4 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 255 



described as a Hyponomeuta [sic]; however, he refused to abandon 

 decipiens as a specific name, partially because it seemed more appU- 

 cable, and also because he beheved the nomenclatural rules of priority 

 were too extreme. A year later (1881), Riley proposed that the 

 name quinquepunctellus be retained for the maculate variety of P. 

 decipiens; thus, he stUl preserved his name for the nominal species. 

 Similarly, Riley (1881) knew that the generic name Pronuba was 

 preoccupied, but he continued to use this name in subsequent papers. 

 This proved unfortunate because several contemporary and later 

 authors, undoubtedly influenced by Riley's domination of the subject, 

 likewise used these incorrect combinations for two of our most 

 common moths. 



Following the advice of Trelease, Riley (1892a) summarized much 

 of the subject matter included in his previous papers into a single 

 treatise. This reference has remained, to the present day, the most 

 informative source on the Prodoxinae. A year later, Trelease (1893) 

 summed up his observations on the pollination of several southwestern 

 yuccas in a publication which provided original information on the 

 behavior of two species of Tegeticula, synthetica and maculata, as well 

 as the description of a new melanic form (aterrima) of T. maculata. 

 At the close of his paper, Trelease presented a general account of the 

 evolution of the yuccas and their poUinators which has been the 

 most significant discussion on the subject. 



A brief review of the yucca moths was issued by Dyar (1903b). 

 This three page account contained essentially no biological data but 

 did present for the first time a taxonomic key for the separation of 

 the species. In 1915 an important paper by Busck appeared, de- 

 scribing a new species of Prodoxus reared from the flower stalks of 

 Agave; thus, it was then established that some members of this group 

 of moths were not restricted to Yucca in their feeding habits. The 

 species, P. barberellus, which Busck described has been found by the 

 present author to require a new generic placement. 



One of the few significant contributions on yucca moths to appear 

 in recent years was also by Busck (1947) and was published in Mc- 

 Kelvey's revision of the southwestern yuccas. During the course of 

 her field studies on the genus Yucca, McKelvey devoted some effort 

 toward assembling a representation of the insects collected in the 

 flowers. The specimens were sent to August Busck for identification 

 and are now deposited in the collections of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion. Due to his death in 1944, Busck was unable to publish the 

 results of his work on the Prodoxinae. McKelvey (1947), however, 

 assembled some of his notes and published them in the second and 

 final part of her revision. The significant part of Busck's notes was 



