444 



I'IcroI'liorus pkiipennis Grinncll. Can. Ent. XL, 320, 1908. 

 Meyrick, Wagner's Lep. Cat. pars 17, 25, 1913. 

 Barnes & McDunnough, Check List 151, 1917 



Head very dark brown above, slightly paler in front, nnicli paler between 

 antennae, whose bases are sometimes connected in front of this pale area with 

 a white line. Antennae whitish with brown dots above, sometimes almost com- 

 pletely dark. Palpi small, obliqne, whitish, darkened at tips. Thorax white, 

 yellow, tawny, gray, cinnamon or dark brown. Abdomen more or less brown- 

 ish or grayish, with some dark streaks and dashes, and a narrow dorsal stripe, 

 concolorous with thorax, which widens anteriorly and is sometimes margined 

 with white toward its junction with the thorax. The only features of the legs 

 which need be noted are the slender tufts of the front and middle tibiae and 

 the crest of scales which is usually present on the upper surface of the hind 

 tarsi. 



The primaries are narrow, as noted ia the key, but have unusually long 

 fringes at the anal angle of the second lobe. The longest of these exceed the 

 width of the lobe. The color of these wings is extremely variable. We have 

 specimens whicli are yellowish tawnj-, and others gray or whitish with a few- 

 brown scales, cinnamon, and various mixtures of these colors. The costa may 

 have a blackish spot well out toward middle of first lobe, and in the less grayish 

 examples is sprinkled from base to opposite cleft with black and white. There 

 is a Mack spot before liase of cleft sometimes extended to it, a dot in cell, some 

 at tips of veins in both lobes, and some black scales streaking the wing, at 

 least near inner margin. Secondaries and fringes of both wings brownish gray. 

 Expanse 21-27 mm. 



Distribution: Europe, N. Africa and Asia. N. America from 

 .'\llanlic to I'acific and from Alexico into southern (_'anada. March 

 to Novemlier, even in the northern ]iart of its range. 



The brief Euroijean sj'nonyniy is taken from ]\Ieyrick'.s writings. 

 The tyjies of cincridactylns and nacz'osidactylus are in tlie Fernald 

 collection, of pcrgyacilidactyliis in the ("ambridge IMuseum. of bai-bcri 

 in the National IMuseum and of ['ictipeiDiis in the Southwest Museum. 

 We have examined all of these types, and (ind the first three to be the 

 grav form and the last two ratlier brownish tawny. The type of 

 harbcri ha>- no crests on the hind tibiae, but in our series of over a 

 hundred specimens we find this crest in all stages of development. 



The sjiecies has been reared bv numerous entomologists on this 

 continent, liut we are forced to reproduce Tutt's descriptions of the 

 larva and pupa, which he quotes from TVirrilt and South, as indicated. 

 The recorded food plants knovvU to us are Coirrol:iiliis scpiiiiii. ar- 

 'i'riisis, major, tricolor. CIiriio[^odiiiin alhiiin. .Itri[>lc.r patiilu. Cdllidia 

 Tiihjaris. Ipoiiiocii piirpiirra and Rii patoritiiii purptireuni. 



