BAGWORM MOTHS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE 123 



area of South America except the southern regions of the Parana 

 Paraguay Phiin and the Patagonian Plateau. 



Discussion. — In this troublesome genus, Oiketicus kirhyi presents 

 the greatest difficulties. 



Comparatively little is known about the variation in case construc- 

 tion of this common species; owing to the paucity of rearing data, 

 few bags can be linked ^dth certainty to the adults. Within certain 

 parts of the range, various forms of cases have been found, notably 

 some that lack the outer covering of silk and have a small number 

 of twigs incorporated in their construction. Such larval cases have 

 been found in Cuba (see p. 157). They may belong to other species 

 or they may represent extreme variations of 0. kirhyi. For the 

 present, until proven otherwise, it is probably best to assume that 

 these cases pertain to other species and that the larval case of 0. 

 kirhyi consistently is swathed in silk. 



The loss of the type material, the absence of any designation more 

 definite than 'Tndia Occidentalis" as the type locality, and the 

 inadequacy of Guilding's description and illustrations make positive 

 specific identification and application of the name "kirhyi" somewhat 

 doubtful. However, specimens from areas of the West Indies that 

 are very similar to specimens from Central and South America 

 remove most of the doubt. 



The original locality of 0. kirhyi has been referred rather doubt- 

 fully to Jamaica by some authors (Forbes, 1942, and Wolcott, 1951). 

 Frank M. Jones, investigating the origin of 0. kirhyi, concluded that 

 St. Vincent of the Lesser Antilles probably was the type locality. 

 The present writer concurs with the latter. 



The author of both the genus and species of Oiketicus kirhyi, 

 Rev. Lansdown Guilding, was an English clergyman who resided 

 on the island of St. Vincent. In his paper on Oiketicus kirhyi, Guilding 

 states that he observed this insect, among others, from 1817 to 1826. 

 Author of at least twelve papers and one book dealing with West 

 Indian biology, he based his studies on the one island of St. Vincent. 

 It seems reasonable that this island is the type locality for 0. kirhyi 

 as well as Cryj^tothelea macleayi (Guilding). Jones (1945), however, 

 rightfully has cautioned that the origin of 0. kirhyi and/or C. macleayi 

 may have been elsewhere since Guilding probably made visits to 

 adjacent islands. Moreover, the presence of a botanical garden 

 on St. Vincent during Guilding's tenure offers the additional possi- 

 bility of accidental introductions of such insects as bagworms. 



Guilding's illustration of 0. kirhyi also has presented problems 

 because it is milike almost any known specimen of this species or 

 any native psychid of that area. The moth was pictured as being 

 uniformly dark; although the primaries lacked a darker discal spot 



693-052—64 9 



