376 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxv. 



PRIONAPTERYX SERPENTELLA, new species. 



Expanse, 18-21 mm. 



Head Avh.ite, slightlj^ speckled with brown, a brown spot in front; 

 on top and behind it are two smaller ones; labial palpi, basal joint 

 externally and basal and median joints internally white, outer half 

 above, internally shaded with leaden fuscous; externally there is a 

 black patch on basal joint (a small dot of same color behind it 

 under eye) ; second joint narrowly white at base, then broAvn above, 

 shading into leaden fuscous; maxillary palpi with a black spot at 

 extreme base, another about middle of first joint, and a brown shade 

 above and below the outer joint, internally white; antenna annulated 

 Avhite and dark brown ; thorax white, heavily mottled with brown ; 

 abdomen ochreous white; there is a posterior dark brown streak on 

 second segment ; underside whitish with subventral brown line on 

 middle segments; legs pale ochreous; tarsi banded with brown. 



Fore wing dark chocolate brown, marked with pearly white. From 

 the base below costa a sinuate line goes to inner fifth, curves under 

 across fold, then proceeds obliquely to dorsum at inner third ; there 

 it curves upward and inward, ending at fold. At the base is a 

 whitish dorsal patch which joins the inner end of this sinuate line. 

 There is a broken middle transverse line, much angulated; the upper 

 part starts beyond middle of costa, curves obliquely outward, and 

 sends a very fine line outward to subterminal ; in the middle of wing 

 is a crescent-shaped mark which forms the middle section ; this sends 

 a fine inwardly oblique line to the outer part of the sinuate line. 

 There is a white streak on outer fourth of costa and a dusting of 

 white below it on lower half of wing. The terminal line is shining 

 white ; from the costa it is sharply oblique into the angle above the 

 termen incision, thence as sharply oblique inward to under its start- 

 ing point on costa, thence nearly straight to dorsum, with a slight 

 angle at lower fifth; adjoining it outwardly is a broad triangular 

 white patch in middle of wing and a small white patch at tornus; a 

 triangular white apical streak is narrowly edged outwardly with 

 broAvn. Above the incision the cilia is white at base, brown out- 

 wardly ; below it is Avhite at base, shading into gray externally. 



Hind wing Avhitish gray, cilia white ; underside the same. Under- 

 side fore wing light cinereous gray, with the dark and whitish spots 

 in apex repeated. 



Six specimens, Vernon and Sabine parishes, Louisiana, June and 

 July, collected by George Coverdale ; Cocoanut Grove, Florida, E. A. 

 Schwarz, from National ^lu.seum collections. 



Cotypes. — Cat. No. 11951, U.S.N.M., and the Author's collection. 



The venation is the same as P. nehulifcra Stephens, and the colors 

 are alike in both species, but the markings are entirely diflferent. 



