dense cluster that may contain 

 several dozen bags. Jones (1945), however, points out the possibility 

 that this behavior may only be a local condition induced by a scarcity 

 of suitable permanent supports in a very arid region, Jones reported 

 (in correspondence with Dampf) that "in late December these clusters 

 may be found in crevises or partly concealed by scales of bark, on the 

 trunks of (then) leafless burseraceous trees which occurred in scattered 

 growth under semi-desert conditions between Puente de Ixtla and 

 Taxco in the state of Morelos, Mexico, at an altitude of about 1,000 

 meters." He further mentioned that the larvae may aestivate 

 within these bags for a considerable period of time (at least three 

 months) before pupating. 



Material examined. — 3 microscope slides (cf structures), 51 cases: 



MEXICO: Morelos, 45 cases, 3 microscope slides (antennae, wings, cf genitalia), 

 USNM; 6 cases, ANS. 



13. Cryptothelea symmicta (Dyar), new combination 



Figures 11, 198, 256, 328; Map 6 



Platoeceticus symmicta Dyar, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 254, 1914. — Dalla 

 Torre and Strand, Lep. Cat., pars. 34, p. 193, 1929. — Gaede in Seitz, 

 Macrolep. World, vol. 6, p. 1183, 1936.— Jones, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 

 vol. 71, p. 110, 1945. 

 Platoeceticus gloverii Vazquez, Anales Inst. Biol., vol. 12, no. 1, p. 304, 1941, 

 (not Packard; in part). 

 Male. — (Fig. 11.) Antennae about 18 segments; sensory hairs 

 irregularly scattered, relatively long, fine, twice diameter of supporting 

 pectinations in length. 



Wings brownish fuscous. Primaries with scales of cell (fig. 328) narrowly 

 oblanceolate as m C. gloverii; Rj usually connate with R3+4, sometimes 

 stemmed to latter; M2 and 3 usually separate, occasionally appearing 

 nearly connate; Mi arising from cell distinctly closer to M2 than Rg. 

 Secondaries with Mj frequently atrophied. Wing expanse 8-14 mm. 

 Male genitalia. — (Fig. 256.) Small, usually about % to % size 

 of genitalia of C. gloverii. Saccus very slender, elongate. 



Eighth sternite (fig. 198) somewhat stout, basal portion nearly as 

 long as slender furcations. 

 Female. — Unknown. 



