OF NORTH AMERICA. 115 



B0MBYCID5;. 



PTILODONTINJl. 



Geuus NOTODONTA. OchsLmheimer. 



Head small, hairy, sunk in prothorax. Eyes large. Front narrow, 

 hairy. Palpi very minute. Antennae moderate, bipectinate in 3 , 

 sometimes only slightly so, simple in ? . Prothorax, patagia and 

 thorax hairy, scales appressed, raised behind. Abdomen stout, slightly 

 tapering. Legs slender, anterior pair broadly fringed outwardly down 

 to the tarsi. 



Anterior wings long ; costa straight, moderately rounded on outer 

 third ; apex well produced. Outer margin very oblique, slightly con- 

 vex, very slightly scolloped between veins. Inner margin as long as 

 or only slightly longer than outer margin, with a hairy tooth about its 

 centre. The subcostal vein is 4-branched ; the ist branch rises mid- 

 way between the base and discal vein, and is very long ; the 2d rises 

 one-third of the distance from the discal vein to the apex, and throws 

 off two short branches to the costa ; 3rd, rises at origin of second, 

 and 4th at the discal vein, both going to the outer margin. The me- 

 dian vein is 3-branched ; 3rd median nervule distant from the origin 

 of 1st and 2d. An intermediate vein springs from the centre of the 

 oblique discal vein. 



Posterior wings much shorter than the primaries ; costa more or less 

 convex ; apex rounded ; outer margin more or less rounded ; anal 

 angle distinct ; inner margin rounded, nearly as long as the outer 

 margin. 



Colors of the primaries varying shades of grey or brown ; second- 

 aries usually very pale. 



The home of this genus appears to be Europe. In America it is 

 represented by three species, which may be distinguished as follows : 



* Anterior wings with no transverse lines. 

 Upper wings pale, with costal patch ) 



and dark longitudinal streak ) - - - N. Cali/ornica. 



** Anterior wings with transverse lines. 



With distinct discal spot - N. siragula. 



Without discal spot - - N. basisiriens. 



