REVISION OF MOTHS OF PRODOXINAE 



81 



Parasite.— "Eurytomidae: Eudecatoma fiamminneiventris (Gir- 

 aiilt)" (Balduf, 1932). 



Distribution (map 9) .—Presently known only from southern 

 Arizona and New Mexico. 



Discussion.— The life history of this species is poorly known, but 

 it appears to differ strikingly in some respects from what has been 

 observed in other species of Prodoxus. Apparently, the larva, which 

 feeds in the fleshy parts of the yucca fruit, is capable of inducing 

 "hard, gall-like swellings" in the fruit tissue (Riley, 1892a, p. 151) . This 

 reaction needs to be studied further, for it seems to differ markedly 

 from the cellular inhibition induced by adult females of the genus 

 Tegeticula. 



Map 9. — Distribution of Prodoxus y-inversus (black circles) and of host plant, Yucca schottii 



(shaded area). 



The cocoon formed by the larva also demonstrates some peculiarity 

 in that it consists of two chambers. Riley has described its structure 

 thusly (1892a, p. 151): "The cocoon, which, as with the other species, 

 is constructed within the burrow, is pale brownish, and resembles an 

 elongate, cyUndrical bag, rounded at the base and cylindrical at the 

 apex. When ready to transform, the larva retires to the lower third 

 of the bag and separates it from the upper two-thirds by a dense, 

 tough, delicate whitish layer of silk, thus dividing the cocoon into 

 two unequal chambers." 



The author has found P. y-inversus abundant in the blossoms of 

 Yucca schottii wherever he encountered the plant in flower. This 

 plant undoubtely serves as a host for P. y-inversus, because no other 

 yuccas with a comparable flowering period were observed in the general 

 vicinity of Y. schottii. With this in mind and also the fact that the 

 moths have never been collected in the flowers of Y. baccata, the host 

 record as given by Riley appears questionable. 



It is probable that P. y-inversus, as well as P. ochrocarus, con- 

 sistently occur rather late in the season, and that they are restricted 

 to the late blooming Y. schottii. If this is true, then it would be 



