42 INSECUTOR INSCITL^ MENSTRUUS 



GRACILARIA AZALEA BUSCK = G. ZACHRYSA 

 MEYRICK 



(Lepidoptera, Gracillariidce) 

 By august BUSCK 



In January, 1914, the writer described Gracilaria asalecB 

 (Ins. Ins. Mens., vol. 2, p. 1, 1914), a small moth, which during 

 the last few years has been repeatedly bred in this country from 

 hot-house Azalea imported from Europe. It was surmised at 

 the time that the moth also was imported and that it might 

 be already described ; but it could not be identified as any known 

 European or American species and a name was desirable as a 

 convenience. 



A specimen was since sent to Mr. Edward Meyrick in Eng- 

 land and he has kindly informed me (letter of December 29, 

 1914) that the species is identical with Gracilaria sachrysa, de- 

 scribed by him from Ceylon (Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, 

 vol. 17, p. 983, 1907) and figured in his revision of the 

 Gracilariidse (Genera Insectorum, fig. 4, 1912). The name 

 G. asalece Busck hence falls as a synonym. A good synonym 

 is rather an advantage than otherwise, and I have no apology 

 to ofifer for my failure to recognize a Gracilaria species from 

 New Jersey as one described from Ceylon and known from 

 only two specimens without biological notes. Even if the iden- 

 tity had occurred to me, it would have been preposterous to 

 make such a determination, which could only be made hf an 

 examination of the type specimens in Mr. Mey rick's collection. 

 The colored figure is a hindrance rather than a help in the 

 identification. 



This species was discovered in Boskoop, Holland, by Prof. 

 Ritzema Bos in the fall of 1912, infesting in large numbers 

 some young plants of Azalea indica, which had shortly before 

 been imported from Japan. The larva first mines and later 

 folds a leaf of Azalea and it appears to have done sufficient 

 damage in Holland to be regarded as of some economic im- 

 portance. It was pronounced by the Belgian specialists an 

 undescribed species and was given the provisional name G. 



