REVISION OF MOTHS OF PRODOXINAE 37 



the seed pods of Yucca collected near Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. 

 Donald Anderson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified 

 the predator as a species of Enoclerus, probably spinolae (LeConte). 

 In the collections of the U.S. National Museum are numerous larvae 

 of E. spinolae which likewise were discovered in yucca fruit collected 

 in Mexico. 



The larvae (especially the later instars) were found usually in the 

 burrows excavated by Tegeticula yuccasella and probably enter the 

 fruit pod thi'ough the same vacated burrows. It may be generally 

 stated that most larval Cleridae are predaceous and typically feed 

 upon wood and bark boring Coleoptera. The eggs are laid externally 

 in crevices or in the entrance bm-rows created by the borers. Upon 

 hatching from the egg, the larva enters the burrows in search of prey. 



Numerous other beetle larve (seed borers and scavengers) were also 

 present in the fruit collected near Monterrey, and these probably 

 comprise a major part of the food supply for predators. On no occa- 

 sion was an Enoclerus actually observed feedmg on larval Tegeticula. 

 Mature moth larvae were sometimes present in the same pod contain- 

 ing Enoclerus, and it is possible that these forms are seldom attacked. 



Probably the period when Tegeticula are most susceptible to preda- 

 tors occurs from the time the larva leaves the fruit to until it has 

 formed a cocoon. Wandering ants undoubtedly prey on many larvae 

 before they are able to bmTow underground. Riley (1873a) has 

 reported predation of larvae by ants within the seed capsule at about 

 the time the larva is preparing to leave. Spiders (particularly Thomi- 

 sidae) and predaceous beetles, which frequently may be seen residing 

 in the yucca flowers, probably attack the adult moths at times. Such 

 examples of predatism have been observed for Prodoxus y-invcrsus. 



Also present at times, living as scavengers in the abandoned biu-rows 

 of T. yuccasella, are moth larvae of the family Blastobasidae. Eleven 

 adults, identified as Holcocera gigantella Chambers, were reared from 

 the pods of Yucca filifera which were collected by the author near 

 Tula, Hidalgo (Mexico). These specimens (fig. 91), although con- 

 siderably paler than typical H. gigantella from the United States 

 (fig, 90), are identical to Chambers' species in regard to the male 

 and female genitaha. Eventually it may be decided that these 

 Mexican moths represent a southern race. 



In his original description of H. gigantella. Chambers (1876) states 

 that the type series was collected on the leaves of Yucca, and that 

 the larva probably wiU be discovered feeding on some part of the 

 plant. Thus, this prediction has proven correct. In addition to the 

 Mexican material mentioned above, typical specimens of this species 

 (deposited in the U.S. National Museum) have been reared from the 

 seed pods of yucca collected in CaUfornia; one moth is reported from 



