40 



U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 55 



of ovipositor rounded, serrulate. Oviduct elongate, greatly surpassing 

 length of apophyses. Junction of ductus bursa with oviduct posterior 

 to spermatheca, as in T. yuccasella. 



Type. — Lectotype (designated by present author), 9, Mojave, 

 California, Feb. 4, 1891, through C. V. Riley, USNM 416; in the 

 United States National Museum, 



Type locality. — Mojave, Kern Co., Calif, (lectotype). 



Recorded host. — ''Yucca hrevifolia Engelmann," Riley, 1892a. 

 Larva bores in seeds of host plant. 



Distribution (map 3). — Present records restrict this moth to 

 western Arizona and southern California. In addition to these 

 areas, the host is known also from southern Nevada and the extreme 

 southwestern part of Utah. 



Discussion. — RUey first referred to this species ( 1889a, b) asPronuba 

 paradoxa; but because this name was proposed without any accom- 

 panying diagnosis, it can have no taxonomic standing. The species 

 was first described in May, 1892, as Pronuba synthetica. 



Riley considered T. synthetica to represent one of the more ancient 

 members of the Lepidoptera, and, indeed, it may. It should be 

 remembered, however, that certain features, although appearing 

 superficially primitive, may actually represent specializations. For 

 example, the dark, thinly scaled wings and flattened body of this 



Map 3. — Distribution of Tegeticula synthetica (black circles) and of host plant, Yucca hrevi- 

 folia (shaded area). 



