323 



7. Platyptilia tesseradactyla Linn. PI. XLI, fig. 17. PI. L, fig. 8. 



Alucita tesseradactyla Linnaeus, Faun. Suec. 370, 1761. 

 Ptcrophorus tcsscradactybis Fabricius, Mant. Ins. II, 259, 1787. 

 Pteroplwrus fischeri Zeller, Isis X, 781, 1841. 

 Platyptilus fischeri Gartner, Wien. ent. Mon. VI, 331, 1862. 

 Platyptilia tesseradactyla Femald, Smith's List Lep. N. A. 87, 1891. 



Id., Pter. N. A. 33, pi. VIII, ff. 8, 9, 1898. 



Id., Bull. 52 U. S. N. M. 444, 1902. 



Dyar, Proc. U. S. N. M., XXVII, 923, 1904. 



Anderson, Cat. B. C. Lep. 50, 1904. 



B. C. Ent. Soc. Check List 42, 1906. 



Meyrick, Gen. Ins. C, 11, 1910. 



Winn, List Ins. Que. 85, 1912. 



Meyrick, Wagner's Lep. Cat. pars 17, 13, 1913. 



Barnes & McDunnough, Check List 150, 1917. 

 ^Platyptilia tessaradactyla Hofmann, Deutsch. Pter. 64, 75, 1895 (biol.). 



Vestiture of brownish gray scales, mixed and overlain with whitish 

 scales. Antennae dotted with white above. Palpi small, so that they appear 

 scarcely to exceed the front. Legs whitish tinged with brown on one side. 

 Abdomen with white scales in posterior margins of segments. Thorax white 

 behind. 



Primaries rather evenly grayish, the markings produced by variation in 

 the mixture of white scales, and therefore powdery and indefinite. Costa 

 darker, dotted with white, with the usual dark triangle, sometimes very vague, 

 before cleft. This contains two dark dots connected by a transverse shade, 

 variably distinct, just before cleft. Outer transverse white line present, incom- 

 plete on second lobe. Sometimes with a vague dark dot in cell and blotch near 

 middle of inner margin. Fringes whitish with gray tips, with dark tufts at 

 apex and anal angle of each lobe, two on inner margin, and a basal row of 

 dark scales along outer margin. Secondaries brownish gray, fringes slightly 

 paler with dark scales at tip of each lobe and a weak tuft of approximately equal 

 dark scales just beyond middle of inner margin of third lobe, sometimes pre- 

 ceded by scattered scales. Expanse 16-20 mm. 

 The male genitalia are very simple. 



Distribution : Europe. Quebec to N. Y. and Pa., Colo. We 

 have a series from New Brighton, Pa., taken in May (Merrick), one 

 from Durham, N. H., and a single $ from Silverton, Colo., taken 

 early in August. There are New York specimens taken in April and 

 May in the Cornell collection and two Mass. specimens in the Fernald 

 collection. In the last there is also one specimen from Marshall's 

 Pass., Colo., taken July 15, 1888. Dyar lists it from the Kootenai 

 District, B. C. 



